A visit through the historic seaport of Georgetown

The port city of Georgetown, South Carolina rests at the top of Winyah Bay, steeped in history. Travelers on coastal U.S. Highway 17 might pass through Georgetown with their minds set on visiting the famed southern city of Charleston, located about 60 miles farther south. They would be passing through and passing up some of the most fascinating history the Lowcountry of South Carolina has to offer. Pirate lore? War history? Ghosts and ghouls? Grand old rice plantations? African American Gullah culture? Ancient live oak trees dripping with Spanish moss? Marshlands and forests unchanged for hundreds of years? Whatever your interest, all of these and more are found in Georgetown County. Pause a while and explore. Planned and drawn up by Englishman Elisha Screven in 1729, George Town, as it was known then, became a port of entry by 1732. It is the third oldest city in the state, following Charleston and Beaufort. A major agricultural site, Georgetown was home to numerous indigo and rice plantations in the 18th and 19th centuries. Over 30 places in the county are on the National Register of Historic Sites. Tours of many of the old plantations as well as tours of Georgetown’s historic district are offered year-round. These tours showcase a variety of architectural styles stretching back over 250 years including homes and cemeteries that pre-date the founding of the United States and a ghost tale or two thrown in for good measure. Famed pirate Black Beard is known to have plied the Atlantic waters off Georgetown, preying upon merchant ships.

Four rivers – the Waccamaw, Black, Pee Dee (consisting of the Little Pee Dee and the “Great” or Big Pee Dee) and the Sampit empty into Winyah Bay, the third largest estuarine watershed on the eastern seaboard. Georgetown has long been an important port, figuring prominently in the Revolutionary and Civil wars. General Francis Marion, “The Swamp Fox,” and ally French nobleman the Marquis de Lafayette were among the war heroes who drove the British to release control of Georgetown in 1781. In later years, the port of Georgetown was blockaded by Union troops during the War Between the States. Remnants of the war are still visible all around. In Winyah Bay, the boiler of the Union warship Harvest Moon can be seen in the waters of Muddy Bay, a shallow water pocket off the northeast side of Winyah Bay. The ship sank after reportedly being struck by a torpedo made in the Kaminski Hardware Store – the present-day site of the Georgetown Rice Museum’s Prevost Gallery. Across from the site of the Harvest Moon, situated off the southwest side of the bay, is Battery White. A Confederate embattlement, its cannons still rest atop the shady banks that face the bay. A conservation easement on Battery White is held by the S.C. Battleground Preservation Trust. The battery is enclosed within The Yacht Club at Belle Isle (www.theyachtclubatbelleisle.com), a secluded natural waterfront community and marina, located just above the entrance to the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). As a result of the Civil War, plantation life was changed. The cultivation of indigo and rice was replaced by cotton and a burgeoning timber industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Industry arrived with the construction, in 1936, of a paper mill, followed in the 1970s by a steel mill. Jetties were built at the mouth of Winyah Bay, making it accessible to large commercial marine traffic.

Georgetown still holds the charm of past centuries and visitors today are delighted to discover its rich and bountiful history along the streets laced with ancient trees and the balmy breezes flowing in from the bay. Stand quietly, close your eyes and listen carefully, history can be heard.

Fishing at its finest in the South Carolina Low Country

Ahoy, mate! Are you ready to get away from the office? Plant your feet on the deck of a boat and taste the tangy salt spray as you head for the open ocean and the Gulf Stream? Ply the slow steady waters of a coastal river? Troll along at a couple of knots waiting for that big ol’ creek flounder to bite? The waters around Georgetown, South Carolina have it all. If you haven’t visited the area, you’ve been missing out on one of the greatest fishing spots in the Southeast. Whatever fishing dreams are in your heart, they can be fulfilled here. Georgetown is situated at the top of Winyah Bay, the third largest estuarine watershed on the eastern seaboard. Four rivers – the Waccamaw, Black, Pee Dee (consisting of the Little Pee Dee and the “Great” or Big Pee Dee) and the Sampit empty into the top of Winyah Bay. The Bay stretches about another 10 miles out to the Atlantic Ocean, and is about a mile across at its widest point. Two more rivers, the North and South Santee, enter the ocean just south of Georgetown.If it’s the offshore thrill you are after, the Gulf Stream is just 30 miles away from Winyah Bay. Deep-water fishing is at its very best out on the “big blue.” If you don’t have your own vessel, fully-rigged charter fishing boats will take you out for a day of catching mahi-mahi, wahoo, tuna, bonito, marlin and sailfish. Red snapper, grouper and other bottom fish can be found on the offshore ledges.

Closer to shore are numerous reefs and wrecks – natural and man-made - which are ideal habitat for numerous fish including king and Spanish mackerel, black sea bass, amberjack, spadefish and barracuda.

Some folks would rather drift slowly along a creek trolling for flounder or stand in the surf casting for bass, red drum, trout and other inshore feeders with rod and reel. Red and black drum, bluefish, flounder and tarpon – they are all in abundance in the creeks, beaches and blackwater rivers of Georgetown County. The City of Georgetown offers a public boat landing and fishing piers, and there are public boat landings farther up each of the rivers flowing into Winyah Bay. Charter fishing boats depart from the city’s waters, and surf fishing can be found nearby at Pawleys Island. The Belle Isle Yacht Club (www.theyachtclubatbelleisle.com), a secluded waterfront community just south of Georgetown, sports an 80-slip marina which leads directly into Winyah Bay, and from there, out to the Atlantic. Numerous brackish and saltwater creeks flow through the coastal wetlands and out to the ocean. And last but not least are the “other” fish – shellfish. Atlantic blue crab, oysters, clams and scallops are also in abundance. And whatever you are fishing for, be sure to enjoy the scenery while you are here. The waters around Georgetown flow through some of the finest conservation areas in the country – home to marine and terrestrial wildlife. As the locals say, “Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina.” Come on down and cast your line; the fish are waiting!

Hidden treasures: The South Carolina Lowcountry

Waters run wide and shallow, wading birds lift off in silent flight, the sun sets over mashes as far as the eye can see and the moon rises over forests alive with the sounds of myriad creatures. Waves break over uninhabited shores and islanders commute by boat, rather than multi-lane highways.

Things that sound too good to be true usually are, so the saying goes. But in the Low Country of South Carolina, thanks in large part to former Northern landowners, there exists a remarkable combination of conservation, preservation and wise management of natural resources life is good. Radiating out from Georgetown a historic port city located about halfway between Myrtle Beach and Charleston – are thousands upon thousands of acres of protected marshes, estuarine creeks and rivers, inlets and maritime forests.

Years ago, wealthy businessmen and their families came to the coastal lands of South Carolina to get away from the rush and stress of big cities and demanding jobs. They came here to relax and to hunt for native deer, turkey and waterfowl, all of which were plentiful. Because of their love of the land, much of their property was willed to various local, state and federal agencies to be used, in perpetuity, as wildlife conservation sites.

Piloting a boat out from the marina at The Belle Isle Yacht Club, home of Battery White, a Civil War S.C. Heritage Trust site just south of Georgetown, one enters Winyah Bay. This bay, a salt wedge estuary, lies at the heart of the third largest estuarine watershed (about 18,000 square miles) on the eastern seaboard. On the northeast side of the bay lies the North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, a state and federally protected site encompassing over 12,300 acres of abandoned rice fields, oyster reefs, tidal wetlands, creeks and beaches. The Reserve overlaps Hobcaw Barony’s 17,500-acre wildlife habitat. The University of South Carolina and Clemson University both have facilities, located on the property, which are committed to research and conservation of coastal forests, wetlands, and waterways.

On the southwest side of the bay is the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, covering about 20,000 acres. Comprised of North and South islands and most of Cat Island, it contains marshes, longleaf pine and maritime forests, beaches and wetlands and is dedicated as a wildlife preserve and waterfowl refuge.

Moving south from the Yawkey preserve, one crosses the North and South Santee rivers and enters into the Santee Coastal Reserve and then on down to Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. These two areas offer up more than 350,000 acres of wilderness – more marshes, maritime forests, wetlands and the longest span of undeveloped beaches and barrier islands in the United States.

As amazing as this all is, there’s more. Traveling up Winyah Bay and into the Waccamaw and Pee Dee rivers one heads into the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, created in 1997 and currently encompassing over 6,000 acres. Lying between the Great Pee Dee and Waccamaw rivers is Sandy Island. This 9,000-plus acre island is home to wetlands, longleaf pine forests, and is inhabited by a small community of longtime residents – descendants of former slaves. The island is accessible only by boat.

Driving north of Georgetown along U.S. Highway 17, one encounters the enchanting Brookgreen Gardens, an extensive outdoor sculpture garden and park. Just across the highway is Huntington Beach State Park. Also in the area are former plantations, a bike path, and historic fishing villages. Local festivals celebrate African American culture, the fishing and shrimping industries, and the heritage of hunting and fishing on Winyah Bay.

All of these wildlife refuges, conservation areas and parks are open to the public, some with limited access. Together they are home to hundreds of species of songbirds, waterfowl, raptors, mammals, fish and plants, including several endangered and protected species such as the loggerhead sea turtle, the red-cockaded woodpecker, wood storks and bottlenose dolphins.

Come visit the Lowcountry and uncover our hidden natural treasures. Dip your oars in the blackwater rivers. Walk quietly along the forest trails. Eat a picnic lunch on an empty beach. Observe wildlife living as they have for centuries. Leave the hustle and bustle, the traffic jams and the sweltering shimmer of blacktop roads. Rest your spirit and abide a while. The wildlife refuges of the Lowcountry beckon.

For more information:

Brookgreen Gardens: www.brookgreen.org

Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge: www.fws.gov/caperomain/

Hobcaw Barony: www.hobcawbarony.org

Huntington Beach State Park: www.huntingtonbeachsc.org/

North Inlet – Winyah Bay National Estuary Research Reserve: www.northinlet.sc.edu

The Tom Yawkey Wildlife Preserve: www.yawkeyfoundations.org

Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge: www.fws.gov/waccamaw/

Sandy Island Preserve: www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/southcarolina/preserves

/art1635.html

Santee Costal Reserve: http://southern.ducks.org/CapeUnit.php

Text © Elizabeth Moses (embigblue@yahoo.com) 2007, Georgetown, SC.