Well gang, I've gotta tell ya ... I got ahead of myself last time we were at the beach and didn't do something I promised!!! In one of our last posts while were at Litchfield I mentioned we were going to the town of Socastee for a visit. And then - I totally failed to tell you about our trip there. A lot of early South Carolina history took place in Socastee (which was the name of the primary Native American tribe in the area and was referred to as "Sawkastee in early writings of the colonists) and it was at the center of land granted by one of the Lords Proprietors to Mr. Percival Pawley. If you are familiar with the South Carolina coast - or - if you've followed our ramblings here - you probably recognize the name "Pawley" as being the name of the island upon which our cherished Litchfield Beach is located.
Anyway - Mr. Pawley was one of the earliest folks to own property and actually reside in our state. I'm not even going to attempt to explain the chronology of the events leading to his ownership of this coastal paradise but the grants he received pre-date the founding of South Carolina by about five years. The date normally cited on the land grant is 1711 but looking back at the early negotiations it appears that the actual transaction took place somewhere around 1665. The history of the area is spectacularly fascinating so you really need to look into it more
deeply. One of the more interesting things of note was the fact that Mr. Pawley donated land for the building of an Anglican Church in the early 1700s and that church - All Saints - is still in existence today!! But - so much took place in this relatively small section of South Carolina! Development of maritime products - turpentine, tar, timber, wood products of all kinds and much more caused the area to experience a boom in the mid-1800s. Interestingly, one of the oldest remaining structures from those early days is a general store owned by a man by the name of Sardis. The interesting part is that one of my old friends, now
deceased, (Joe Sardis Dusenbury) was named after Mr. Sardis and was very deeply involved in the the activities of the coastal area. Anyway .... the picture on the top right shows an amazing drawbridge over the Intracoastal Waterway not far
from the historic district in Socastee. But - as always when you are in this area, thoughts tend to drift toward Myrtle Beach. Of course the enormous tourist area has more glitz per square foot than a sunburned eye could take in. So - if you happen to be there
and need a rest for the soul, go on out to one of the local parks - Huntington Beach or Myrtle Beach. Our State Park System is really tops and I thought you might like to see a very, very tiny glimpse into one key aspect of most of the parks - their dedication to teaching us about our environment. There are forty-seven parks (or historic sites) in the system with over
80,000 acres of protected land. Myrtle Beach State Park is one of the most heavily used - for understandable reasons. There is so much to do there it is mind-boggling. Of course the beach area is huge and extremely well equipped with picnic areas, bath-houses, piers and fishing areas. But there are
also tons of things for young folks to do from nature hikes to art or craft lessons and an excellent class-room area for groups seeking more intense study opportunities. For those of us who are a bit more casual about our studies, though, there are some of the most personable and knowledgeable naturalists you could ever want to meet who will
give you a brief overview of the creatures to be found here and quickly take you out to see them. They also maintain a small but comprehensive aquatic and amphibian life collection so newcomers to the area can get a look
at some of the things they are likely to encounter in the tidal pools, swampy areas and ponds. If you're really lucky, you might arrive at feeding time and see the fish eating their lunch, one of the "slithery things" munching on a deceased mouse or even a starfish having a yummy snack. Right outside the naturalist center is a wonderful "bird garden" with feeders attracting virtually every kind of small bird (and even some of the larger ones) in the area. As I noted, this is only the tiniest fraction of stuff you will encounter at one of the parks. Come on down and visit one. I promise, you'll be glad you did. See ya.
Well gang, I've gotta tell ya ... I got ahead of myself last time we were at the beach and didn't do something I promised!!! In one of our last posts while were at Litchfield I mentioned we were going to the town of Socastee for a visit. And then - I totally failed to tell you about our trip there. A lot of early South Carolina history took place in Socastee (which was the name of the primary Native American tribe in the area and was referred to as "Sawkastee in early writings of the colonists) and it was at the center of land granted by one of the Lords Proprietors to Mr. Percival Pawley. If you are familiar with the South Carolina coast - or - if you've followed our ramblings here - you probably recognize the name "Pawley" as being the name of the island upon which our cherished Litchfield Beach is located. 
Anyway - Mr. Pawley was one of the earliest folks to own property and actually reside in our state. I'm not even going to attempt to explain the chronology of the events leading to his ownership of this coastal paradise but the grants he received pre-date the founding of South Carolina by about five years. The date normally cited on the land grant is 1711 but looking back at the early negotiations it appears that the actual transaction took place somewhere around 1665. The history of the area is spectacularly fascinating so you really need to look into it more 
deeply. One of the more interesting things of note was the fact that Mr. Pawley donated land for the building of an Anglican Church in the early 1700s and that church - All Saints - is still in existence today!! But - so much took place in this relatively small section of South Carolina! Development of maritime products - turpentine, tar, timber, wood products of all kinds and much more caused the area to experience a boom in the mid-1800s. Interestingly, one of the oldest remaining structures from those early days is a general store owned by a man by the name of Sardis. The interesting part is that one of my old friends, now 
deceased, (Joe Sardis Dusenbury) was named after Mr. Sardis and was very deeply involved in the the activities of the coastal area. Anyway .... the picture on the top right shows an amazing drawbridge over the Intracoastal Waterway not far 
from the historic district in Socastee. But - as always when you are in this area, thoughts tend to drift toward Myrtle Beach. Of course the enormous tourist area has more glitz per square foot than a sunburned eye could take in. So - if you happen to be there 
and need a rest for the soul, go on out to one of the local parks - Huntington Beach or Myrtle Beach. Our State Park System is really tops and I thought you might like to see a very, very tiny glimpse into one key aspect of most of the parks - their dedication to teaching us about our environment. There are forty-seven parks (or historic sites) in the system with over
80,000 acres of protected land. Myrtle Beach State Park is one of the most heavily used - for understandable reasons. There is so much to do there it is mind-boggling. Of course the beach area is huge and extremely well equipped with picnic areas, bath-houses, piers and fishing areas. But there are 
also tons of things for young folks to do from nature hikes to art or craft lessons and an excellent class-room area for groups seeking more intense study opportunities. For those of us who are a bit more casual about our studies, though, there are some of the most personable and knowledgeable naturalists you could ever want to meet who will
give you a brief overview of the creatures to be found here and quickly take you out to see them. They also maintain a small but comprehensive aquatic and amphibian life collection so newcomers to the area can get a look 
at some of the things they are likely to encounter in the tidal pools, swampy areas and ponds. If you're really lucky, you might arrive at feeding time and see the fish eating their lunch, one of the "slithery things" munching on a deceased mouse or even a starfish having a yummy snack. Right outside the naturalist center is a wonderful "bird garden" with feeders attracting virtually every kind of small bird (and even some of the larger ones) in the area. As I noted, this is only the tiniest fraction of stuff you will encounter at one of the parks. Come on down and visit one. I promise, you'll be glad you did. See ya.
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