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Wadmalaw Island is considered the most unspoiled of Charleston’s
islands. While many Lowcountry islands such as Kiawah
and Seabrook are “barrier islands” which are
directly exposed to the ocean and fronted by sandy beaches,
such is not the case with Wadmalaw Island or its close
neighbor, John’s Island. Shielded from the Atlantic
by their neighbors to the east and south, Wadmalaw and
John’s Islands have remained stable through much
of recorded history.
Bordered by the Bohicket River to the east and the North
Edisto River to the west, Wadmalaw remains intensely rural,
with farming the traditional occupation of many of its
residents, both past and present. While fishing, crabbing
and shrimping serve as pleasurable pastimes in many local
communities, it is still a primary means of earning a
living for a number of Wadmalaw’s residents.
Along the island’s southern tip lies Rockville,
the charming picturesque hamlet that was featured in scenes
from “Queen,” a movie by Alex Haley. There
are no stores or restaurants to speak of outside of Rockville,
and hundreds of acres of the island’s woods and
wetlands are protected from development. However, in recent
years, some of the waterfront areas have become sparsely
populated with magnificent upscale homes, many on estate-sized
lots.
Each year, Wadmalaw hosts a Gullah festival of regional
import, encompassing exhibits and demonstrations of traditional
African-American arts and crafts like basket weaving.
Another point of interest is the Charleston Tea Plantation.
The only tea plantation in America, it is home to plants
descended from those that have been grown for more than
100 years in the Lowcountry. The plantation’s unusual
heritage began in 1799 when a French botanist brought
the first tea plants to Charleston, which were also the
first in America. Wadmalaw provides the ideal conditions
for tea growing – hot humid summers and sandy soils
for good drainage. The plantation consists of fields of
the hedge-like plants that produce the fresh, smooth American
Classic Teas, the official Hospitality Beverage of South
Carolina. |
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