Charting History, Patriots Point: 50 Years Of Maritime Memories

Some things just improve with age. That adage seems to apply perfectly to Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, which turned 50 this year. What began as a venture to lure tourist dollars to the Charleston area in the economically-starved 1970s has become a place that visitors as well as locals can’t live without. That’s because it has something to please everyone.

Five decades ago, the allure of Charleston was not yet known to the rest of the country. Sure, there were beaches and plantations, but few tourists. Most transplants to our area were active-duty service members or military retirees. The economy of the entire region relied on the Charleston Naval Shipyard in North Charleston, so it seemed reasonable that the notion of igniting a tourist-based economy might begin with focusing on military history. It started with a simple idea: take a mothballed naval vessel, sink it in the pluff mud and tourists would pay to come see it. Add a submarine and a Navy destroyer and they would flock here for the opportunity to board actual naval ships and learn how the U.S. Navy carries out its sea operations.

There was plenty of space available on Hog Island on the east bank of the Cooper River to accommodate the project. Most of the island had been created over the decades from the silt, sand and mud that had been dredged up from harbor deepening and dumped there. But to anchor “The Fighting Lady” and her flotilla, a more respectable name would have to be given to the spot. Thus, Patriots Point was born.

Perhaps some of the tourists coming to see the ships might enjoy a round of golf while in town. Since the area lacked any public golf course east of the Cooper at the time, even locals would like the idea. Of course, the golfers coming from “off” would need a place to stay. There were only a handful of small motels in Mount Pleasant, but the harbor views and access to the budding tourist site made Patriots Point the perfect location for a hotel. This couldn’t be just any hotel, though. It would have to complement that picturesque view. Visiting boaters would need a safe harbor too, leading to the construction of Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina.

Many history buffs coming to the Naval and Maritime Museum would want to visit Fort Sumter without having to trek to downtown Charleston to catch the ferry from there. Subsequently, boats to the fort, harbor tours and dinner cruises were added from the dock at Patriots Point.

One look at all that water would certainly make folks yearn for seafood. So, a couple of restaurants were added to what was becoming a growing complex.

With land still available and the College of Charleston looking for a place where its athletic facilities could expand, Patriots Point seemed the ideal spot. Later, the Charleston Battery professional soccer team would seize on the idea and establish its program at Patriots Point, too.

Patriots Point’s Executive Director Allison Hunt explained that the entity acts as a landlord to the different business enterprises that comprise the 465-acre complex. The star attraction is, of course, the USS Yorktown and the Naval & Maritime Museum, but there are also lots of independent ventures. “There are so many layers of Patriots Point – and lots of moving parts,” Hunt said. A master plan is in place to continue to develop the property wisely.

The idea of using the property for something other than a dumping ground for dredged material was first conceived in the 1960s by a group of businessmen who planned to develop a resort on the site. But their plan was upended by the Charleston County Parks, Recreation and Tourism Commission (PRT) which hoped instead to create a public park there. In 1973 the South Carolina General Assembly established the Patriots Point Development Authority to chart yet a different course, one that could do for the Charleston area what Disneyworld had done for the city of Orlando; the development of what would become the vast complex we know today. It seems that the idea has been a huge success!

For more photos, ideas for excursions and much more, visit the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum online.

Photos at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum

By Mary Coy