Tuckahoe Bay is located in Horry County, South Carolina

Horry County, South Carolina

Horry County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. This name honored Revolutionary War Hero, Peter Horry. Brigadier General Horry was born in South Carolina sometime around 1743 and started his distinguished military career in 1775 as one of 20 captains the Provincial Congress...

 in the Nixonville Quadrangle of South Carolina. It is a Carolina bay

Carolina Bay

Carolina bays are elliptical depressions concentrated along the Atlantic seaboard within coastal Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and northcentral Florida...

, which is similar to a swamp with an oval shape. The bay is next to the Covington Lake and Waterford Plantation subdivisions in the Carolina Forest neighborhood of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina. It is considered to be a major tourist destination in the...

. It is noted that the flora in the bay is noticeably shorter than that of the surrounding area. This is due to the difference in soil type. Tuckahoe Bay has a Jo soil type, or Johnston Loam.

History of the Bay

The name 'Tuckahoe' is a Native-American word that associates itself with plants, especially edible plants. The name 'Tuckahoe Bay' has an unknown origin, probably a name from a resident in Horry County. The first map to use the term was platted in October 1845 by Cornelius B. Sarvis. The plat included Socastee Swamp, and totaled an area of 5,760.

Tuckahoe Bay has been on several topography maps, including some dating back to 1938. An early aerial map taken by the Ocean Forest Company in the early 1930s shows what Carolina bays looked like also shows Tuckahoe Bay, when it was undisturbed. Even as current development is abundant around the area, the bay has remained untouched.

Recent developments

Two recent developments have changed the natural setting of Tuckahoe Bay, the building of a power line through the middle of the bay and the Carolina Forest development.

Conway Bombing Range

In the 1940s, the area now known as Carolina Forest was used as a practice bombing range. Although Tuckahoe Bay was undisturbed, other Carolina bays around the area were, including Briery Bay which is located east of the Plantation Lakes neighborhood.

Santee Cooper Power Line

Santee Cooper is the local power company for the Myrtle Beach area. A long transmitter line was built before Tuckahoe Bay was preserved under law. If you can see aerial views of the area, the power line's location through the bay is noticeable.

Carolina Forest

The Carolina Forest development has changed the surroundings of Tuckahoe Bay. Covington Lake was built to the southwest of the bay and Waterford Plantation built to the northwest. Each neighborhood was established in 1996 and continues to grow. A 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) site is located buffering the bay which includes wetland area and buffer areas for the preservation of the wetlands. A 15 feet (4.6 m) easement was also set in place along Covington Lake's border with Tuckahoe Bay.