Daufuskie Island, South Carolina
Encyclopedia
Daufuskie Island is a residential "sea island" between Savannah, Georgia
and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
about 2.75 miles (4.4 km) offshore. The total island surface is just 8 mi2 within the maximum length of 5 miles (8 km) and maximum width of 2.5 miles (4 km).
Daufuskie has a full-time population of around 250. There are two resorts, a private residential community, and a large undeveloped tract of lands identified as residential property.
of 1715–1717. The island was home to a sizable population of Gullah
inhabitants from the end of the Civil War until very recently. Gullah
are the descendants of freed slaves. The 1988 Jimmy Buffett
song, "The Prince Of Tides" laments the urbanization of the island and loss of the Gullah. The 1972 Pat Conroy
book The Water is Wide
was set on Daufuskie, fictionalized as "Yamacraw Island." The book recounts Mr. Conroy's experiences teaching on the island in the 1960s.
To the northeast is the Haig Point Club
http://www.haigpoint.com/, a private, member owned residential club with around 150 year-round residents and over 225 homes.
South of Haig Point is the Daufuskie Resort and Breathe Spa. Formerly a private vacation club with an emphasis on golf and tennis, and offering a private residential component, this is now a publicly accessible resort. Farther south on the eastern side of the island is Oak Ridge, a small oceanfront community, followed by Bloody Point, a private residential community with amenities that are an accessible part of the Daufuskie Island Resort and Breathe Spa. The Resort recently filed for bankruptcy, but a trustee has been appointed with the task of reopening the resort for the summer 2010.
The western part of the island is unincorporated land. Several dozen residents live in a variety of accommodations, from trailers to beautiful waterfront homes with private docks. This section of the island is often referred to as the Historic District. Visitors can take a tour around this historic portion of the island, with boat transportation available from nearby Hilton Head Island, Bluffton or Savannah on the mainland. Highlights include the site of the Bloody Point Lighthouse, the school where Pat Conroy taught, and the home workshops of local artisans.
A recent census in 2007 by the local Daufuskie Island Fire and Rescue Department counted a total of just 429 residents living full time on the entire island.
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There are two historic lighthouses on Daufuskie Island. The Bloody Point Lighthouse, built in 1883, and the Haig Point Lighthouse, built ten years earlier.
Students in grades 6-12 are transported to the Hilton Head Middle School and High School by a county school ferry. On Daufuskie, these students take a small school bus to the boat at Melrose Landing and travel approximately 45 minutes by boat to Skull Creek on Hilton Head. The students' commute is completed when they are picked up by a bus and taken to the Hilton Head school's campus. The entire trip is about an hour and ten minutes each morning and afternoon. Kids often do their homework or simply nap during the boat ride. It's a unique way of life for schoolchildren.
Beaufort County provides a subsidized ferry that transports residents. The Haig Point Club has its own private ferry service. Additionally, the Daufuskie Island Club runs its own ferry service, which is also contracted by the county to provide public ferry services between Hilton Head (Salty Fare Embarkation Center) and the Melrose Landing on Daufuskie. Residents of the clubs, as well as some of the other residents on the island, use golf carts and bicycles to travel around the island, although there are a handful of cars and trucks, too.
The Daufuskie Island Conservancy is one of several local organizations charged with preserving the ecosystem, flora and fauna, and quality of life on Daufuskie Island. Details of these groups and their meetings can be found at the island's only news source The Daufuskie Front Porch. www.DauFusKie360.net; www.ExploreDauFusKie.com and www.TheBinyahFoundation.org also provide information online. In addition there is a web portal for the island with local interests and local business listings at Daufuskie Tides
Daufuskie Island boasts a wide variety of nature and animal life. Notable animals that inhabit the island is the Fox Squirrel. And, one of the most magnificent animals that calls the island home, is the American Bald Eagle. During the day, you can see eagles soaring high in the air and occasionally swooping into the water for a catch.
The twenty hole Haig Point Golf Course is designed to be played as two separate 18 hole courses, one easier, one more difficult. The course has two extra "easy" par threes and many holes have two sets of tees. It is a unique and ingenious design that allows every level of player to enjoy the Signature Course and its natural beauty. Ten of the twenty holes have spectacular marsh, sound and ocean views.
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Hilton Head Island or Hilton Head is a resort town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is north of Savannah, Georgia, and south of Charleston. The island gets its name from Captain William Hilton...
about 2.75 miles (4.4 km) offshore. The total island surface is just 8 mi2 within the maximum length of 5 miles (8 km) and maximum width of 2.5 miles (4 km).
Daufuskie has a full-time population of around 250. There are two resorts, a private residential community, and a large undeveloped tract of lands identified as residential property.
History
The island's recorded history traces back to Pre Revolutionary War times. It was the site of a skirmish called the "Daufuskie Fight" during the Yamasee WarYamasee War
The Yamasee War was a conflict between British settlers of colonial South Carolina and various Native American Indian tribes, including the Yamasee, Muscogee, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Catawba, Apalachee, Apalachicola, Yuchi, Savannah River Shawnee, Congaree, Waxhaw, Pee Dee, Cape Fear, Cheraw, and...
of 1715–1717. The island was home to a sizable population of Gullah
Gullah
The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia, which includes both the coastal plain and the Sea Islands....
inhabitants from the end of the Civil War until very recently. Gullah
Gullah
The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia, which includes both the coastal plain and the Sea Islands....
are the descendants of freed slaves. The 1988 Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett
James William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...
song, "The Prince Of Tides" laments the urbanization of the island and loss of the Gullah. The 1972 Pat Conroy
Pat Conroy
Pat Conroy , is a New York Times bestselling author who has written several acclaimed novels and memoirs. Two of his novels, The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini, were made into Oscar-nominated films.-Early life:...
book The Water is Wide
The Water Is Wide (book)
The Water Is Wide is a 1972 autobiography by Pat Conroy and is based on his work as a teacher on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, which is called Yamacraw Island in the book. A film adaptation, titled Conrack, was created in 1974, starring Jon Voight...
was set on Daufuskie, fictionalized as "Yamacraw Island." The book recounts Mr. Conroy's experiences teaching on the island in the 1960s.
Locations
The island is now split into five parts.Haig Point Club
Haig Point is a U.S. private community on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina. Commonly referred to just as Haig Point, it is legally known as The Haig Point Club and Community Association, Inc. Founded in 1986 by International Paper, it has been owned by its members since 2001, and member-operated...
http://www.haigpoint.com/, a private, member owned residential club with around 150 year-round residents and over 225 homes.
South of Haig Point is the Daufuskie Resort and Breathe Spa. Formerly a private vacation club with an emphasis on golf and tennis, and offering a private residential component, this is now a publicly accessible resort. Farther south on the eastern side of the island is Oak Ridge, a small oceanfront community, followed by Bloody Point, a private residential community with amenities that are an accessible part of the Daufuskie Island Resort and Breathe Spa. The Resort recently filed for bankruptcy, but a trustee has been appointed with the task of reopening the resort for the summer 2010.
The western part of the island is unincorporated land. Several dozen residents live in a variety of accommodations, from trailers to beautiful waterfront homes with private docks. This section of the island is often referred to as the Historic District. Visitors can take a tour around this historic portion of the island, with boat transportation available from nearby Hilton Head Island, Bluffton or Savannah on the mainland. Highlights include the site of the Bloody Point Lighthouse, the school where Pat Conroy taught, and the home workshops of local artisans.
A recent census in 2007 by the local Daufuskie Island Fire and Rescue Department counted a total of just 429 residents living full time on the entire island.
Culture
The island is also home to the First Union African Baptist Church, which is Daufuskie's oldest building, and is still in use today as a place of worship.There are two historic lighthouses on Daufuskie Island. The Bloody Point Lighthouse, built in 1883, and the Haig Point Lighthouse, built ten years earlier.
Education
Daufuskie Island School is a Beaufort County public school built in 1997. It is a modern facility with 18 students and significant community support, a marked contrast to the conditions depicted by Pat Conroy two generations ago in The Water is WideThe Water Is Wide (book)
The Water Is Wide is a 1972 autobiography by Pat Conroy and is based on his work as a teacher on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, which is called Yamacraw Island in the book. A film adaptation, titled Conrack, was created in 1974, starring Jon Voight...
Students in grades 6-12 are transported to the Hilton Head Middle School and High School by a county school ferry. On Daufuskie, these students take a small school bus to the boat at Melrose Landing and travel approximately 45 minutes by boat to Skull Creek on Hilton Head. The students' commute is completed when they are picked up by a bus and taken to the Hilton Head school's campus. The entire trip is about an hour and ten minutes each morning and afternoon. Kids often do their homework or simply nap during the boat ride. It's a unique way of life for schoolchildren.
Transportation
There are no bridges that connect Daufuskie with mainland South Carolina; therefore all island access must come by boat. Ferries are run from Hilton Head Island twice a day that connect the island.Beaufort County provides a subsidized ferry that transports residents. The Haig Point Club has its own private ferry service. Additionally, the Daufuskie Island Club runs its own ferry service, which is also contracted by the county to provide public ferry services between Hilton Head (Salty Fare Embarkation Center) and the Melrose Landing on Daufuskie. Residents of the clubs, as well as some of the other residents on the island, use golf carts and bicycles to travel around the island, although there are a handful of cars and trucks, too.
Flora and fauna
Daufuskie Island boasts a wide variety of nature and animal life. Notable animals that inhabit the island is the Fox Squirrel. And, one of the most magnificent animals that calls the island home, is the American Bald Eagle. During the day, you can see eagles soaring high in the air and occasionally swooping into the water for a catch.
Resort amenities
The island has three golf courses, the Bloody Point Course designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, the Melrose Golf Course designed by Jack Nicklaus, and the 20 hole Haig Point Signature Course plus the 9 hole Haig Point Osprey Course designed by Rees Jones.The twenty hole Haig Point Golf Course is designed to be played as two separate 18 hole courses, one easier, one more difficult. The course has two extra "easy" par threes and many holes have two sets of tees. It is a unique and ingenious design that allows every level of player to enjoy the Signature Course and its natural beauty. Ten of the twenty holes have spectacular marsh, sound and ocean views.