Edisto Island and Edisto Beach History and Culture
Rich History Ties Edisto Island Real Estate Owners To Past
The Early Years
Edisto Island's rich history ties owners of Edisto Island real estate to its past. In 1674, the Earl of Shaftsbury, one of the original Lord Proprietors, purchased Edisto Island from the Edistow Indians, who are believed to have lived for centuries along one of the longest free-flowing blackwater rivers on the continent. Lined by moss-draped cypress trees, the Edisto River’s clean waters rush some 250 miles to the South Carolina coast to empty into the Atlantic Ocean.
Edisto’s Golden Age
Soon after the purchase, the English began searching for cash crops that could be successfully cultivated on Edisto Island. With the first rice and indigo harvest came financial success for the settlers. These crops sustained the inhabitants through the 18th century. Then in 1790, planters began growing long-staple cotton.
By the early 1800s, Sea Island cotton, the king of all cottons, flourished in Edisto Island's rich, fertile soil. During that period known as the Golden Age, the planters attained great wealth with which they built magnificent Edisto Island real estate and furnished them with the best money could buy.
The affluence of this bygone era is still evident on Edisto Island SC today. In fact, 29 sites on Edisto Island, including South Carolina’s oldest Presbyterian church, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Each October, the Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society hosts the “Edisto and Beyond” Annual Tour of Plantations, Churches, Graveyards and Historic Sites to offer owners of Edisto Island real estate and visitors a dramatic reminder of Edisto Island's rich past.
Rebuilding Their Lives
Following the Civil War and the subsequent onslaught of the destructive boll weevil beetle, the cotton industry died. Edisto Islanders turned to fishing, farming and shrimping to make their livings, and the prosperous cotton crops were slowly replaced by fruit and vegetable fields.
By the 1920s, tourism began to take root on Edisto Island. Edisto Island real estate development was slow in the early days due to the inaccessibility of the beach. Driving over beds of oyster shells at low tide was the only way onto Edisto Island until the first one-lane wooden bridge was built.
Resisting Growth
Following World War II, Edisto Island real estate development began to increase, though rampant commercialization was always held in check by those unwilling to sacrifice their little piece of paradise for high-rises and bright neon lights. In fact, generations of families have called Edisto Island home.
With Edisto Beach's current year-round population of less than 650 and only about 2,500 people living on the entire island, Edisto Island real estate owners have a deep appreciation for living life in complete harmony with nature. The town of Edisto Beach operates as a Mayor-Council form of government, with town officials playing an important role in preserving the island’s quiet family atmosphere.
