The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-11-13
He owned Daufuskey

Doautify his estate. This island
situated at the mouth of the Savanna
river and looks directly out upon til
|. Atlantic ocean.
"I recall q number of large Sc
Island plantations of from 900 TO 90
acres in extent. DIR. George Stone
had 5000 acres in one body Oh Ililto
Head. DR.. Thomas Fuller had 200
acres on Paris Island. Gen. Stephe
Elliott, who comm anded the COnfctl
crate forces at Fort Sumter during th
latter part of the war, had | 200 acre
on Paris Island. Robert w. Barn
well was large planter on Port Roya
Island, and also on the mainland
Each planter owned from 100 to 5O(
negro slaves.
| " AS l have before stated, most o
The Sea Island cotton.planters lived i,
beaufort during the summon. The,
also had palatial winter residences on
their island plantations. They often
went Ncrth to spend the summer
months. In addition TO elegant car
rlages, almost oscry planter owned a
large boat for purposes of business and
pleasure. These boats were made of
hcwn cypress slabs, fifty feet long and
eight feet beam, and wcro propelled
Dy dozen stalwart young negro oars
men. They were kept well painted
and were of largo carrying capacity.
canopy was spread over a portion of
the stern for the family and their
trends 10 sit under. They were used
mostly for pleasure, but also Otter for
transporting cotton and supplies to and
from Beaufort. They all had names.
and were frequently named in honor OF
some female member of the owners
family, usually his wife or daughter.
Those family boats cost from 81 900
to 81 200. They made frequent trips
10 the various coast towns between
Charleston and Savannah.
I'm addition TO these large 5O-foot
lamlly boats, many planters also owned
handsome little two-sail launches, used
exclusively for pleasure. These, too,
were constructed of cypress, and cost
about 81 900 each. They were the
boats used for fishing excursions. Il
have seen from $50 TO 200 of them at
one view during the spring when fish
ing for drum was at lis height.
:" "Thc glory Of The Sea Islands has
long since departed. They were la,d
waste by the ruthless hand of war. At
the battle Of Port Royal IN 1861, all
the white population left, leaving their
Weil-furnishcd, palatial houses to their
former slaves. Admiral Dupont. in
command Of the Federal forces at Port
Royal, scnt detaChmcnts OF soldiers to
several points in vain attempt to stay
the devastation of The splendid estates.
upon which years Of labor and tens of
thousands Of dollars had been cxpcnd-
ed, but to no purpose. The planters
knew that under the surrounding con-
dltions of active warfare they could
no longer carry on their old business
OF raising fine cotton for foreign
markets, shut out by blockade, and
they made no attempt to do so. Their
line Old country homes wcro left to the
lender mcrcics of the negroes who
soon wasted and destroyed everything.
When The long, bloody siege ended we
were all too impoverished and too dis
hca'tcnod to attempt to rchabilitatc
our plantations. With few rare ex-
ccptions, none could afford to even pay
taxes on their land, and most of II
thus passed out Of their hands and was
to ali practical purposes, coniscatcd.
Only the islands of Edisto, james
Fenwick and Johns are now cultivated
ny their former owners or their dcsccn-
dants. The Scabrooks, Townsends
and Popcs were great cotton-plantcrs
years ago, and their children and
grandchildren are still growing the
same liuc long staple that gave the Sea
Islands their reputation, but thew do
not get AZ good prices as their fathers
got. inferior cottons have, to a great
extent, supplanted the true Sea Island.
improved methods of cultivation have
been adopted since the war, however,
and the yiold per acre has been ma
terially increased. The discovery of
the great phosphate beds in South
Carolina and other States has proved a
wonderful blessing, and the few Sea
Island planters of the old school who
are left are making good use of it.
Co0saW Island, once owned by
Major Barnwcll, is now owned wholIy
by negroes. Indeed, negroes now own
much OF The land on the other islands.
Ihey seem to be doing fairly well, but
OF course they do not raise near the
quantities On the old plantations thai
their former masters did. Much Of
The land, both on the islands and the
adjacent mainland, is now uncultlvated
and abandoned"
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