On a recent trip to Hilton Head, S.C., I had the opportunity to visit Daufuskie Island. This island, accessible only by boat or barge, is located between the southern tip of Hilton Head and Savannah, Ga. The island is popular for visitors to the Low Country, and makes for a fun day trip and a nice vacation alternative to sitting at the beach or playing golf.
Our party consisted of my husband, my daughter and her friend Greg, who scored some discounted passes for the ferry ride and for rentals of a golf cart for use on the island. When we arrived at the marina, the skies were a little dark but we decided to take the chance anyway. The 30-40 minute ride from Hilton Head put us on Daufuskie at about noon. Our plans were to take in some of the historical sites, visit the winery and rum distillery, and eat lunch at one of the restaurants on the island. The return ferry was scheduled to leave at 4:30.
If you have ever been to Daufuskie, you know that it is a diverse mix of experiences. Named for it’s shape, Daufuskie is a combination of the Muscogee Indian words for sharp and feather. Although a huge attraction to tourists from both Savannah and Hilton Head, Daufuskie is also home to 400 or so permanent residents. As we puttered along in our golf cart, we saw extravagant beach communities (musician John Mellencamp is reportedly one of the more famous homeowners on Daufuskie) as well as the remnants of buildings and cars, impacted by years of storms and the isolation of island life. Strip malls, chain restaurants and souvenir shops it is not.
The Freeport Marina serves as the general store, gathering spot and the place on the island to purchase Spartina 449 purses, which are a high-end line of designer bags, inspired by the culture and the beauty of Daufuskie, available at half the price than they are just across the bay. Visitors to Daufuskie stop at The Old Daufuskie Crab Company for snacks, live entertainment and adult beverages including an iced-tea and lemonade mixed drink made up in large batches with Everclear grain alcohol called the Scrap Iron. Some head over to Marshside Mama’s, a corrugated metal building on the other side of the island, noted for it the dusty dollar bills, signed and decorated by their guests, hanging from all of the rafters and some of the best food in the area.
In one of those famous vacation stories that we share with friends and pass down to our kids, our group also got to experience the “energy” of Daufuskie Island.
As we drove through the sandy streets of Daufuskie Island, under the awning of the Spanish moss laden live oak trees for which Daufuskie is famous, the tree cover and the dark skies from the pending rain storm seemed to feed my imagination. We learned about the history of Daufuskie – the role that European settlers on Daufuskie played on the settlement of the area. We saw the elementary school where noted author Pat Conroy taught. We learned about the rich Gullah culture for which the Low Country is famous. We learned that Bloody Point on Daufuskie Island is so named because the “beaches ran red with blood” of mostly Native Americans during the Yemassee War between the settlers.
Settlers taking over land from someone else. Massacres. War. Slavery. Deep, rich and at times, dark history on an island that is about 5 miles long and 2.5 miles wide.
I may have let my imagination get away with me.
It started at the lighthouse. The Haig Point Lighthouse offers history about the building and the island and is a famous haunted site on the island. The employee working the gift shop at the lighthouse noted that she hears things all the time when she is alone in the building and, allegedly, just that morning, had again felt an invisible hand swipe across her face. She said she wasn’t scared but would never sleep in the building overnight. After making our purchase, I told my husband and kids “I’ll wait for you in the golf cart.”
The abandoned buildings. The dark skies. The history. A feeling I had could only be described as energy. A force or potential force that could not be seen but seemed to be almost palpable.
Note that I had passed on the offer for a Scrap Iron when we arrived on the island.
“I’m definitely feeling something on this island,” I told my husband. “Feeling some ju ju Mom?” asked my daughter from the front seat of the golf cart. “Yes” I said, as I gulped. “It’s not necessarily bad or good but definitely just something in the air.” She smiled as she formed both of her hands into the yoga gyan mudra (finger and thumb forming a circle with the other 3 fingers straight) and said “I respect them all. It’s all good. I’m not taking any chances.”
At just about that time, Greg seemed to panic as he swerved the golf cart. When we came to a stop in the sand on the shoulder of the road, he said “That was so weird.” The accelerator on the very slow golf cart in which we had been puttering around on the island suddenly stuck and jerked us forward for at least 15 seconds. We looked at each other with wide eyes.
Either Greg is an Oscar worthy actor or someone else was listening. Like Gettysburg and other places where a bunch of humans have hurt other humans, something was definitely in the air.
In the end, it was a great day, despite the downpour that hit as we ran to catch the ferry. We learned a lot and had some fun. I would highly recommend the palmetto cheese BLT at Marshside Mama’s and can’t wait to go back again. I can, however, guarantee you that I would never purchase a condo in a community called Bloody Point.
