Sullivan's Island, South Carolina
Encyclopedia
Sullivan's Island is a town in Charleston County
, South Carolina
, United States
, on a similarly named island at the entrance to Charleston Harbor
. The population was 1,911 at the 2000 census. It is also the site of a major battle of the American Revolution at Fort Sullivan (Now Fort Moultrie) on June 28, 1776. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes only, Sullivans Island is included within the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area and the Charleston-North Charleston Urbanized Area.
, the town has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²), of which, 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) of it (27.11%) is water.
The Ben Sawyer Bridge
connects Sullivan's Island to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
. A bridge spanning Breach Inlet connects it to Isle of Palms, South Carolina
.
of 2000, there were 1,911 people, 797 households, and 483 families residing in the town. The population density
was 787.2 people per square mile (303.6/km²). There were 1,045 housing units at an average density of 430.5 per square mile (166.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.74% White, 0.63% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.16% Asian, and 0.42% from race were 0.84% of the population. .
There were 797 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples
living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $72,955, and the median income for a family was $96,455. Males had a median income of $58,571 versus $41,029 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $49,427. About 1.4% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 0.9% of those age 65 or over.
) in Ireland".
Sullivan's Island was the disembarkation port for over 40% (ca. 200,000) of the slaves traded
to the Britain's North American Colonies
, making it the largest slave port in North America. It is estimated that nearly half of all African Americans had ancestors that passed through Sullivan's Island. “There is no suitable memorial, or plaque, or wreath or wall, or park or skyscraper lobby,” Toni Morrison
said in 1989. “There’s no 300-foot tower, there’s no small bench by the road.” On July 26, 2008 the Toni Morrison Society dedicated a small bench on Sullivan's Island to the memory of the slave trade.
On 28 June 1776, an incomplete fort was held by colonial forces under Colonel William Moultrie against an onslaught by the British under General Sir Henry Clinton's army sailing with Commodore Sir Peter Parker's men-of-war. The British cannon had no effect on the sand-filled palmetto log walls of the fort; only the shots that came above the walls took any lives. The Battle of Sullivan's Island was commemorated by the addition of a white palmetto tree to the flag of South Carolina
. The victory is celebrated and June 28 is known as Carolina Day.
The history of the island has been dominated by Fort Moultrie, which, until its closure in the late 1940s, served as the base of command for the defense of the City of Charleston.
Edgar Allan Poe
was stationed at Fort Moultrie from November 1827 to December 1828. The island was a setting for much of his short story The Gold-Bug
. In Poe's The Balloon Hoax, a gas balloon is reported to have made a trip from Great Britain to Sullivan's Island in three days. The town library, situated in a refurbished military battery, is named after the poet, and streets such as Raven
and Gold Bug Drives commemorate his works.
Other literary connections include the novel Sullivan's Island by Dorothea Benton Frank, as well as the novel Beach Music and the semi-autobiographical memoir The Boo by novelist Pat Conroy
.
E. Lee Spence
, a pioneer underwater archaeologist, was a long time resident of Sullivan's Island and, in the 1960s and 1970s, discovered many shipwrecks along its shores. Those discoveries included the Civil War blockade runners Flora, Beatrice, Stono
, Flamingo, Prince Albert, and the Celt (aka Colt). In 1981 bestselling novelist Clive Cussler
and his organization NUMA discovered the wreck of the blockade runner Raccoon off Sullivan's Island.
For most of its history, the town, located on the south-west half of the island, was known as Moultrieville. Later, Atlanticville, a community on the north-east of the islands, merged with Moultrieville and together the two became the Town of Sullivan's Island.
In 1962 the new Charleston Light
was built.
In May 2006, the Town of Sullivan's Island became the first municipality in South Carolina to ban smoking in all public places. The ordinance passed 4-2 and the ban went into effect in June.
Several districts and properties on Sullivans' Island have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places: Atlanticville Historic District, Moultrieville Historic District, Sullivans Island Historic District, Fort Moultrie Historic District, U. S. Coast Guard Historic District; Battery Gadsden and Battery Thomson.
Charleston County, South Carolina
Charleston County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. According to a 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, its population was 330,368. Its county seat is Charleston. It is the third-most populous county in the state . Charleston County was created in 1901 by an act of the South...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, on a similarly named island at the entrance to Charleston Harbor
Charleston Harbor
The Charleston Harbor is an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean at Charleston, South Carolina. The inlet is formed by the junction of Ashley and Cooper rivers at . Morris and Sullivan's Island, shelter the entrance...
. The population was 1,911 at the 2000 census. It is also the site of a major battle of the American Revolution at Fort Sullivan (Now Fort Moultrie) on June 28, 1776. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes only, Sullivans Island is included within the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville metropolitan area and the Charleston-North Charleston Urbanized Area.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²), of which, 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) of it (27.11%) is water.
The Ben Sawyer Bridge
Ben Sawyer Bridge
The Ben Sawyer Bridge is a swing bridge that connects the town of Mount Pleasant with Sullivan's Island in South Carolina. The bridge swings on its central axis to open for boat traffic which is too tall to clear the bridge, and has an operator's station in the center of the span from which an...
connects Sullivan's Island to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Mount Pleasant is a large affluent suburban town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. It is a member of the Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area, for statistical purpose only, as designated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget....
. A bridge spanning Breach Inlet connects it to Isle of Palms, South Carolina
Isle of Palms, South Carolina
Isle of Palms is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population on the island was 4,133. Isle of Palms is a barrier island on the South Carolina coast. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S...
.
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 1,911 people, 797 households, and 483 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 787.2 people per square mile (303.6/km²). There were 1,045 housing units at an average density of 430.5 per square mile (166.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.74% White, 0.63% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.16% Asian, and 0.42% from race were 0.84% of the population. .
There were 797 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $72,955, and the median income for a family was $96,455. Males had a median income of $58,571 versus $41,029 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 $49,427. About 1.4% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 0.9% of those age 65 or over.
History
The island was known as O'Sullivan's Island because of Captain Florence O'Sullivan, who was stationed here as a lighthouse keeper in the late seventeenth century. O'Sullivan was Captain of one of the ships in the first fleet to establish English and Irish settlement at Charleston. In 1671 he became Surveyor General. He appears in the earliest record of Irish immigration to the Carolinas, mentioned as being taken on "at Kingsayle (KinsaleKinsale
Kinsale is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Located some 25 km south of Cork City on the coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon and has a population of 2,257 which increases substantially during the summer months when the tourist season is at its peak and...
) in Ireland".
Sullivan's Island was the disembarkation port for over 40% (ca. 200,000) of the slaves traded
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the trans-atlantic slave trade, refers to the trade in slaves that took place across the Atlantic ocean from the sixteenth through to the nineteenth centuries...
to the Britain's North American Colonies
British North America
British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...
, making it the largest slave port in North America. It is estimated that nearly half of all African Americans had ancestors that passed through Sullivan's Island. “There is no suitable memorial, or plaque, or wreath or wall, or park or skyscraper lobby,” Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison is a Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, editor, and professor. Her novels are known for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly detailed characters. Among her best known novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and Beloved...
said in 1989. “There’s no 300-foot tower, there’s no small bench by the road.” On July 26, 2008 the Toni Morrison Society dedicated a small bench on Sullivan's Island to the memory of the slave trade.
On 28 June 1776, an incomplete fort was held by colonial forces under Colonel William Moultrie against an onslaught by the British under General Sir Henry Clinton's army sailing with Commodore Sir Peter Parker's men-of-war. The British cannon had no effect on the sand-filled palmetto log walls of the fort; only the shots that came above the walls took any lives. The Battle of Sullivan's Island was commemorated by the addition of a white palmetto tree to the flag of South Carolina
Flag of South Carolina
The flag of the state of South Carolina dates back to 1765 when opponents of the Stamp Act marched in protest behind a blue flag bearing three white crescents. In 1775 Colonel William Moultrie was asked by the Revolutionary Council of Safety to design a flag for the South Carolina troops to use...
. The victory is celebrated and June 28 is known as Carolina Day.
The history of the island has been dominated by Fort Moultrie, which, until its closure in the late 1940s, served as the base of command for the defense of the City of Charleston.
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
was stationed at Fort Moultrie from November 1827 to December 1828. The island was a setting for much of his short story The Gold-Bug
The Gold-Bug
"The Gold-Bug" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. Set on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, the plot follows William Legrand, who was recently bitten by a gold-colored bug. His servant Jupiter fears him to be going insane and goes to Legrand's friend, an unnamed narrator who agrees to visit his...
. In Poe's The Balloon Hoax, a gas balloon is reported to have made a trip from Great Britain to Sullivan's Island in three days. The town library, situated in a refurbished military battery, is named after the poet, and streets such as Raven
The Raven
"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. It is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness...
and Gold Bug Drives commemorate his works.
Pat Conroy
Pat Conroy , is a New York Times bestselling author who has written several acclaimed novels and memoirs. Two of his novels, The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini, were made into Oscar-nominated films.-Early life:...
.
E. Lee Spence
E. Lee Spence
Edward Lee Spence is a pioneer in underwater archaeology who studies shipwrecks and sunken treasure. He is also a published editor and author of non-fiction reference books; a magazine editor , and magazine publisher ; and a...
, a pioneer underwater archaeologist, was a long time resident of Sullivan's Island and, in the 1960s and 1970s, discovered many shipwrecks along its shores. Those discoveries included the Civil War blockade runners Flora, Beatrice, Stono
USS Isaac Smith (1851)
USS Isaac Smith was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries...
, Flamingo, Prince Albert, and the Celt (aka Colt). In 1981 bestselling novelist Clive Cussler
Clive Cussler
Clive Eric Cussler is an American adventure novelist and marine archaeologist. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have reached The New York Times fiction best-seller list more than seventeen times...
and his organization NUMA discovered the wreck of the blockade runner Raccoon off Sullivan's Island.
For most of its history, the town, located on the south-west half of the island, was known as Moultrieville. Later, Atlanticville, a community on the north-east of the islands, merged with Moultrieville and together the two became the Town of Sullivan's Island.
In 1962 the new Charleston Light
Charleston Light
Charleston Light on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, which is the northern entrance to Charleston Harbor, was built to replace the defunct Morris Island Light on Morris Island. Construction was started in 1960, and it was first lit on June 15, 1962....
was built.
In May 2006, the Town of Sullivan's Island became the first municipality in South Carolina to ban smoking in all public places. The ordinance passed 4-2 and the ban went into effect in June.
Several districts and properties on Sullivans' Island have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places: Atlanticville Historic District, Moultrieville Historic District, Sullivans Island Historic District, Fort Moultrie Historic District, U. S. Coast Guard Historic District; Battery Gadsden and Battery Thomson.
External links
- Bi-weekly newspaper serving the Islands
- Visitor Guide to Charleston, Sullivan's Island and Area - Free Download Traveler of Charleston
- http://www.sullivansislandproperty.net/history-of-sullivans-island/
- http://www.sullivansisland-sc.com/ Town of Sullivan's Island Official Website