Daufuskie Island
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Daufuskie Island Historic District
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Haig Point Rear Range Light
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| Nearest city | Hilton Head, South Carolina |
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| Coordinates | 32°6′47″N 80°51′59″W / 32.11306°N 80.86639°WCoordinates: 32°6′47″N 80°51′59″W / 32.11306°N 80.86639°W |
| Built | 1728 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 82003831 |
| Added to NRHP | June 2, 1982 |
Daufuskie Island, located between Hilton Head Island and Savannah, is the southernmost sea island in South Carolina. It is 5 miles (8.0 km) long by almost 2.5 miles (4.0 km) wide – approximate surface area of 8 square miles (21 km2) (5,000 acres). With over 3 miles (4.8 km) of beachfront, Daufuskie is surrounded by the waters of Calibouge Sound, Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean.
Accessible only by ferry or barge, and with a full-time population of just over 400, Daufuskie Island encompasses a rich cultural experience, with environmental preserves, private communities, resorts, Gullah houses, diverse art galleries and history. The island was named a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places due to its Gullah and Civil War history. The island is also the setting of Pat Conroy’s novel The Water Is Wide recounting Conroy’s experiences teaching on Daufuskie in the 1960s.
For thousands of years early humans called Daufuskie Island home as evidenced by ancient piles of discarded oyster shells exhibiting pottery shards from all phases of the hunter gathering period. Prior to European arrival numerous Indian tribes inhabited the Lowcountry and islands. Culturally and linguistically these tribes were of Muskogean stock. Daufuskie comes from the Muscogee language and means ‘’sharp feather’’ for the island’s distinctive shape.
As early as 1523, Spanish explorers were sailing the southeastern coast of North America in search of potential settlements. By 1565, the Spanish had settled in St Augustine, Florida and were pushing up the coast establishing and maintaining additional colonies. Concurrent with these 16th century ambitions for settlement, the French also made attempts at colonization in South Carolina Lowcountry areas. By the mid-1600’s the English began to explore the southern coast. Prosperous Caribbean planters sponsored several expeditions to South Carolina. Captain William Hilton and Robert Sandford both made voyages to Port Royal Sound and vicinity. In July 1666 Sanford entered Calibogue Sound between Hilton Head and Daufuskie.
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Wikipedia