History

Editor’s Note: From the Archives is a new ongoing history series featuring today’s landmarks on Isle of Palms and their past developments from yesteryear. To own a property on the Isle of Palms with a down payment of $50, a monthly mortgage of $52.24 and no closing costs would seem a dream, even in the late 1950s or early ’60s. However, a reading of the fie print in … [Read more...] about From the Archives: Oceanfront property prices from the past

What do you think of when you hear the words “British invasion?” Perhaps it’s The Beatles’ first trip to America in 1964? Or the British attack on Sullivan’s Island during the Revolutionary War? Of course, either would be an appropriate answer. But here’s another one you might not have heard about. During the Civil War, a British-made steamship, the StayStrong Georgiana, … [Read more...] about Shipwrecked: Tragic fate of the SS Georgiana

Sure, our island is a tropical paradise with sun and sand all around, but there is also ample history in our midst. And since winter may not be the best time to enjoy the surf anyway, it’s a good time to get out and discover the historical markers dotting the island. So, dust off the golf cart or bike and check out these local history highlights. COL. WILLIAM “DANGER” THOMSON … [Read more...] about History by the Sea: Historical markers home to Isle of Palms

How many of us, as children, dressed for a Thanksgiving play in elementary school, adorned in either Pilgrim or Native American costumes? We learned that the Native Americans in Plymouth, Massachusetts, taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn and helped them survive their first winter in the New World. After the first successful crop was harvested, they supposedly all sat down … [Read more...] about A Lowcountry Thanksgiving: Sewee – First Native American tribe to lay claim to IOP

In 1929, the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge, also known as the Grace Memorial Bridge, was built to connect Charleston and Mount Pleasant as part of a highway system stretching from Florida to Maine. The 250-foot-tall bridge, which took 17 months and $6 million to build, was named in honor of John P. Grace (1874-1940), the 51st mayor of Charleston, who served two non-consecutive … [Read more...] about Freeing of the Toll Grace Memorial Bridge: the gateway for IOP tourism and commerce

Legend still lingers on a tiny barrier island only 200 yards off the Isle of Palms. In the early 1930s, a man and his wife lived in self-exile on Goat Island, without electricity or water, choosing to turn their backs on civilization forever. The island remains a place of rustic solitude – a precious, slender slice of land beyond the reach of streetlights and bus stops. The … [Read more...] about The lingering legend of Goat Island

Where would we be without them? Certainly not as safe, that’s for sure. We might not even think about them until we need them but just knowing that they are there gives us peace of mind. It all started with a house fire in 1952. Since no fire department existed on Isle of Palms at the time, volunteers from the Sullivan’s Island Fire Department rushed in to help. But for … [Read more...] about Emergence and Evolution of IOP Fire Department

When we think about famous marriages, one that comes to mind is that of former Isle of Palms residents Ernest “Fritz” and Rita Liddy “Peatsy” Hollings. Their union is the definition of a true “power couple.” When Peatsy died in 2012, one of the mourners wrote to Fritz, a former South Carolina governor and U.S. senator saying, “You and Peatsy were an unbelievable team, who … [Read more...] about Keeping Up With The Hollings: IOP’s Power Couple of The Past

What Marty Bettelli and his grandson Elijah Price experienced Oct. 7 during the IOP Connector Run was exactly what the run is all about. The charity event benefits 11 child abuse prevention agencies through grants from the Isle of Palms Exchange Club. Marty Bettelli, a 50 plus year Isle of Palms resident and former IOP City Council member, walked with Elijah’s sister, … [Read more...] about Passing the Baton to the Next Generation