Since 1978, three generations of the Hartnetts have spent their summers at their family beach house, located at 19 Sandcrab Court in Wild Dunes on the Isle of Palms.
Tom Hartnett Jr. said that growing up going to the beach is what defined his childhood. “Every year we counted the days until summer, when we’d move out to the island. It meant freedom – friends I hadn’t seen since the year before, long days surfing, sail carting and running wild on what was then the undeveloped end of the island. Back then, it felt like a jungle oasis in the middle of paradise.”
That was before Wild Dunes was built up like it is now, when the amenities were simpler. “We didn’t need anything more, we lived outside,” he said. “Days blurred into nights at the cabana – shooting pool, playing volleyball and crowding around video games. It was everything a boy could want. I dreaded the end of summer, packing up and heading back over the bridge to Mount Pleasant, leaving behind friends and the life we had on the island – though there was always the promise of doing it all again next year.”
Hartnett said what he misses most about those days is how the island felt – and sounded. “The steady ring of halyards tapping against sailboat masts along the beach is something I’ll never forget. Even now, when I hear that sound, it takes me right back to those summers on the Isle of Palms.”
His son, Thomas, added, “The things that I remember the most are playing on the beach with my little brothers, Rhett and Nicholas, and fishing in every spot we could find, from the creeks located on the back side of the island near Dewees Inlet, to the ponds located all throughout Wild Dunes. We would also ride on the golf cart with our grandparents at sunset once the golfers cleared the course and hunt for golf balls, clean them up and then sell them to golfers the next day. Where the house was located, we could walk and ride bikes all around and fish. We also loved getting to buy candy at the end of the IOP Marina. Additionally, there was something very satisfying and peaceful about sitting on a screened-in back porch on the beach listening to and watching a thunderstorm roll in.”
Although another family is enjoying the beach house now, the Hartnett family is still tight-knit, continuing to find joy in different ways. “Something that my parents, little brothers and I love to do when we are together is going on trips, because making memories is more important than buying things,” stated Thomas. “Most recently, we went to Puerto Rico in December and toured all around the island, hiking in the rainforest and exploring Old San Juan. When home, we all try to go hunting together – except for my mom.”
By Sarah Rose
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