On Dataw Island, east of Beaufort, the extensive
ruins of Sams Plantation, which includes the main house, built in 1786, as
well as several outbuildings and additions, demonstrate the pervasiveness
of tabby construction.
The property is now situated in a gated community,
where homeowners take an active interest in the ruins and support the Dataw
Historic Foundation. The main house, which burned around 1880, is scarcely
more than piles of crumbled tabby.
The ruins of Edwards Plantation on Spring Island are
approached on one side by an allée of live oaks. Beyond the house,
still majestic in its ruined state, tidal marsh and river stretch almost as
far as the eye can see.
At the outbreak of the Civil War the heirs of the
original owner, George Edwards, abandoned the house, which
mysteriously burned a few years later. Water eventually seeped into
the walls, slowly eroding them. Despite preservation efforts, all that
remains in some places are a few vertical feet of foundation.
These Lowcountry ruins, which today seem so
otherworldly and mysterious, are what writer J. B. Jackson has called an
"echo from the remote past suddenly become present and actual"
-- echoes that are fading with each passing year.
RESOURCES: Be aware that the subtle wear and tear of
visitor traffic may compromise fragile sites. Contact the Historic Beaufort
Foundation, 843/379-3331 or historic-beaufort.org, for more information.
