I’ve driven past the ‘Social Hall’ for 10 years. This is all large marshes and wildlife areas. And Bennett’s Point just a few miles down the road. The Point has a population of 0 and gets placed in a group of all local towns, which also have a population unknown so they can be counted as having -1,000. They do count shrimp boats so that’s a start.
Social Hall fits in here perfectly. It’s actually the Social Hall plantation, or Concert Hall depending on how far you go back.
South Carolina is all about history (that’s why I fit in here so well). However, even here records show a plantation but no idea when it first was built or raised rice. Record details start in 1767. The land was divided into several smaller plantations and given to children of James Skirving. Airy Hall and Concert Hall being the two main properties.
At some point it became Social Hall because the main house had a large music room where planters gathered for events. Can’t imagine who since this was, and still is, pretty darn rural.
In 1863 and 1864 Federal boats made raids here coming up river from Beaufort, South Carolina to open a path to the rice growers and free slaves.
Harriet Tubman, a famous freed slave who is well known for her work in the Underground Railroad and was a guide for the Union troops was part of these raids, the boat landings were likely part of the Social Hall properties. The next thing on this road are the landings.
Union troops destroyed the main house in 1864. The family is known to have lived in tents while still farming. In 1866 records show several cabins were on this property.
The current buildings have no records of when they were built. The late 1800’s did have multiple owners here. The guess is this was first built maybe 1890.
Currently the property is owned by the ‘South Carolina Society’. Finding history for that organization… Holy Moley another rabbit hole going back to 1737, a tavern in Charleston, the Manigault family, and a world famous building in town called Society Hall.
An old house, out in the marshes, and suddenly down an internet rabbit hole of local history.
Well, maybe you could rewrite the history of the place and give it a revisionist’s take? When I lived and worked in the South, the best compliment I ever received was someone I met on the job that told me, “You’re okay, for a Yankee.”
It’s good to fit in. I knew it when local historians would include me in photo projects, trips, etc. One day I was suddenly referred to as ‘Gator Bait’. I could be counted on to go point on a dike. 😆😆
I love your posts on history, you make the perfect photos to fit the mood. Just so you know, I’m enjoying all your posts; I’m not commenting much because your website is one of five or six that doesn’t recognize my WordPress login, and I think that means that you have to individually process each of my comments, instead of the system cleanly accepting and posting them. Joys of WordPress.
My site doesn’t recognize you, but you show up with everyone else using the WP Jetpack. Comment away, I ‘usually’ see them 😊😊.
So glad you like the history. I can see me doing more of that than birds. Things like the Social Hall are all around here.