Pawleys Island, South Carolina
Encyclopedia
Pawleys Island is a town in Georgetown County, South Carolina, United States
, and the Atlantic coast
barrier island
on which the town sits. The population was 138 at the 2000 census. The post office address also includes an unincorporated area on the mainland adjacent to the island, which includes a commercial district along the Ocean Highway (US Route 17) and a residential area between the highway and the Waccamaw River
. The island is on the southern end of The Grand Strand and is one of the oldest resort areas of the US East Coast. The town of Pawleys Island, though, is only on the island. The island lies off the Waccamaw Neck
, a long, narrow peninsula
between the ocean and the river. The island is connected to the mainland by two bridges, the North Causeway and the South Causeway. At the southern tip of the island is a public beach access area.
and Winyah
Indians
. They called the area "Chicora", meaning "the land", and the term is frequently used by locals.
The breezy island quickly became a refuge from the mosquito
es that were notable during the summer. With African slave
s that were brought to the area came malaria
, so those of means would move to summer cottages on the island to avoid the mosquito-vectored malaria and other sicknesses. "Why should we have to suffer like the slaves?", said young Mary Alston. The town's namesake George Pawley owned the island during the colonial era, and sold portions of it to other planters who wanted to escape malaria.
In 1791, two years after he was elected president
, George Washington
toured the Grand Strand. He passed right down The King's Highway
in the unincorporated portion off Pawleys Island to visit the Alstons, wealthy planters who owned several plantations in the area. Rice
fields occupied the Waccamaw River side of the neck.
The Grand Strand began to develop into a major tourist area during the early 20th century, but Pawleys was among the last areas to be heavily developed. Cypress sided cottages on the island gave the community one of its monikers: arrogantly shabby. With the coming of Hurricane Hugo
in 1989, some of these cottages were swept away and have since been replaced by more "shabbier" homes, but there is a ban on commercial or industrial buildings on the island with the exception of a '70s condominium complex and a few inns which were grandfathered in. However, some of the oldest, most classic homes have stayed, such as Beachaven (north end of the island), owned by William Brigham Sr., and the PCJ Weston House, which is now the Pelican Inn.
The town government was incorporated in 1983. Although less secluded and more upscale than it was only a decade ago, Pawleys Island still retains a quaintness and a relaxed pace which makes it a rare island along the U.S. east coast. The water temperature is comfortable from May to October, and there is abundant fishing
, crabbing, shrimping
, and birdwatching
most months of the year.
, and 1989
. As recounted in an episode of the TV series Unsolved Mysteries
, several different witnesses reported that they had seen the Gray Man shortly before Hurricane Hugo. Among them Jim and Clara Moore who'd been walking the beach and saw a man dressed in gray clothing vanish before them when they waved hello. The Moores realized this man must have been the Gray Man when their house, The Sea Moore, was left untouched by the storm.
s on the northern end up to about 15 feet (5 m) high. The southern end is very low. Behind the island is a tidal creek/marsh.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.6 km²), of which, 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²) of it (29.29%) is water.
of 2000, there were 138 people, 81 households, and 43 families residing in the town. The population density
was 196.9 people per square mile (76.1/km²). There were 521 housing units at an average density of 743.3 per square mile (287.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.03% White, 7.25% African American, and 0.72% from two or more races.
There were 81 households out of which 9.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 1.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.9% were non-families. 45.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.70 and the average family size was 2.30.
In the town the population was spread out with 8.0% under the age of 18, 15.9% from 25 to 44, 50.7% from 45 to 64, and 25.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55 years. For every 100 females there were 76.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,964, and the median income for a family was $97,125. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $27,500 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $48,183. There were none of the families and 1.5% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.
The public schools include: Waccamaw High School
, Waccamaw Middle School, and Waccamaw Elementary. At the beginning of the 2008-09 school year, Waccamaw Intermediate School opened for grades four, five and six. Private schools include: Lowcountry Preparatory School, offering a college prep curriculum to students in grades PK-12, Pawleys Island Christian Academy K-8, which is connected to Pawleys Island Community Church; and Pawleys Island Montessori Day School, PK-6.
Former South Carolina Governor Carroll A. Campbell, Jr.
was buried in the cemetery at All Saints Church following his death in December 2005.
The Coastal Observer, a weekly newspaper covers Pawleys Island, Litchfield Beach, and Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, its website is www.coastalobserver.com.
The Hammock Shops boasts the world famous rope, even though they shipped the manufacturing away from the area. hammocks.
On the west side of Highway 17 many people have reported seeing a man that looks like the Phantom of the Opera.
got its start and is still served today. The recipe for this trademarked brand of pimento cheese
was created by Vertrella Brown.">http://www.palmettocheese.com/articles/Page%2013.pdf, Say Cheese - Couple’s flavorful business venture has spread out across the South. JACKIE R. BROACH. COASTAL OBSERVER. June 4, 2009. Palmetto Cheese is now mass produced by Duke Sandwich Productions in Simpsonville, South Carolina
. You can still find George Easterling mixing batches of pimento cheese by hand in Pawleys Island for distribution in local grocery stores.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the Atlantic coast
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
barrier island
Bar (landform)
A shoal, sandbar , or gravelbar is a somewhat linear landform within or extending into a body of water, typically composed of sand, silt or small pebbles. A spit or sandspit is a type of shoal...
on which the town sits. The population was 138 at the 2000 census. The post office address also includes an unincorporated area on the mainland adjacent to the island, which includes a commercial district along the Ocean Highway (US Route 17) and a residential area between the highway and the Waccamaw River
Waccamaw River
The Waccamaw River is a river, approximately 140 miles long, in southeastern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina in the United States. It drains an area of approximately 1110 square miles in the coastal plain along the eastern border between the two states into the Atlantic Ocean...
. The island is on the southern end of The Grand Strand and is one of the oldest resort areas of the US East Coast. The town of Pawleys Island, though, is only on the island. The island lies off the Waccamaw Neck
Waccamaw Neck
The Waccamaw Neck is a long narrow peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Waccamaw River in Georgetown County, South Carolina. The town of Pawleys Island is located on the Waccamaw Neck, as well as the mainland area, incorrectly called Pawleys Island, which is unincorporated. The entire area...
, a long, narrow peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
between the ocean and the river. The island is connected to the mainland by two bridges, the North Causeway and the South Causeway. At the southern tip of the island is a public beach access area.
History
The earliest known inhabitants of the area were WaccamawWaccamaw
The Waccamaw Indians of South Carolina, distinct from the Waccamaw Siouan Indians of North Carolina, are the first state-recognized tribe of Native Americans in South Carolina...
and Winyah
Winyaw
The Winyaw Indians were a tribe living near Winyah Bay, Black River, and the lower course of the Pee Dee River in South Carolina...
Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. They called the area "Chicora", meaning "the land", and the term is frequently used by locals.
The breezy island quickly became a refuge from the mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
es that were notable during the summer. With African slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
s that were brought to the area came malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, so those of means would move to summer cottages on the island to avoid the mosquito-vectored malaria and other sicknesses. "Why should we have to suffer like the slaves?", said young Mary Alston. The town's namesake George Pawley owned the island during the colonial era, and sold portions of it to other planters who wanted to escape malaria.
In 1791, two years after he was elected president
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
toured the Grand Strand. He passed right down The King's Highway
King's Highway (Charleston to Boston)
The King's Highway is a route over in length in the eastern United States. It joins Charleston, South Carolina, to Boston, Massachusetts. It was named after Charles II of England, who in 1650 directed his colonial governors to build it. It did not become a continuous wagon road until 1735...
in the unincorporated portion off Pawleys Island to visit the Alstons, wealthy planters who owned several plantations in the area. Rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
fields occupied the Waccamaw River side of the neck.
The Grand Strand began to develop into a major tourist area during the early 20th century, but Pawleys was among the last areas to be heavily developed. Cypress sided cottages on the island gave the community one of its monikers: arrogantly shabby. With the coming of Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...
in 1989, some of these cottages were swept away and have since been replaced by more "shabbier" homes, but there is a ban on commercial or industrial buildings on the island with the exception of a '70s condominium complex and a few inns which were grandfathered in. However, some of the oldest, most classic homes have stayed, such as Beachaven (north end of the island), owned by William Brigham Sr., and the PCJ Weston House, which is now the Pelican Inn.
The town government was incorporated in 1983. Although less secluded and more upscale than it was only a decade ago, Pawleys Island still retains a quaintness and a relaxed pace which makes it a rare island along the U.S. east coast. The water temperature is comfortable from May to October, and there is abundant fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, crabbing, shrimping
Shrimp fishery
A shrimp fishery is a fishery directed toward harvesting either shrimp or prawns. .-Commercial shrimping:...
, and birdwatching
Birdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
most months of the year.
The Gray Man
A local legend on the island has grown about the Gray Man. Thought to be the original owner of the Pelican Inn, the Gray Man http://www.hauntedlowcountry.com/index.php?/hauntlow/south_carolina/the_gray_man/ is a friendly ghost who warns of impending hurricanes and protects the resident's houses from the storm. Serious hurricanes have struck in 1724, twice in 1752, 1822, 1911, 1954Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed as many as 1,000 people in Haiti before striking the United States near the border between North and South Carolina, as a Category 4 hurricane...
, and 1989
Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...
. As recounted in an episode of the TV series Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries is an American television program, hosted by Robert Stack, from 1987 until 2002, and later by Dennis Farina, starting in 2008...
, several different witnesses reported that they had seen the Gray Man shortly before Hurricane Hugo. Among them Jim and Clara Moore who'd been walking the beach and saw a man dressed in gray clothing vanish before them when they waved hello. The Moores realized this man must have been the Gray Man when their house, The Sea Moore, was left untouched by the storm.
Geography
The Town of Pawleys Island is located at 33°25′33"N 79°07′30"W (33.42576, -79.12494). The island proper 33°25′47"N 79°07′18"W is a little over three miles (5 km) long and about a quarter of a mile wide. To the east-southeast lies the Atlantic Ocean. The island is a sandy barrier, with some duneDune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
s on the northern end up to about 15 feet (5 m) high. The southern end is very low. Behind the island is a tidal creek/marsh.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.6 km²), of which, 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²) of it (29.29%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 138 people, 81 households, and 43 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 196.9 people per square mile (76.1/km²). There were 521 housing units at an average density of 743.3 per square mile (287.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.03% White, 7.25% African American, and 0.72% from two or more races.
There were 81 households out of which 9.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 1.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.9% were non-families. 45.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.70 and the average family size was 2.30.
In the town the population was spread out with 8.0% under the age of 18, 15.9% from 25 to 44, 50.7% from 45 to 64, and 25.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55 years. For every 100 females there were 76.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,964, and the median income for a family was $97,125. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $27,500 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $48,183. There were none of the families and 1.5% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.
Outside the Island
Off the island is an unincorporated community which claims to be Pawleys Island. It boasts world famous golf courses, the All Saints Parish Church, the Waccamaw School cluster, and several restaurants.The public schools include: Waccamaw High School
Waccamaw High School
Waccamaw High School is one of four schools that are encompassed in the Waccamaw school family on the Waccamaw Neck of Georgetown County, South Carolina. Opening in 1990, it was a high school that consisted of grades 7–11. Its first senior class was not until the class of 1992...
, Waccamaw Middle School, and Waccamaw Elementary. At the beginning of the 2008-09 school year, Waccamaw Intermediate School opened for grades four, five and six. Private schools include: Lowcountry Preparatory School, offering a college prep curriculum to students in grades PK-12, Pawleys Island Christian Academy K-8, which is connected to Pawleys Island Community Church; and Pawleys Island Montessori Day School, PK-6.
Former South Carolina Governor Carroll A. Campbell, Jr.
Carroll A. Campbell, Jr.
Carroll Ashmore Campbell, Jr. was a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as 112th Governor of South Carolina from 1987 to 1995.-Early life:He was born in Greenville, South Carolina, the oldest of six children...
was buried in the cemetery at All Saints Church following his death in December 2005.
The Coastal Observer, a weekly newspaper covers Pawleys Island, Litchfield Beach, and Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, its website is www.coastalobserver.com.
The Hammock Shops boasts the world famous rope, even though they shipped the manufacturing away from the area. hammocks.
On the west side of Highway 17 many people have reported seeing a man that looks like the Phantom of the Opera.
Points of Interest
On Pawleys Island you'll find the Sea View Inn, the place where Palmetto CheesePalmetto Cheese
Palmetto Cheese is a trademark for a brand of pimento cheese from Pawleys Island Specialty Foods, a division of Get Carried Away based out of Pawleys Island,South Carolina...
got its start and is still served today. The recipe for this trademarked brand of pimento cheese
Pimento cheese
Pimento cheese is a common food in the Southern United States. The basic recipe has few ingredients: sharp cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos , salt and pepper, blended to either a smooth or chunky paste...
was created by Vertrella Brown.">http://www.palmettocheese.com/articles/Page%2013.pdf, Say Cheese - Couple’s flavorful business venture has spread out across the South. JACKIE R. BROACH. COASTAL OBSERVER. June 4, 2009. Palmetto Cheese is now mass produced by Duke Sandwich Productions in Simpsonville, South Carolina
Simpsonville, South Carolina
Simpsonville is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,352 at the 2000 census, and estimated at 17,778 in 2009...
. You can still find George Easterling mixing batches of pimento cheese by hand in Pawleys Island for distribution in local grocery stores.