Name: Barnwell County
Brand: H. Jerry Morris
SKU: 9780738554174
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Barnwell County

9780738554174

$24.99

Barnwell County, an area blessed with sweeping rural landscapes, has played an important role in South Carolina's distinguished history, from its roots in agriculture to its development of the government-owned Savannah River Plant. This visual history celebrates many of the county's small towns, such as Barnwell, Williston, and Blackville, and includes
fascinating images of some of the smaller communities. In Barnwell County, you will experience an incredible visual tour of yesteryear, viewing Barnwell County through both photographs and postcards from the turn of the twentieth century to the 1960s. As you thumb through these pages, you will stroll along dusty downtown streets; visit the local train depots; read the time on the vertical sundial located next to the Barnwell Courthouse; explore the facilities of the German Prisoner of War Camp and see some of its inmates hard at work;
investigate many of the old, wooden-frame churches scattered throughout the county; sit in on classes in one-room schoolhouses, including many of the African-American schools in the 1930s; watch trucks lumbering along dirt roads and balancing large homes from Dunbarton on their truckbeds; meet a few of Barnwell County's more prominent citizens, such as C.G. Fuller, Representative Sol Blatt, and Senator Edgar Brown; and enjoy a variety of everyday activities, such as hunting, scouting, attending family reunions, or riding in classic automobiles along county roads.

Along the Catawba River

9780738502915

$24.99

A focal point for many cities and towns across the Palmetto State, rivers provide key elements, such as commerce, transportation, sustenance, and recreation, in establishing a community's identity and prosperity. The Catawba River is no exception. Flowing down from the Piedmont region of North Carolina, this river has enjoyed a long and fascinating history with the people of the Carolinas, from early American Indian tribes to the first settlers of the colonies to today's generations living in York, Chester, and Lancaster Counties. In this volume of over 200 images, many seen here for the first time, you will take a visual journey through a special part of South Carolina, where the Catawba River functions as the life vein for the region and its people. Along the Catawba River is not only a celebration of this beautiful river, but serves as a fitting testimony to the hard work and determination of the people who have carved out successful lives along and near its bountiful banks. As you thumb through these pages, you will meet the region's everyday citizens, such as farmers, merchants, and community leaders; visit the early one-room schoolhouses that dotted the landscape; explore the home and farms of turn-of-the-century families; travel down unpaved streets and into early mills, general stores, and churches; and see the people at work and at play in the area's smaller communities, such as Van Wyck and Brattonsville, and in the larger cities of Rock Hill, Chester, and Lancaster.

Anderson University

9780738587158

$24.99

On a gentle rise on the rural edge of Anderson was the site for a new college for women, chartered by the state legislature on February 14, 1911. From the opening of classes in September 1912, until the onset of the Great Depression in 1930, Anderson College granted baccalaureate degrees to women. Under the inspired leadership of the state's first female college president, Dr. Annie Dove Denmark, the institution survived by becoming a coeducational junior college. In the last half of the 20th century, the school grew and flourished, returning to baccalaureate status in 1990. In 2006, the name was changed to Anderson University, and it celebrates its centennial with the largest student body in its history, offering six graduate degrees. Campus History Series: Anderson University is the story of the institution that, by the "good hand of our God," has surmounted daunting challenges to become a significant influence in the history of the region.

The Rise of Charleston: Conversations with Visionaries, Luminaries & Emissaries of the Holy City

9781625858597

$24.99

Since its 1670 founding, Charleston has experienced the devastation of wars, economic hardships and natural disasters. And yet, Charlestonians and their city have prevailed through it all. It is in this current generational surge that the Holy City has experienced meteoric success and taken its place on the world stage. This thematic weave of essays drawn from interviews explores those essential personalities who have lifted Charleston to its new perch as a must-see destination--one that is known as the most welcoming and the most recommended in America. Join engaging local author W. Thomas McQueeney in this updated edition as he relays stories of the 1950s, "60s and "70s through the eyes of those who have witnessed Charleston's evolution to become the charming city it is today.

The Rise of Charleston: Conversations with Visionaries, Luminaries & Emissaries of the Holy City

Lost Restaurants of Greenville

9781467142113

$21.99

Today, visitors and locals in Greenville enjoy a vibrant, diverse and acclaimed culinary scene. Some will remember recent favorites like the American Grocery Restaurant that helped pioneer the farm-to-table movement. Others will remember longtime favorites like Carpenter Bros. Drug Store, Charlie's Steak House and Gene's Restaurant that were around for three or four generations. Few in the second half of the twentieth century would not have dined at one of Vince Perone's restaurants for some occasion. Author and tour guide John Nolan recalls the fond memories of the owners and their cuisines, with recipes included.

James Island

9780738553474

$24.99

This South Carolina island, which once flourished and folded under the bondage of slavery, is now a place where all races live and celebrate its rich heritage.

On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces at Fort Johnson fired upon Federal-occupied Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, etching James Island's name in American history as the starting place of the War Between the States. Before the island was a battleground for war skirmishes, antebellum plantations lay nestled between the thickets of live oaks; fertile soil yielded sea island cotton that required the labor of thousands of enslaved people, and a rural planting community existed in the shadow of nearby Charleston. More than this, though, James Island was and is a beloved home to generations of proud families and individuals. The Gullah culture and language, derived from the original West Africans brought in bondage to the Carolina coast, thrive and are treasured here, and James Island is a beautiful community welcoming to everyone.

The Medical University of South Carolina

9780738579962

$24.99

The Medical University of South Carolina, founded in Charleston in 1824 by the Medical Society of South Carolina, consists of six colleges, each with its own rich history. The College of Medicine was the tenth medical school in the country and the first medical school in the Deep South. Its graduates fought and healed during times of war, tended to the injured after hurricanes and earthquakes, and battled epidemic diseases that swept through the South. The College of Nursing and the College of Pharmacy were established within years of each other at the close of the 19th century. The College of Graduate Studies, the College of Dental Medicine, and the College of Health Professions were established in the later half of the 20th century to fill some of the state's most crucial medical needs. Over the years, the Medical University of South Carolina has educated thousands of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, and other health care workers and scientists.

Aiken's Sporting Life

9781467114974

$24.99

In 1869, newspaper articles touted Aiken as a health and pleasure resort with the world's largest wooden hotel. Swirling social life and sporting action continued during the war years, when the women of society carried on local traditions. In 1950, Aiken was bustling with scientists and engineers who relocated to work at the Savannah River Site. The last half of the 20th century saw swelling crowds at polo matches, steeplechase races, fox hunts, golf courses, and cultural amusements. In the early 21st century, many Aiken sporting traditions mark milestone anniversaries. At the center of everything is Hitchcock Woods, a woodland paradise, pine-topped cathedral, and equestrian playground that remains open year-round. The Hitchcock Woods Foundation was established to safeguard this treasure within the heart of Aiken. The Aiken Horse Show, held each spring, and Blessing of the Hounds, held on Thanksgiving, are two of the most revered of Aiken's sporting traditions.

Georgetown's North Island:

9781467117777

$21.99

North Island has always been the beacon from the sea leading toward Georgetown, South Carolina. It was an island of exploration for the Spanish in 1526 and the first landing place of Lafayette, France's hero of the American Revolution, in 1777. It was a summer resort for aristocratic rice planters and their slaves from Georgetown and Waccamaw Neck until 1861. North Island's lighthouse, built in 1812, led thousands of sailing ships from all over the world past massive stone jetties and through Winyah Bay to Georgetown. Today, North Island is a sanctuary and laboratory for the study of nature's effects on this unique barrier island. Join historian Robert McAlister as he recounts the island's storied past.

Palmetto Women

9780738500355

$24.99

Women have played a prominent role in shaping South Carolina's history through active participation in many aspects of the state's development, from securing state appropriations for public libraries to helping to establish the South Carolina Board of Social Services. While many of their achievements have been documented by various organizations, a number of these irreplaceable records have been lost or discarded. Winthrop University, for years one of the largest women's colleges in the nation, strives to preserve these important documents that tell the story of South Carolina women and the contributions they have made. The images in this volume are from the extensive collection of the Winthrop University Archives, which includes the records of the university and state women's organizations as well as numerous personal letters, scrapbooks, and diaries. Within these pages, you will discover the impact that women have made on education, politics, religion, sports, business, and the arts, and learn first hand about their lives and individual accomplishments.

Clinton Junior College

9780738517292

$24.99

Clinton Junior College was one of many schools established by the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church during Reconstruction to help eradicate illiteracy among freedmen. The oldest institution of higher education in Rock Hill, South Carolina, it has operated continuously for 110 years. In 1894, Presiding Elder Nero A. Crockett and Rev. W.M. Robinson founded Clinton Institute and named it for Bishop Caleb Isom Clinton, the Palmetto Conference presiding bishop at the time. Incorporated as Clinton Normal and Industrial Institute on June 22, 1909, the school was authorized to grant state teacher certificates. By the late 1940s, the college attracted 225 students per year and owned approximately 19 acres, several buildings, and equipment valued at several million dollars. Under Dr. Sallie V. Moreland, who retired in 1994 after 49 years of stellar service, the school charter was amended to create Clinton Junior College. When Dr. Cynthia L. McCullough Russell assumed leadership, the school prepared for accreditation, attained during the tenure of Dr. Elaine Johnson Copeland.

Charleston Reborn

9781596290204

$24.99

As the nation entered World War II, the city of Charleston struggled with a stagnant economy that had never recovered from the Civil War. The glory days of the antebellum period were decades in the past, yet Charlestonians drew their pride from a bygone era, rather than from hope for the future.

This compelling look at Charleston's twentieth-century history chronicles the changes and challenges faced by Charleston as its population exploded in response to expansion of the Charleston Navy Yard. As World War II called for the United States to flex her industrial might, the shipyard rose to meet the challenge and 55,000 new residents flooded into the city.

Charleston was unprepared for such dramatic expansion: the need for labor at the yard meant the sudden appearance of good jobs, but also resulted in severe housing shortages, food rationing and dilemmas over race and gender. Ongoing workforce shortages forced the navy to look to sources of labor previously regarded as unsuitable--African Americans and women--causing dramatic changes to the status quo.

Author and historian Fritz Hamer makes use of written documents and oral histories to argue that the war's effects pulled a reluctant "Holy City" into the twentieth century, setting the stage for further modernization and growth. Warm personal accounts from a range of individuals who witnessed the city's dramatic change provide a human element in Hamer's solid research.

Well written and imaginatively conceived, Charleston Reborn will interest the general reader as well as a wide range of historians--from students of World War II and chroniclers of gender and racial history, to urban historians and scholars of the modern American South.

South Carolina Postcards Volume VIII:

9780738515038

$24.99

The small, historic town of Camden is one of South Carolina's most beloved communities. The state's oldest inland settlement, Camden is well known for its participation in both Revolutionary and Civil War battles, as well as equestrian events, business enterprises, and social life. Included in these pages are views of the city's commercial district, the Mather Academy, famed resorts, and cotton mills. Cultural aspects, including images from the initial running of the Carolina Cup, round out the collection and prove to be a rare and priceless find. A tribute to the prevailing prosperity of Camden and her residents, this volume will be enjoyed by newcomers, locals, and anyone with a penchant for nostalgia.

Clarendon County

9780738514352

$24.99

Located in South Carolina's Lowcountry, Clarendon County's history is as rich as its Southern flavor. Perfect for South Carolina history enthusiasts.

Clarendon County exists as a paradigm of Southern communities.Lake Marionrests against the Clarendon County's southern border, while cypress trees, whose limbs are decorated with Spanish Moss, flourish in the swampy lowlands. Wildlife abounds, making this a paradise for hunters and fishermen. Many know that while furthering America's cause for independence, Francis Marion fought in the area now called Clarendon and earned his nickname Swamp Fox. Five Palmetto Stategovernors, all members of Richardson and Manning families, came from the county, and the first South Carolinian crowned Miss Americawas a Clarendon native.

Still, Clarendon residents have shared in America's hardships, too; for within the confines of this small, rural community, they have found themselves time and again confronted with America's battles. Not only did residents fight in the Revolutionary Warand the War Between the States, but they also fought an important portion of the Civil Rights Movementhere.

Marguirite De Laine, F.S. Corbett, and Cecil J. Williams invite the reader to explore this celebration of Clarendon County's singular history and pays tribute to the residents who defined and developed this agrarian community. They have combined almost 200 vintage images with an educational story that both longtime residents and newcomers, young and old, are sure to enjoy.

Easley

9780738567068

$24.99

Born of the Industrial Revolution, Easley started with a single rail line brought to the area by Robert Elliott Holcombe at the end of the Civil War, along with his promise to build and donate the first depot.

That single line expanded, and cotton rolled in, spawning the thriving textile industry prominent in so many small Southern towns. If it was industry that gave birth to Easley, it was its perfect location amidst the breathtaking beauty in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and a feeling more akin to family than community that gave the town life. Minutes from gorgeous mountain vistas and lakes, a few minutes more from larger cities, and a day's ride from the coast made Easley a perfect place to live, work, worship, and play year-round.

Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Champions

9781625858351

$21.99

Since the 1940s, forty racing champions have traveled the hallowed grounds at the historic Aiken Training Track. Thoroughbred icons such as Kelso, Tom Fool, Swale, Pleasant Colony, Conquistador Cielo and Shuvee trained at this world-renowned track. Numerous members of the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame won the biggest races in the sport. These champions combined for a total of 546 wins in 1,395 starts, including wins in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. Race along with author Lisa J. Hall as she pays homage to these equine champions and an Aiken legacy.

Dabo's Dynasty

9781467143905

$21.99

Go inside the making of the 2018 Clemson Tigers football team, the one that vaulted to the top and became the biggest thing in college football.

From the beginning of the season, head coach Dabo Swinney's rallying cry was "joy." Each week for opponents, though, was another joyless occasion against a big orange machine that found its high gear midseason. The results shook the foundation of college football. In 2015 and 2016, the Tigers needed to bring their own guts to achieve great things. In Swinney's 10th season, they brought their own sledgehammers. Author Larry Williams, who has covered Clemson and Swinney since 2004, unearths revealing anecdotes from Dabo's tenure like you've never seen before and shares how a season dominated by Alabama hype ended up overwhelmed by a Clemson tide and a new college football dynasty.

Unexplained South Carolina

9781467151252

$21.99

The Palmetto State is home to many strange and unexplained events. The Gray Man of 2018 is Pawleys Island's most historic ghost. He has been seen walking the beaches before hurricanes. The tiny town of Hilda hears the mournful wail of a ghost train. The Bowery, Myrtle Beach's most legendary bar, hosts the spectral singing of Barman Joe. A ninety-two-foot crop circle appeared in the small town of McBee in 1994. And there's a host of Bigfoot sightings in the state. Sherman Carmichael delves into the mysterious side of South Carolina.

Baseball in Greenville and Spartanburg

9780738515946

$24.99

Baseball, an important institution in every American town, takes centerfield in the histories of Greenville and Spartanburg, South Carolina. These two cities have hosted some of the most well-known players of all time, from Tommy Lasorda and Chipper Jones to "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, the man who will forever link Greenville and Spartanburg with America's game. Baseball in Greenville and Spartanburg chronicles the diamond game as it has been played in the Carolina Upstate. More than a century of games from the Minor League, Textile League, and Big League clubs, along with high school and collegiate teams, are showcased. An older Joe Jackson still plays ball, a patriotic Joe Anders impresses crowds in the 1940s, and the Greenville Spinners, Greenville Braves, and the Spartanburg Phillies bring the crowds to their feet. The greats teach the game to tomorrow's stars, while tomorrow's stars perfect their talent, all with the Blue Ridge Foothills rising in the distance.

Vital Signs in Charleston:

9781596295797

$21.99

The Medical University of South Carolina, which began with seven faculty members and thirty students, is today a large and complex institution, with six colleges, hundreds of faculty and staff, thousands of students and numerous teaching hospitals and research laboratories and libraries. In this unique collection, the remarkable narrative of MUSC's survival and growth is told through the voices of the participants: the students and professors, the deans and doctors, the administrators and employees who have been there all along. They tell their stories through lecture notes and journals, letters and diaries, minutes and memos, headlines and catalogues
and, finally, through e-mails and blogs.
The men and women of MUSC reveal the challenges the university has met, from wars, epidemics and earthquakes to financial and accreditation crises. And they chronicle the changes in medicine from house calls and purgatives to genetics, vaccines and organ transplants. Not least of all, they record their aspirations, fears and firsthand experiences in their own honest, often humorous, words.

And I'm Glad

9780738517612

$24.99

And I'm Glad: An Oral History of Edisto Island explores the island's history through the eyes and in the voices of two Edisto farmers, Sam Gadsden and Bubberson Brown, who grew up, labored, raised families, and made their lives on the island. These narratives, tracing the arrival of the first black pioneers, the subsequent slave culture during the 1800s, the difficulties of Reconstruction, to the Edisto of the twentieth century, document both the African-American legacy of the island and the personal struggles of two black men. Overcoming the unpredictability of the Lowcountry's weather, such as the historic Hurricane of 1893 and subsequent storms, the hardships of Depression-era America, and the double standards of a pre-Civil Rights South, Gadsden and Brown detail triumphant lives full of service, hard work, good humor, and faith.

Cover image for And I'm Glad, isbn: 9780738517612

South Carolina Ports:

9780738517216

$24.99

When eight English noblemen known as the Lords Proprietors were granted the Charles Towne territory by King Charles II as a reward for their loyalty, the grant came with an express command to develop the area into a profit-making venture. Fortunately, the area came with a natural deep-water port, perfect for establishing trade. Soon trade in lumber, deerskins, and indigo established Charles Towne's wealth and prosperity, and the invention of the cotton gin and improvements in the rice crop cultivation helped boost the area's economy. By 1750, Charleston was the fourth largest city in colonial America--and the wealthiest, thanks in part to additional trade through Georgetown and Port Royal.

Cover image for South Carolina Ports:, isbn: 9780738517216

Fripp Island

9781596291690

$24.99

A small island along the South Carolina coast with a white beach, live oaks, palms, pines, and vast marshes, Fripp Island captivates residents and visitors.

The ebb and flow of tides, the fortunes and difficulties of developers and the fluctuations in the residential community have shaped Fripp's history. In the years since 1963 when the bridge to Fripp was built, two constants in the island's history have been the beauty of its natural setting and its dedicated residents. Page Putnam Miller, who for twenty years served as the lobbyist for the historical profession in Washington and for the past five years has been a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in the graduate history program at the University of South Carolina, has undertaken several years of extensive research to examine the intricate turns and twists in ownership of the resort and to explore the evolution of the residential community.

Goose Creek, A Definitive History:

9781596290563

$29.99

Goose Creek mayor Michael Heitzler continues his engrossing study of this often-overlooked community of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Heitzler's second volume employs hundreds of never before used primary sources such as private journals, tenant farmer rosters and hunting club records to reveal the lives of the white landowners who controlled the forests and fields and the African Americans who lived virtually invisible as they endured on small farms.

A History of the Diocese of Charleston

9781467145879

$26.99

In 1820, the Catholic Diocese of Charleston was established, and Bishop John England arrived from Ireland. His new diocese encompassed North and South Carolina, Georgia and, for a time, Haiti. From 1859 to 1885, when Patrick Lynch and Henry Northrop were bishops of Charleston, the diocese included the Bahama Islands. However, the history of Catholics in the diocese--which now covers all of South Carolina--began much earlier. The arrival of Spanish settlers and missionary priests dated back more than 150 years before there was a diocese on American soil. Sister Pam Smith charts the history of the diocese from the first words of prayer uttered on Santa Elena in the sixteenth century through the interfaith singing of a reformed slaveholder's hymn at a painful funeral in the twenty-first century.

The Beach Ball Classic: Premier High School Hoops on the Grand Strand

9781467135184

$21.99

The Beach Ball Classic began in 1981 as a modest avenue for coach Dan D'Antoni to attract the attention of college scouts. It blossomed into one of the premier prep basketball tournaments in the nation. From Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter to Roy Williams, some of the game's biggest stars and most colorful coaches have taken part. They also brought attention to an area generally overlooked in terms of high school sports. With calculated moves, a few risky decisions and nationwide sporting trends, the tournament continued to expand its influence. Author Ian Guerin recounts the famous faces, upcoming stars and business acumen that have made the Classic an iconic event for thirty-five years.

The Beach Ball Classic: Premier High School Hoops on the Grand Strand

Goose Creek, A Definitive History

9781596290556

$29.99

Just fifteen miles inland from Charleston, South Carolina sits the charming city of Goose Creek, a vibrant community with a history over three centuries in the making.

That history teems with all the trappings of a traditional Lowcountry city, but to many, Charleston's long historical shadow has obscured Goose Creek, and few know the real story of the people and events that define the city's past. With Goose Creek, South Carolina: A Definitive History 1670-2003, Michael J. Heitzler seeks to shed light on Goose Creek's fascinating history. The first of a two-volume set, Planters, Politicians and Patriots illuminates the foundations of Goose Creek and the lives of the Europeans and Africans who settled in the wilderness and out of it carved successful plantations - Sedgefield, Otranto, Medway and more - as large and lucrative as any in the Lowcountry.

Greenville County, South Carolina

9781596291546

$24.99

Amid the devastation left in South Carolina by the War Between the States, one of the few intact remnants of the pre-war life was a tiny cotton textile industry. For decades prior to the Civil War, the upstate textile industry rested unobtrusively near Greenville, its center of production, surrounded by former plantation fields of cotton. Now, when its state needed it the most, the textile industry, empowered by the vision of Greenville's Henry P. Hammett, rallied for its critical role in the resurrection of the Palmetto State's economy.

Building upon the state's position as a major cotton grower, savvy entrepreneurs of the "New South" jumped at the chance to take cotton production from plantation fields to factories, which eventually became a large-scale industry. Greenville's Piedmont Manufacturing Company set the pace and became one of the chief models for southern mill builders for a half century. With the mill companies leading the way, allied industries and agencies rapidly expanded into the county, already known as the Textile Center of the South by 1914. Further textile development combined with the permanent addition of a world-class trade show earned the city the title of "Textile Center of the World" - a name brandished proudly by the citizens of Greenville during the 1960s.

Able to weather two world wars, the Great Depression and one of the bloodiest strikes in textile history, Greenville's textile heyday waned after 1970 in the wake of an influx of foreign imports. The impact of the industry on Greenville and South Carolina is hard to overestimate; many mills still stand, and street names honor past mill owners, builders and

Georgetown County's Historic Cemeteries

9781467116503

$24.99

Georgetown is the third-oldest city in the state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County. Named for King George III of England, Georgetown County lies on the Atlantic Ocean surrounding Winyah Bay. The county's rivers--Santee, Sampit, Black, Pee Dee, and Waccamaw--were named by the Native Americans who were the area's first inhabitants. In 1732, the land was settled by the English, French, and Scots. Their first staple crop was indigo, but rice soon became the indisputable king of the Lowcountry and flourished in the marshes along the banks of the county's many rivers, creeks, and bays. By 1850, the county contained more than 175 rice plantations. The plantation era ended with the Civil War, the loss of enslaved labor, and a series of devastating hurricanes. Georgetown County's history will forever remain a part of the live oaks and Spanish moss found throughout the county and is retold in every cemetery within Images of America: Georgetown County's Historic Cemeteries.

York and Western York County

9780738523583

$24.99

Like many Southern states, South Carolina is a vivid mosaic of urban centers and pastoral landscapes, a unique blend of New South advances and agrarian traditions. It is within the Palmetto State's countrysides that many of its leaders in education, industry, and politics emerged, marked by an enduring pride of home and its importance and relevance in the shaping of the state's history and future.

York County is representative of the Carolina experience and its dual identity, with its "big city" opportunities along its eastern boundaries and its rustic, austere charm lingering in its western sections. This volume explores the county's bucolic setting from the centrally located county seat of York to its western border along the Broad River and traces the history of the county from an era dominated by early American Indian tribes, to the arrival of the first Scotch-Irish settlers, across three centuries of struggle and progress, to the present. York and Western York County: The Story of a Southern Eden brings to life, through word and image, the personalities and events that shaped York and its western rural paradise, including the small towns of Sharon, Hickory Grove, Smyrna, McConnells, and Bullock's Creek.

Sullivan's Island

9780738516783

$24.99

Uncover the past in this unique look at the history of Sullivan's Island, South Carolina through the lens of over 200 vintage images.

The Island is a very singular one. It consists of little else than the sea sand and is about three miles long. Its breadth at no point exceeds a quarter of a mile. Edgar Allan Poe's terse description, from his story The Gold Bug, is essentially as true today as when it was written. Others, before and after Poe, have been captivated by ""the Island."" For a long time, Sullivan's Island was the only Charleston-area beach resort, and its importance in the nation's history gave it a special significance. From the Battle of Fort Sullivan (now Fort Moultrie) came the inspiration for the state flag and for the arms of the Great Seal of State. The unique architectural heritage of Sullivan's Island evolved out of this historical background. A visiting New York architect in the 1970s said, ""This Island has the greatest assortment of styles and periods of architecture ever put together in one small area."" However, an 1872 observer more accurately called the style of architecture ""multifarious."" He noted, ""Everybody who builds follows his own ideas-in most cases comfort is consulted-and the resort is a varied collection of cottages and summer villas of every conceivable description.""