Monday, August 30, 2010

McConkey's Island

Edisto Beach History

     Edisto Island is an island south of Charleston, South Carolina that has changed more slowly than other beach developments over the years, maintaining a family atmosphere and laid back attitude in its commercial development.
     Edisto Beach, earlier known as McConkeys Island was purchased by 6 Sumter Investors in 1925, who were enthusiastic about the coastal development occurring in Florida and in Myrtle Beach.
     They purchased the 4 1/2 miles of coastal beach from Jeremy Inlet.... the northern most part of Edisto Beach State Park , south down to Bay Point and around into St Helena Sound for 1 1/2 miles.They paid $60,000 for the entire beach and intended to sell beach front lots of 75x125 feet for $1000.
     It was all a second growth maritime forest and the locals said it was a jungle (thus the future name of Jungle Road. An Orangeburg construction investor traded cutting a road and covering it with black soil for 32 lots on the beach front. This was initially named McConkey boulevard became Palmetto Blvd.

For further reading see:  Edisto Island, 1861 to 2006: Ruin, Recovery and Rebirth - Google Books Result Charles Spencer - 2008 - History - 224 pages

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