Pawleys Island's status as one of the nation's oldest resort communities was due to the flight of the seasonal Lowcountry rice planters, who came to the island to flee from malaria. The original summer houses were simple stories and half-raised cottages, and this episode highlights the Hagley House built for P. C. J. Weston by slave Renty Tucker, a Hagley plantation slave, considered the most talented carpenter in All Saints Parish.
Brett Guarino, vice president of the Pawleys Island Hammock Company, joins to discuss the history of the company, along with a demonstration of how the hammocks are made. Pawleys Island Hammock is the oldest and largest rope hammock manufacturer in the world. Carolina oak is used for the staves and about a quarter mile of cotton rope is used in every hammock.
Grab a napkin alert! Crab cakes are a favorite dish of Pawleys Island chefs of the Litchfield Beach Fish House demonstrate preparing and grilling the cakes.
At the southern end of Georgetown lies Hobcaw Barony, which was once part of the first colonial estates. "Hobcaw," is Native American meaning "between the waters." Bernard Baruch purchased the land in 1905 and visitors included Sir Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Eventually Baruch's daughter Belle would buy Hobcaw Barony and build her own house and stables there. She left her estate to be used for the preservation of the lands that she had grown up loving and endowed the state with vast educational and research possibilities.
Palmetto Places explored the architectural and cultural heritage of South Carolina's small towns and countryside. Host Joanna Angle explores historic houses, public buildings, and country stores, and talks with local artists, painters, sculptors, weavers, writers, storytellers, and musicians.
Side Notes:
- Between the Waters is SCETV’s documentary that introduces the historic Hobcaw Barony site to a worldwide audience. By telling the story of Hobcaw Barony in a compelling, concise half-hour, the Between the Waters documentary takes a deeper look at the Native American and African American history of Hobcaw. Watch documentary.
- Litchfield Beach Fish House is closed. Most recently in the news as the large fish sculpture had been stolen.
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Bernard Baruch. Photo of FDR with Baruch.
- Learn about Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences. The Belle W. Baruch Foundation selected the University of South Carolina as a partner in fulfilling Belle's mandate for the marine and estuarine environments of Hobcaw.
- Carolina Stories - The Baruch's of Hobcaw
