Life in the Slow Lane (The Pearl): July 7

Day 111 - History Lesson

Factory Creek - Anchorage

We got a little rain last night...which gave us an excuse to turn the generator on and run the air conditioner for awhile. It was nice to get rid of the humidity. The anchorage was peaceful and we both had a restful night. This morning we took the dinghy and bikes to Lady's Island to get a few things. They have a huge hardware store, nice meat market and a Publix (grocery store). It was nice to have the bikes since it was five or six blocks to the stores and it makes it easier carrying our bags. After putting the groceries away, we headed across the river to Beaufort.

Beaufort is rich in history dating back to the 1500's. After the Revolutionary War Sea, Island cotton was introduced to this area and brought rapid increase in plantations and slaves, new wealth provided Beaufort elegant homes, fine libraries and some of the best preparatory schools in the south. So many men of state and national prominence were produced, that antebellum Beaufort was described as the "wealthiest most aristocratic and cultivated town of its size in America".

Beaufort has a wonderful park along the water, with a playground for the kids, walking path, stage for events and wooden swings to sit and watch the water. Lots of swings! It is very nice. We wandered down the main street and then had lunch at Panini's Cafe...both our lunches were wonderful. After lunch we rode around town and looked at the beautiful old homes. Many predate the Civil War. The Ordinance of Secession was drawn up in Beaufort. The citizens of Beaufort left soon after the war began and the Union Army occupied the town until the war was over. Many of the soldiers fell in love with the area and returned to make this their permanent home. Most of the old antebellum homes were bought by northerners after the war.

We stopped at the St. Helena’s Church. It was built in 1712 and has graves as old as 1724. There are lots of Confederate soldiers buried in the church yard and even two British soldiers from the Revolutionary War. The grounds keeper shared quite a bit of history and a few stories with us. It was very interesting. We spent the evening on the boat cooking steaks and watching TV. Not very exciting but after a long day of exploring it felt nice just hanging out.

Factory Creek