SPRING ISLAND

Spring Island is indeed unique and its story is the same. The historical record tells a passionate story of Lowcountry natives, industrious plantation owners, agriculturalists, quail hunting enthusiasts and most recently, land developers endeavoring the risky and courageous preservation of this long treasured property.

Every phase of Spring Island’s history connects to water. The Broad River estuary is an especially fertile ecosystem, conducive to oyster growth. The super-abundance of edible fish, the ease of intercoastal transportation and deepwater access appealed to Native Americans and to European explorers and settlers.In the 16th and 17th centuries Spring Island lay along critical shipping lanes linking Caribbean, NewEngland, European and African trade hubs. In 1861 the “Battle of Port Royal Sound,” an engagement impacting the course of the Civil War, was fought within earshot of Spring Island.

Spring Island has been used as agricultural land for millennium. Since PreColumbian days Native Americans cultivated gourds, squash and corn, storing grains for consumption over winter months.18th century European colonists ran livestock. Logging supported regional timber and ship-building industries. Shortly thereafter, rice, indigo, then Sea Island cotton were in abundance. After Reconstruction, fishing, lumber and truck farming (lettuce and pecans) supported tenant farming settlements and commerce into the 20th century.