xt7wdb7vqh5f https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7wdb7vqh5f/data/mets.xml Beaufort, South Carolina Federal Writers' Project South Carolina 1938 Sponsored and published by the Clover Club; 49 pages: illustrations and map, 21 cm; UK holds archival copy for ASERL Collaborative Federal Depository Program libraries; Call number F279.B3 F44 books English Savannah, Georgia: Review Printing Comapny This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. South Carolina Works Progress Administration Publications Beaufort and the Sea Islands text Beaufort and the Sea Islands 1938 1938 2015 true xt7wdb7vqh5f section xt7wdb7vqh5f V V my V.
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 _ AMERICAN GUIDE SERIES
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B E A U F C) R T and  
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@716 SEA ISLANDS
S P7‘6])Cl,7”6CZ by »
I FEDERAL WRITERS PROJECT
s WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION
  SOUTH CAROLINA
3 1938
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  Sponsored cmd published by
  THE CLOVER CLUB
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·. WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION I Q,
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. HARRY L. HOPKINS,  
‘ AcZministmtov·  
ELLEN S. W00DWARD, l
Assistant Admtmstmtor  
‘  
I
HENRY G. ALSBERG, Q
j Director of the Fedeml Wv*itev"s’ Project   l
I
 |
  -
Copyright, 1938
By
THE CLOVER CLUB

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  I
  BEAUFORT and  
,\ THE SEA ISLANDS
  0
i \ ————
  E
  GENERAL INFORMATION
  , . RAILROAD STATION: W. end of Depot St., Charleston and
    Western Carolina.
I
Q? BUS STATION: West Street, Greyhound Lines. °
» r~ l
¢ U AIRPORTS: Landing field, Lady’s Island, ./,.9 m. from Beaufort; I
Q. U. S. Marine Corps Training Station, Parris Island, 12 m. from »
' Beaufort. . I
gv PIERS: Bay St. between Scott and West Sts., Beaufort-Savannah
; Steamship Line, three round trips to Savannah weekly, fare $1 each
{ way; numerous docks on Bay St. between Carteret and Charles Sts.
_ may be used by visitors following Intracoastal Waterway in their
own ships.
i TAXIS: Rates vary according to number of passengers and
t distance.
I, TRAFFIC REGULATIONS: Usual. Many one—way streets.
  ACCOMMODATIONS: Three hotels; several tourist homes.
I
  INFORMATION SERVICE: Chamber of Commerce, or City
  Manager, City Hall, SW. corner of Carteret and Craven Sts.
  THEATERS: One motion picture theater in Beaufort, one on
Parris Island, 10.3 m. from Beaufort.
` SWIMMING: Burckmyer’s Beach, Lady’s Island, 3.7 m. from
Beaufort; Colony Gardens, designed for use of residents there, 6.4 m.
  from Beaufort. I
I FISHING: Boats may be rented separately or with their owners
acting as guides. Surf bass fishing on the Atlantic side of outlying
islands; the vicinity of Beaufort is one of the few places where cobia 4
can be caught. Best fishing seasons are March and April, black bass,
sea bass, and drum fish; summer months, whiting, sheephead, ‘
flounder, and mullet; September and November, speckled sea trout.
(3) ’
I
I

 HUNTING: Membership in a club is not essential. Local hunters
owning dogs and preserves will serve as guides for reasonable com-
pensation. Season’s license for a non-resident is $15.25. Seasons:
September 1 to January 1, deer; September 15 to November 15 and
December 15 to January 15, doves; Thanksgiving Day to March 1,  
quail. §
· TENNIS: W. end of Boundary St., public; U. S. Marine Corps
Training Station, Parris Island, 12 m. from Beaufort.  
GOLF: Colony Gardens, nine—hole course open to public, 50c f
greens fee, 6.4 m. from Beaufort; U. S. Marine Corps Training  
Station, 18 holes, Parris Island, 12 m. from Beaufort.  {
1 LIBRARY: Beaufort Library, NW. corner Carteret and Craven
I Sts., open to public; hours 4-6 week—days except Wednesdays; 10-12 y
t Wednesdays; 8-10 Friday evenings.  
I ANNUAL EVENTS: Sailboat regatta, three days during middle I
‘ of July. Boats from Charleston, Savannah, and neighboring islands
· participate. Evenings are featured by dances and parties; “Decoration i
· Day," May 30, and preceding Sunday afternoon celebrated by _
Negroes; St. Helena Island annual fair, in fall, under auspices of _
Penn School.
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é

 A
THE COUNTY
Coniiict and a sense of destiny might characterize ‘
Beaufort. Calm and peaceful, now, with its flowers,
; palms and shade trees, its acres of vegetables for north-
* ern markets, its numerous islands and beaches, sleepy
in the sun, its procession of oyster and shrimp boats going
j out in the morning, coming in late in the afternoon—
· there is little to testify to its past of Indian warfare,
  Spanish conquest, despairing French settlers, Scotsmen
V who were massacred, British attacks in Revolutionary
z times, capitulation to Federal troops, storms and hurri- »
  canes. From luxury and wealth to desolation and poverty,  
E the county has bounced back and forth ever since its
i known history began in 1521. i
  Its charm has been preserved and is daily discovered
l anew. That it has conceded little to the average tourist
taste is one of its most delightful features.
EARLY Hisronr
From its discovery by the Spanish in 1521, the rich
g land around Beaufort has been a center of contest, though F
l little trace of the three unsuccessful contestants is evi-
I dent today, except in some of the county names derived
il from them—Saint Helena from the Spanish "Punta de
  Santa Elena," "Port Royal" from the French of Ribaut,
  "Pocotaligo," "Coosaw," and others surviving from the
Indians.
J The determining factor in founding the town, as given _
. by the Lords Proprietors, was that "a port upon the River
called Port Royal" would be "the most proper place in ·
r that part of the province for ships of Great Britain to , .
1 take in masts, pitch, tar, turpentine, and other naval
stores."
  From the early days when the Yamasee Indians in
l 1715 nearly wiped out the little band of colonists, until  
Q the present time the history of Beaufort has been one of
  wars and fluctuating prosperity.
ii (5) ‘
r.
l
F.

 A
BASIS or PRos1>ERrrY
Early settlers 011 this controversial frontier were ad-
venturers from many sections and of many types—pros—
perous planters from Barbados, enterprising tradesmen
from England, and indentured servants driven overseas C
·` by poverty. Contrary to instructions of the Lords Pro-
prietors, they did 110t give much attention to cultivation
of semi—tropical plants; they first exploited the county’s
natural resources, the naval stores and timber, sources
( of wealth more easily accessible. l
i As these were depleted, three crops successively I
  served to revive the prosperity of the sectio11: rice with its
._ cultivation developed the plantation and Negro slave A
' system which was to distinguish the South Carolina Low  
3 Country for the next century and a half; indigo next *
became the most important source of wealth until the
bounty from England was discontinued after the Ameri-
can Revolution; and later sea island cotton proved vastly `
profitable.
EARLY PROSPERITY il
‘ Tl11·oughout these early days well-to-do pla11ters of  
{ the section made Beaufort their summer home a11d estab-  
lished, according to a South Carolina historian, McGrady, N
,_ "the foundation of a settlement wl1ich became the wealth- I
iest, most aristocratic and cultivated tow11 of its size in l
9 America." t
_1 Visitors came from many parts of tl1e country and W
from abroad. A port of importance a11d on tl1e regular
coastal route wl1icl1 included Wilmington, Nortl1 Caro-
li11a, Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia,
` Beaufort was tl1e11 more in tl1e direct li11e of travel than  
today. John Wesley a11d Bishop Francis Asbury stopped v_
i11 Beaufort, as did Parson Weems, who died here.  
Stephen Elliott, the botanist, was born in Beaufort a11d  
figured as o11e of its important citizens.  
_ (61  g

 With hundreds of acres of rich soils at their disposal, li
the planters began to experiment with long staple cotton _i
on Hilton Head. This proved to be even finer than that
of the Bahama Islands where the seed had been obtained. I
V The characteristic plantation system of the sea islands,
evolved from the production of this cotton, again brought
wealth to this section.
a A year after the first successful growth of the crop,
j a St. Helena planter’s wife said the islanders were so
Q interested in owning slaves that the profits of their crops
3 were "mostly expended in the purchase of Negroes, and ,
g nothing is so much coveted as the pleasure of possessing - ,
many slaves." ’
  WARS ‘
 ` During the Revolution General Prevost established a
post here which proved very important for the British,
for by means of the inland waterways in the vicinity, the
Red Coats could penetrate into any part of the coastal
region without fear, since the Carolinians had no navy.
il In the VVar of 1812 Beaufort was again threatened. I
il British warships came into Port Royal Harbor but the
il town and townsfolk suffered no actual damage at the I
  hands of the invaders.
  During the VVar between the States Beaufort was one ‘
l of the few places along the line of Sherman’s march that »
1 survived practically unscathed the devastation wrought I
, by the Union army. The town had already been occupied .
l by Federals before the march took place. Only one white ‘
ll person was in the town of Beaufort when the Federals
arrived and he had recently come from the North. I
LOSS OF HOMES IN THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES
{ The planters and their sons had left to join the Con- l
j| federate armies. Their defenseless families, at the ap-  
ll proach of the Federal troops, were forced to pack a few ;
if necessities and flee into the interior, leaving their lovely
   r

 old homes full of splendid Colonial furniture, silver, glass,
and china to the mercy of ex-slaves and invaders.
No more than two dozen of the old Beaufort families
were ever able to recover their possessions and today far
N more of the old houses are owned and occupied by E
  descendants of northern soldiers, teachers, and preachers
‘ than by former owners. The homes and estates were sold
for taxes by the national government between 1863 and Q
1870; and the greater number of the owners, unable to
redeem them, went elsewhere to rebuild fortunes which i
 L had been taken away so suddenly and dramatically. i
js; EXPERIMENTS WITH FREEDMEN
  Most of the island estates of the Southerners were  
·; eventually sold in small tracts to the Negroes, former .
V slaves, when they had been taken under protection of T
Federal Government. Deeds to practically all these plots  
., are still in the names of the Negroes who bought them, 1
and their children and grandchildren pay taxes in the  
names of forefathers, long since dead, rather than in their i
V own names as actual owners. The adjustment of the slave
I Negro to home ownership was one of the prime ideals  »
of the Federal Government which had to step in and {
r take charge of the thousands of freedmen left by their l
owners when the troops invaded the section. i
i These Negroes, of doubtful status, accustomed to the Q
. paternalistic regime of slavery constituted an unexpected gl
` problem which the United States had to face. Edward
‘ L. Pierce, a lawyer of Boston, was selected by the
Treasury Department to visit the conquered territory and
devise some scheme for taking care of them. He con-
ceived the sociological experiment of fostering land 4
ownership and the North caught enthusiasically at the i
idea. Benevolent societies were organized to help with 1
the work and the county was flooded with teachers and `
missionaries. The newcomers were bewildered at the i'
enormity of the work which they had undertaken.  
. ij
' (8)  

 Results with the freedmen were not immediately what X
had been expected. It was many years before the slave
life of dependency could be turned into productive
channels of initiative and even today, those who have
  been most successful in learning and adhering to the
white man’s institutions leave the islands. It was a dream,
an idealistic approach, to think that strangers could enter
I an isolated area, suddenly change the mores of an in-
tegrated group, and impose standards of culture and
  civilization upon the Negroes who had always held
§ fundamental beliefs in charms, spells, and signs; years
had to elapse before far reaching changes could take
place and today, superstitions, highly emotional religious
  activities, and incomplete independence are still to be
; found. From the earliest, however, the experiment pro-
  duced discoverable gains, and these have continued and
{ increased in spite of hardships.
l The first years of freedom were extremely difficult.
§ Adaptation of education to the situation consumed de-
  cades. One of the early schools put in courses in classical
. instruction and not until about 1901 were other depart-
` ments organized for home demonstration and agricultural
  extension work which would touch the life of the
j majority of Negroes who were not connected with the
El school.
  CONTEMPORARY LIFE
  Through these more practical efforts of educators
many of the thousands of Negroes have been reached,
E and their home life and farming improved. There is still,
however, a great deal to be done. Most of the Negroes,
who are educated in the special schools in the county,
’l do not remain among their people, and as a consequence,
1 their influence is lost to the community. Those who do
, stay on the islands are so few in number that their work
l for the good of the thousands of other Negroes is hard
l and discouraging. The vast proportion of the islanders
gl
  on .
I}

 still cling to old customs, though as the years pass, their
. primitive habits are slowly and gradually conforming to
a normal farm life.
A picturesque group, these Negroes seem to wear life
_ easily, and show the extremes of indolence and industry,
. unmorality and deep religion. Many still scratch half-
4 heaitedly at the soil of their little farms, planting ,
straggling patches of corn, peas, potatoes, rice, and pea- l
nuts. In the summer, they take their ease in the shade,
little concerned that the grass chokes their crops. "Nut-  
  grass bin lak sin," they observe philosophically, "it cum i
Y, for stay." i
ii Many sea—islanders have known other standards only l
  by dubious report. Breadwinning, in spite of the mild ‘
_ climate, is diH°icult for them, as for so many Southern e
, farmers. Great help in eking out their living comes from  l
the numerous tidal streams and the woods——where they
_ get fish, shrimp, oysters, crabs, rabbits, ’possums, deer,
I ’coons, and birds. Many work part time on truck farms y
and in the shrimp and oyster industry. Some are satisfied
` with enough money to pay their "tax," prevent the roof
from leaking too much, and keep up their burial society ,
and "onsurance dues"—for almost all island Negroes are
g members of some burial society, their form of insurance
company. But the tradition of unhurried contentment is  
t not the only one. Many of the farmers are energetic and  
soberly industrious, and some run model farms. i
* The island Negro is shrewd and calculating, and his l
»€ simple-mindedness may be more apparent than real. He
_ may not be able to read and write, but he has his own  
way of circumventing the white man. The chicken sales-  
man who came to the back door and when asked how ‘
many chickens he had for sale, replied "two pontop two  
en t’ree tied togedder," did not know how to figure with  
the number seven, but the housewife who bought them
didn’t get any bargain. To inquiries about his neighbors,
he will reply courteously but efficiently, as did one Negro pl
<1<>> gl
S.
s

 in answering a white man who had asked about his
neighbor, " ’E is de one to manufacture ’e own business." ·
But once a white person has proved himself trustworthy,
the Negro will be loyal through thick and thin. Although
e somewhat close—mouthed toward outsiders, he can be _
graciously hospitable. There is no racial conflict, and
j outrage of one race against the other is practically un-
l known.
  Of all "de buckra’s" institutions, the Negro fears most
and is most suspicious of "de law." There is very little
crime, and that is of the petty sort, often committed by
non-residents. Traceable in part to the tradition of I
_ African polygamy and to the lightness of the slave ·
marriage yoke, illegitimacy is still frequent, although de-
· clining, and without the expected odium attached to it.
l One woman frankly admitted that the father of her
l children was not "muh lawful husban’ " but implied their
good intentions by this: "Us nebber bin able for scrape up A
’nuf for buy a wail (veil) en a license." Securing a home
for the children of unmarried mothers is no problem.
Children are well loved; in the poor homes of many old
widows are to be found adopted children, affectionately
styled "leetle pick-ups." i
Lord Chesterfield himself did not have better manners i
] than these folk. They will pull their carts to the side V
3 of the road to allow one to pass, remove their hats or .
é curtsy and give a friendly smile. It is a self-respecting `
· politeness. "Unmannussubbleness" is as bad as "sin." To  
` be unclean, to fail to "pull de foot" and curtsy to one’s
E elders, or to violate any one of a complicated set of Z
5 taboos is "no manners" and consequently disgraceful.  
5} Politeness sometimes dictates that instead of strict truth,
· the Negro obligingly tell what he believes his questioner
i wishes to hear. But he can be ironic, or forthright, when 4
he believes that he is being put upon.  
Many of the old Negroes seem to boast of their poor ’
health and are subject to curious symptoms and vague
W <11> 3

 1
pains, such as "misery een muh chist," "sho0tin pains een g
de foot w’en de moon change," or a "paralyze stroke." F
This, however, is but a time—honored prerogative of the .
aged. Herb and root doctors, such remedies as rat tea,  
dried frogs, and washing in the outgoing tide are still l
known to some of the oldest inhabitants, but these are  
yielding to modern medical practice. The infant death
rate is surprisingly low in spite of some superstitions that  
remain among midwives. The physician is still called too |
tardily, and much remains to be done in the instruction
of mothers in hygiene. But the community is a healthy l
one: the Sea Islands are good places "in which to die
of old age."
The islands themselves serve as fitting background
for the philosophy and belief of their inhabitants. Acres I
of sand threaded by tidal streams that recede and leave
rank black salt mud, tropical palmettos raising bouquets
of spears above tangles of jungle-like undergrowth, strips
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CRITTER HOUSE. made of palmetto fronds, a type of stable used to house
domestic animals on St. Helena Island.
(12)

 of marsh grass—green in summer, gold in winter—
bordering the streams, and mounds of bleached and ·
ancient oyster shells; all this intrigues the visitor and he
expects a difference in the ordinary habits of life.
Roads wander willy-nilly and are either of shell or
deep with sand; many lead over mashes. Farm animals,
called "critters," are allowed to wander at will over the
l marshes and fields except in seeding time. Then they,
even the pigs and chickens, are tied by one leg to a stake .
  until the plants become large enough not to be injured
or destroyed by them. When given shelter of any kind,
the animals are kept in "critter houses," very primitive N
and temporary structures of poles and palmetto fronds. ·
Plowing is done with the ox or the marsh tacky, a
Q wiry little horse with flowing mane and tail. According
T to the belief of some, the tackies are degenerate horses
left from the early days of Spanish occupation. Others
hold that they deteriorated from horses which escaped
from plantation owners. They require little food, existing
mainly on marsh grass, and run wild when not in use.
The two-wheeled cart, drawn by an ox or a tacky, is the
principal mode of conveyance of the Negroes, though
since the bridges to the island have been built, cars are
sometimes met along the sandy roads. Wlieii this occurs i
one of the vehicles usually has to pull aside to let the A
other pass. .
gi Along the winding roads are the little houses of the __
  Negroes. Some of them have been constructed from ma- I
. terial of the old slave quarters and almost without any _
exception the doors and windows are painted blue, to ·
keep away evil spirits, according to general opinion. .
H Another explanation of the blue doors in the Low Country
{ is connected with the indigo industry. lt is said that the _
{ slaves were given the residue of this dye, which was left l
2 in big vats, and they used it for decoration of their houses. A
Q Though indigo has not been planted commercially in the 5
  State for 150 years, the blue doors still remain.
  (12) =
1

 v The majority of these Negroes will make every sacri-
, fice to send their children to school; the desire for edu-
cation is as intense as it was immediately after the War
between the States. One father of a family walked nine
miles to get to the Penn School. Transportation is still a
_ problem, pupils walking long distances across bogs and
  through woods for book-learning. In spite of diH°iculties,
the schools, notably Penn, Mather, and Beaufort Training
=` School, have exerted quite a fine influence on home-
· making, health, agriculture, and community life.
? PHOSPHATE M1N1NG
  The economic life of the island Negroes was changed
  little by the War between the States, except that they
_ were supporting themselves. They continued to plant sea
, island cotton but many were careless and felt the pinch
of hard times until a new industry, phosphate mining,
developed. This again brought work to the Negroes and
` wealth to the almost destitute white people of Beaufort.
Companies were formed and there was work for every-
one. The county teemed with prosperity, and it was a ·
boast that there was not a poor person in Beaufort
` County.
L Then three forces contributed to ruin the phosphate
mining—the storm of 1893, a State tax of a dollar for
q. every ton of phosphate mined, and the discovery of rock
nearer the surface in Florida.
S After the failure of phosphate mining and while the
boll weevil was ruining sea island cotton, Beaufort County
T was turning to yet a new field, truck farming.
Timex FARMING
The soil was admirably suited for this purpose and f
thousands of acres were planted in lettuce, potatoes,
tomatoes, cabbage, beans, beets, peppers, and radishes. Y
Truckers’ associations were organized and money for
financing was easy to secure. {
(14) U

 Once again, Beaufort planters rolled in wealth. As
they had once made the acquisition of slaves their object,
so they now bought land and more land for growing
truck. To quote one Beaufort resident, "They did not
plant to live, but lived to plant."
The banks became insolvent, truckers’ associations l
failed, and disaster came again to the planters. Some of
them were completely ruined financially; a few were able
to continue; many of the old estates were sold to North-
erners as game preserves. ·
INDUSTRIES TonAY
Plans are being made to revive the phosphate indus- ·
try and truck farming is again becoming profitable.
Beaufort County’s largest commerce is at present in the
line of shrimp and oyster shipping and canning, the
county being a veritable network of tidal rivers and
creeks. These waters are well stocked with fish, shrimp,
crabs, oysters, and other sea foods, which furnish both
food and a means of livelihood for the thousands of island
= Negroes, as well as for many white people.
The oyster and shrimp fleets form one of the most
picturesque sights of the coast as the sailboats go down
the river in early morning and return late in the after-  
noon. Sea gulls frequent the waterfront, particularly on ,
the docks back of the stores, where food may be found. $
Many of the birds will eat from the hands of people who _
habitually feed them. Artists find provocation in these  
scenes and their sketches may be bought in Beaufort.
j (15) · .

 TOWN OF BEAUFORT
— esa;   The apivroach *:0
A  i,¥iJ;;-ii=_.` .'L'ii,..`   the town of Beau-
` ,    Ly fm-t (21 alt., 2,77 6
    pop.) from the ,
 ,   main roads of the
    State through an 3
  _A__   A»_V I     avenue of pal- ¢
H ,     i—   mettos gives the l
    _·'o‘ ·         initial impression
  i@g,§?*< ‘·=i=     Of S"m*l“`Op1°“l
  ~ ai— ,   i iie   ~a;   naie   iaoe   mlm WM? vow l
             
ff?       eeii  Of my ¢0¤*#€S*S» of .
air  ‘``i .     i°_,   St<>rmS, Of Wealth g
  -tei     f<>11<>W€d by dis- T
 ii ’`»’     __.., .   ·‘»»·  5 »t'i’eV   aster-
  Y ‘`—‘    i`   lri-    ig     Originally the
,-:Z“~  *&i`*,~-:’,;·_`» ‘= ' ‘·1·-#$**2.  ga,. fl ' ·
 is   _l.A     town was laid out
  is     as Beaufort Town ,
A   according to orders l
— issued in 1710 by  
M_ the Lords Proprie-
s 7 Ti tors. The town, 1
*· county seat of
Beaufort County,
i3$f...§;1i;L‘“‘;£€i° SSS §ii;2:2.$*:i;i§.’;l;;“. “;§"i;;.$f was Hamed for the
tropical calm which now prevades Beaufort, S. C. Dl.lk€ of B€3.llfO1"t E
(Bufort) and be- ;
came the first successful settlement in the section.  
One of the few county seats in South Carolina with- l
out a monument, the entire town, with its tabloy ruins and i
its mellow Colonial homes irregularly strung out along
winding streets, is in itself more interesting and attracts
the visitor’s attention more effectively than any con-
ventional monument.
(16)

 That Beaufort until recent years was rather inacces-
sible has helped to preserve the individuality of the town;
and this individuality, together with the semi—isolati0n,
has served to attract writers, artists, and Northern visitors
who desire seclusion and a setting pleasant and detached
T from the unrest of modern urban life. A
There appears to be nothing unusual to Beaufort ,
Q residents in the fact that a person on a clear sunny day
of winter lies down on the grass along the river shore to
take a nap; that young men habitually don track suits ` 
and circle the town to keep in trim; that every morning
at a regular hour a young woman may be seen walking
briskly out the Port Royal Road; that there is no gate i
in the fence around a front yard; or that an old man goes
jogging by in a buggy. In this complete indifference to
the affairs of others lies much of the charm of this Low
Country town.
Old Beaufort has developed a system, or lack of
{ system, in its streets. Houses face along the Bay and
i there is a noticeable absence of customary back yards;
l the front of one house may face the side or back of
, another; many of the grounds around the homes are .
  irregular in shape, shaded by large old trees in which l
yellow jessamine, moss, or wistaria intermingle, and in-  
formally planted in oleanders, camellias, and evergreens. ¤
The interiors of the houses are made of durable wood ?
with hand carved trimmings.  '
ARCHITECTURE 5
l In these houses, designed for coolness and airiness,  
old Beaufort combined the high ceilings, wide halls and *
F many porches with Georgian and Colonial trends, adding r
  here and there a touch of classic Greek or semi-tropical _
i Spanish. Some of the homes are pre-Revolutionary; actual  
  dates of many were lost when courthouse records were  
§ burned. A construction material peculiar to the Low
[A
  <1v> ·
l

 ‘ Country is used in many of them; this is called "tabby"
_, and "made up of half shells imbedded in and cemented
by burnt oyster shell, lime, and sand."
TOURS IN THE TOWN
E; Since Beaufort is small and the weather is usually
very favorable for walking, one of the most pleasant
v_ ways of becoming acquainted with the town is on foot. r
' To make a motor tour of the town is also feasible. None p
V of the old homes is open to the public.
  The NATIONAL CEMETERY, (L), on Boundary
  Street at the entrance to the town, is more easily reached
  by motor. Here are graves of 12,000 Union soldiers
?~‘ killed during the War between the States. In one section
· of the cemetery is a small group of Confederate soldiers’
t graves. A keeper, paid by the government, lives in the
cemetery.
· Between the cemetery and the town is an avenue
of palmettos on Boundary Street. Ancient moss—draped
— oaks, semi-tropical evergreens, and trees almost hiding
houses set in irregular plots, scarlet poinsettias framed
against tabby walls, white streets winding past dignified
old homes and white-washed Negro huts, and little fleets
` of sailboats in the bay all contribute toward making
_ Beaufort the secluded resort that it is.
, Foorr TOUR 1. 2 m.  
( S. from Bozmdctry St. on Carteret St.  
BELLAMY INN, (R), at the curved end of Carteret l
St., is a characteristic pre-war residence. 5
DETREVILLE HOME, (R), NW. corner of Carteret  
and Green Sts., is typical of the ante-bellum type, Geor-
gian in character. This, as well as Bellamy Inn, was in t
use in the early 1800’s; actual dates were lost when court-
house records were burned.  
, I
<18>  
5.
I,

 The OLD BARNWELL HOUSE, (R), NW. corner of
Carteret and Washington Sts., an example of Colonial
architecture, in general appearance and plan similar to
the Tabby Manse, is of tabby, finished with smooth
cement stucco. Due to the squatness of the building’s
mass, however, the portico does not have as iine a pro- I
portion as that of the manse, and as a whole the exterior
r lacks the character of detail found in the other structure.
The interior once boasted unusually fine wood 1
T paneling, but some of it has been removed; and in these i 
rooms the