In 1663, Lord Craven, along with seven other lords proprietors, was rewarded a massive charter of land in return for his loyalty and fealty to England’s King Charles II. Craven’s grant, which stretched along the coast from North Carolina to Georgia, included a 140-acre plot that hugged the Southern banks of the Sampit River opposite from the port city of Georgetown, which was … [Read more...]
Bending With The Times: Georgetown Steel Mill Redevelopment to Revitalize Riverfront
On Oct. 13, 1967, an article for a special edition of The Georgetown Times informed its readers that a German-based company called Korf Industries had chosen a 30-acre tract of land along the banks of the Sampit River as the site where it would develop the Georgetown Steel Corporation. The report stated that the $700,000 manufacturing facility would offer approximately 200 jobs … [Read more...]
Sunken History: Shipwrecks of Georgetown County
Originally designed as a ferry to commute passengers up and down the coast of Maine and once a week into Boston, the steamship Harvest Moon was acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1864. Assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, the USS Harvest Moon prevented Confederate vessels from delivering supplies to the ports of Savannah, Charleston and Georgetown. Sabotage at … [Read more...]
Frozen in Time: Tour of Georgetown Museums
What a treat that in neighboring Georgetown, we have access to five wonderful museums that honor our Lowcountry’s soulful history dating back to pre-colonial times. Gullah Museum Start at the Gullah Museum, located at 123 King St. Founded in 1997 by the late Bunny and Andrew Rodrigues, and now run by the four Rodrigues sisters Janette, Beatrice, Anna and Julia, the museum is … [Read more...]
Generational Gem: A Tribute to Georgetown’s Iconic International Paper Mill
The exit to historic Georgetown is easy to miss, due in part to the smog created by the International Paper mill that looms over the port city. As a result, many travelers are unaware of the magical experiences Georgetown has to offer. Brimming with stylish cafes, coffee shops, boutiques, art galleries and five cultural museums along Front Street, Georgetown also boasts … [Read more...]
Get Carried Away: Flocking to Georgetown
For decades, Brian and Sassy Henry, their two children and extended family members have traveled to Pawleys Island. While constantly grocery shopping, cooking or cleaning up after the six little kids, the young parents rarely had the chance to relax and enjoy time at the beach. Still, the Henry family had fallen in love with the area and in 2022, they made a permanent move from … [Read more...]
Haints, Hags & Plat Eyes: Eerie Estates and Unexplained Encounters
Against this backdrop of our region’s checkered history, it is impossible to ignore that coastal South Carolina is a portal for hauntings. It all began with the arrival of early settlers and wealthy planters in the Lowcountry, the indigenous population was eliminated due to slavery and disease. Then Africans came ashore in droves, forced to work the land, often in dangerous … [Read more...]
Opening Batch: Georgetown Crafts First Brewery
A craft beer fan and teacher from Cincinnati, Chase Runyan started brewing in his house by tinkering with kits and learning how to bottle the beer after fermentation. After making five or six batches each year, Runyan built up a good-sized collection of equipment that he stashed in a storage unit when he moved to Georgetown in 2017. In the meantime, Runyan was enjoying a … [Read more...]
Revolutionized: Georgetown’s Downtown Makeover
When the port city of Georgetown was laid out in 1729, merchant-oriented businesses and homes lined the land side of Front Street, originally called Bay Street, overlooking the sparkling Sampit River, which by 1732 became a main point of entry for commercial trade. By the mid-18th century, property owners realized the capital that could be gained by selling their riverside … [Read more...]
Gold Standard: Georgetown’s Own Crowned Olympic Champion
When 23-year-old Nike athlete and Georgetown native Melissa Jefferson arrived at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, she was determined to secure her spot on the women’s track and field team rather than qualifying as an alternate as she did the year before. As a witness to Jefferson’s second-place win that earned her the … [Read more...]