Joseph McGill, a program officer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is a man with a mission. McGill says there is an “untold story” African-American Union soldiers that “deserves to be told”. After befriending several Confederate civil war reenactors as a park ranger at Fort Sumter National Monument, and watching the movie “Glory,” McGill became a reenactor himself. “We are constantly recruiting men and women to help us tell the story of the 180,000 African-American men that served the Union in the Civil War,” McGill said. The movie “Glory” centers on the 54th Massachusetts “colored” troops historic battle at Battery Wagner, Morris Island, SC on July 18th, 1863.

According to James W. Hagy in To Take Charleston- The Civil War on Folly Island, proximity to Morris Island and the Charleston ship channel prompted Folly’s use as a staging point, starting in February of 1863. Later that year as many as 10,000 Union troops, garrisoned on Folly Island, stood poised for battle. Steven Smith, of the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, claims that Folly Island was literally deforested by the Union troops who needed firewood and building wood. On July 10, 1863, after a two-hour barrage of cannon fire from Folly, Union troops launched an amphibious assault across Lighthouse Inlet for an attempt to take Battery Wagner from the Confederates. The troops were driven back by a barrage of musket fire as they reached the walls of the fort. On July 18, Union assault forces from the 6th and 7th Connecticut, and the 54th Massachusetts staged another attempt on Fort Wagner. Union artillery support from gunboats, ironclads, and land batteries landed an estimated 9,000 rounds onto Fort Wagner. Confederate forces answered with batteries from Battery Greg on Cummings Point, Fort Sumter, James Island, and Sullivan’s Island. The Union troops were repelled once more after sustaining heavy casualties, with the 54th Massachusetts suffering the greatest losses.

Civil War re-enactors will commemorate the 147th anniversary of the assault on Battery Wagner on July 16. Volunteer re-enactors from Company I, 54th Massachusetts Re-enactment Regiment, will honor the men who participated in the historic battle on July 18, 1863. The event will occur on Morris Island, and the public is invited and encouraged to attend. The boat for the one-hour event will leave from the Charleston Maritime Center (10 Wharfside St., downtown Charleston) at 3:00 p.m. and return at 5:00 p.m. Make reservations by calling Joseph McGill at 408-7727. Participants should arrive 30 minutes before their reserved time. The cost of the boat ride and visit to the island is $25. Tideline Tours also offers Ferry service from James Island to Cummings Point, leaving at 1:30 p.m. and returning at approximately 6:00 p.m. The cost is $25 per person with a $5 per car parking fee. Make reservations by contacting Tideline Tours at 843-813-2497. The event is sponsored by Company I, 54th Massachusetts Re-enactment Regiment.

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As one of the “early settlers” of Little Oak Island, I have had the pleasure of watching it evolve over the past seventeen years into a lovely, family community shared with an abundance of nature’s beauty and wildlife. However, my first visit to this island paradise was in the early seventies. My then father-in-law had purchased a new 40+ foot huge, air-conditioned Airstream camper with all the comforts of home-color TV, spacious sleeping accommodations, kitchen, tub and shower. You get the picture. What does this have to do with anything, you ask?

Besides having once been a dumpsite, so I am told, Little Oak Island was then “Blackey’s Campground,” an undeveloped island perfect for the true nature lover and explorer. I never was a Girl Scout or a hard-core camper, but I did think of myself as adventuresome. The thought of spending a weekend on this island near the sea was so intriguing that my husband asked his father if we could use the Airstream to take friends from Spartanburg camping. We convinced him, and sight unseen, he pulled the “silver monster” to the campground. After navigating the causeway on to the island, there was merely a narrower sort of road or path that encircled it. The campsites were sparse clearings sporadically located around the perimeter of the island which bordered on a narrow tidal creek. Upon seeing the arduous job that lay ahead of him, he responded with a resounding, “No way possible!” Call me naïve or optimistic, but I just knew he could do it and not disappoint us.

As if trying to back this huge camper without going into the creek was not enough, I wanted it taken all the way to the end of the island in order to have the panoramic view of the Morris Island Lighthouse. My father-in-law just wanted to leave and get his shiny new Airstream back home without a scratch. After much pleading and whining, he gave in and struggled to back the camper inch by inch on the narrow, bumpy, dirt path in 98 degree weather. Each time he said this is far enough, I would implore him to go just a little farther. I was determined to get to the end of the island and look out at the lighthouse; however, after much time, sweat, and cursing, we would have to be satisfied with a view of the Folly River. Physically exhausted and having lost all patience, he had gone as far as he was willing to subject his brand new camper to the rugged terrain. I wasn’t going to push our luck as I felt very privileged he had agreed to let us use it, and I didn’t want him to change his mind. It was quite an ordeal for him to prepare our plush accommodations, or should I say “set up camp,” and it had taken up our afternoon plans for fun and relaxation. As the sun was now beginning to set, we had to assure him that we were very capable of handling the situation and bid him farewell until Sunday afternoon.

He left unwillingly with numerous concerns, mostly for the safety of his Airstream, but not before saying, “It beats me why you would want to stay in a luxury camper with no electricity! I was crazy to let y’all talk me into this fiasco!” We looked at each other in shock, but of course responded, “We knew that.” Sure we did—NOT! It never occurred to us to ask about electrical hookups. I replied with a positive and upbeat attitude, “We’ll enjoy the cool ocean breezes and the moonlight.” We would “rough it.” Sure we would! We came to the startling realization that none of our modern conveniences were going to work: the AC, hot running water for baths, the nice toilet facilities, and yes, the color TV and stereo system. We couldn’t listen to our cassettes or watch our VHS movies. Now I’m really dating myself.

Well, it was now time to put plan B into action and relax by the water with a cool beverage and tasty hors d’oeuvres. We had planed frozen daiquiris and pina coladas. Needless to say, the lack of electricity put a damper on that idea. Being the hardy campers we were pretending to be, we weren’t going to let such a minor detail spoil the moment. We set up our lounge chairs (in the bushes) and were determined to have “Happy Hour in Paradise.” I carried out the tray of treats with tropical napkins I had weighted down to keep them from blowing away. Those cool ocean breezes could get quite strong in the late afternoon.

Wrong again! It was now dead low tide with no water in the little creek in front of us, mudflats everywhere, no breeze, and there would be no moonlight due to the heavy, dark clouds that had been building all afternoon. In a matter of what seemed like seconds, we were attacked by a swarm of giant mosquitoes so thick they looked like the smoke monster on the TV show LOST. The sesame seeds on the hors d’oeuvres appeared to be crawling. Upon closer scrutiny, we realized that we were eating gnats! Happy hour quickly became grumpy hour and came to an abrupt halt. We escaped into our lovely but “non-working” camper.

We had brought steaks and seafood along with a smorgasbord of gourmet delights which remained iced down in the cooler instead of conveniently displayed in the roomy refrigerator. We had planned to set up the “rugged” Coleman gas grill (versus the customary campfire) for grilling our delectable supper, but the mosquitoes made sure that wasn’t going to happen. We nibbled on snacks and tried to entertain ourselves with card games as it grew hotter inside the camper. A mild breeze began to blow, and the semi-cool fresh air was a brief but welcomed relief to the stillness that engulfed us. As quickly as the soft breeze had entered, it left. The only circulating air was that of our heavy exhales let out in utter, uncomfortable boredom.

To add to our misery, the infernal “no-seeums” were attracted to our “mood lighting” and made their way through the screens, hence, out came the Avon Skin So Soft. Its pungent odor combined with our already sweaty bodies did stop the enemy for the time being, but our close proximity made the smell almost unbearable. Bored with cards and eating snacks, the only thing left to do was try to sleep the night away and hope for a better tomorrow on our “Fantasy Island.” As I lay hot and miserable in our luxurious “state room,” I had forgotten that I could become claustrophobic. To keep from having a panic attack, I silently counted from 100 backwards, said the Lord’s prayer, recited the 23rd Psalm, and repeated my mantra of “I can do this, I can do this,” all the while driving my husband crazy fanning myself with a magazine. I think I finally dozed off from sheer exhaustion.

Nearing midnight we were jolted by a loud crash of thunder and lightning. My first thought was that we were sitting ducks inside this giant, metal, bullet-shaped coffin. We had to shut the windows to keep the blowing rain out which only added to my mental hysteria of closed-up spaces. We lay in hot silence trying not to be terrified as the lightning lit up the darkness. I knew our Spartanburg friends were uneasy, to say the least, but were too polite to say anything. The romance and the excitement of our paradise get-away had now become the trip from Hell! We came to a quick consensus, and like cowards, the “city slickers” quietly escaped during the stormy night to our air-conditioned, bug-free townhouse.

After sleeping late the next morning, we decided to go check on the camper and eat lunch at the beach. We had to at least make an appearance on Folly. The merits of spending that night in the Airstream were also dismal. So, we packed up all our food and had a sumptuous repast of surf ‘n turf back home, followed by a night out on the town. We went back to our campsite on Sunday to pack up our “camping gear” and arrive before my father-in-law came that afternoon to begin the arduous job of preparing the camper for its return to the mainland. We all pitched in and attributed our silence to being exhausted from our fun weekend. We didn’t have the nerve to tell him that he had gone to so much effort and trouble for naught. We followed the “Silver Bullet” off the island in silence and felt very guilty for our charade.

I’m sure you are wondering why we were allowed to bring the Trojan horse on to the island. We had paid in advance via mail, and no one was there to greet us upon our arrival. It was all very laid back, and I guess it was assumed that we were “normal” campers who enjoyed the rugged outdoors in a tent. In retrospect, the small clearings were obviously for pup tents or pop-up campers, thus the reason for our very cramped existence stuck between two trees. We barely had enough room to only partially open the door, and we would squeeze ourselves out while trying not to hit our heads on a low-hanging tree branch. If there were other campers there, we didn’t see them. I’m sure they were hidden on the other side of the island laughing at us the entire time.

Yes, we were clueless back then. However, I was most clueless of the fact that years later I would be divorced (do you think that weekend could have been some kind of omen?) and that I would end up retiring on this beautiful island. I often wonder if I built my house on the same site we “quasi-camped” on that memorable weekend. I do have a beautiful view overlooking the Folly River, and I can see Russia, I mean, the Morris Island Lighthouse from the deck of my house. I don’t believe in coincidences. I think God knew I would need a quiet and peaceful place to live after all of the trials and tribulations I would go through in my life. Little did I know, or dream, that it would be this quaint and beautiful island we all love and call “Little Oak Island.” It is truly my paradise!

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The pier at sunrise. Photo by how.e davis

By Lauren Dean

Easter Sunrise Service

The Easter sunrise service at Folly Beach has been a tradition since the mid 1940s. Every year since then members from all of Folly’s churches meet together at 6:30 a.m. The service was originally held on the old Pavilion, and when the Pavilion burned to the ground in 1957 the service was moved to the small adjacent pier that jutted less than 100 feet into the ocean directly across from the old amusement park on East Arctic.

Mary Rhodes remembers the men of Folly Beach Methodist Church rolling the piano out the side door of the church and loading it into a pick-up truck. Sue Danner, who taught most of Folly’s children how to play piano, would pound out the hymns from the back of the pick-up truck while a choir of angels from all the Folly churches raised their voices, literally, to the heavens. Jerry Braddock remembers “the sun popping up out of the ocean” as the minister gave his message of rebirth.

In the old days attendance was 60 to75 people, but that was practically every church-goer on the beach at that time, according to Rhodes. Most adults wore regular church clothes, but some came in robes and slippers and the children would be toted to the service still half asleep in their nighties. Rhodes said her girls would go in their pajamas and slippers with their hair in rollers. It was cold sometimes, and people would sit on the wooden planks on the floor and cuddle together under blankets.

When the pier burned down in 1977, services were held on the beach at the site of the present Holiday Inn and later at the County Park on the West end of the island. Services were moved to the new pier when it was completed in 1995. Over the years music was provided by a blended choir from all the churches, but somewhere along the way it became a tradition for pastors from the three Folly Beach churches to take turns preaching. This year’s Easter message will be presented by Mike Reed of the Folly Beach Baptist Church.

Many things have changed over the years. Folly has grown from a sleepy beachfront community to a bustling tourist destination and home to 2,500 permanent residents, and the sunrise service has changed, too. “Now we have electric keyboards and speakers,” said Chel Whaley, “and about 250 people attend the service. But it’s still a ‘come as you are event’ and you’ll still see folks in everything from PJs to their Easter finery.”

In a time when Folly Beach is being pulled in different directions and rancor among Council members and residents alike threatens to disrupt what has made Folly so unique, folks still come together on the pier, the sun still pops up out of the ocean, and the Easter sunrise goes on much as it has for the past sixty years.

Other Folly Beach Easter Traditions

Other Easter traditions at Folly include Easter Egg Hunts and the Promenade down Center Street. The Methodist Church has an egg hunt and covered dish supper after the Palm Sunday service to which everyone on Folly is invited. The Baptist Church will host an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 3 at 11:00 a.m. in the Folly River Park. The event is for children grade three and younger and is free of charge. Pastor Mike Reed said children should bring their own baskets, but no eggs. Lunch will be served following the Easter Egg Hunt.

The Folly Beach Home and Garden Club will present their 2nd Annual Easter Promenade on Saturday, April 3 at 11:00 a.m. The promenade will begin at the Community Center and continue to Ashley Avenue as Folly residents don Easter bonnets (or hats) and their Easter finery and promenade down Center Street to the admiration of onlookers, waving to all their friends and neighbors along the route. Everyone on Folly – men, women, children and pets – are invited to join in the fun as long as they wear a hat (no ball caps, please). The Garden Club has golf carts available for those who would like to join the Promenade, but need assistance. Call Charlotte Goodwin at 588-9955 if you would like to use one of the golfcarts.

Folly Beach Methodist Church

Folly Beach United Methodist Church, established in 1942 in the same small white building as now, is the oldest of the three churches.

The Palm Sunday service on March 28 will be followed by a covered dish meal and the annual egg hunt outside for the children.

Maundy Thursday services will be on Thursday, April 1 at 6:30 pm.

The Good Friday service will be at St John’s United Methodist Church on Johns Island on Friday, April 2nd, at 7:00 p.m.

Easter Sunday service is at 11:15 a.m. The cantata entitled “The Triumphs of His Grace” by Marty Parks will be presented during the service under the direction of our Music Director, Richard Rewis.

Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church

The Catholic Church at the corner of Center Street and East Indian Avenue was built in 1950. Prior to that, the Catholics met at the Elk’s Club, which was located on the front beach in the 1000 block of East Arctic.

Holy Thursday – Mass of the Lord’s Supper- April 1, 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday – The Lord’s Passion – April 2, 2:00 p.m.

Easter Vigil Mass – April 2, 8:30 p.m.

Easter Mass- 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

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This skeleton was among 19 discovered thanks to Robert Bohrn in 1987. The bodies belonged to African-American Union soldiers who were stationed on Folly Beach in 1863.

I love Folly Beach. Being born and raised on James Island, Folly Beach is a part of my soul that I have always cherished and loved. As an infant in the 1950s, I cut my teeth on the surf and sands of her beach. As a child I learned to swim, body surf, and collect shells on her shoreline. And as a teenager I began to walk in the footsteps of Union Army soldiers whose footprints were washed away by time and tide.

During my Fort Johnson High School years (1972-76), I began to relic hunt Folly Beach with a passion. Research and legwork led me to find many artifacts left by the Union Armies’ occupation during the Civil War.

Folly Beach became the staging area for the Union Army in 1863. Its proximity to Morris Island made it a perfect location for the placement of troops, as well as all of the equipment necessary for the capture of Charleston.  It was at this point that Folly Island became a sea island city. With bakeries, lumberyards, newly made roads and large camps of Union soldiers, the island’s population swelled to well over 10,000 inhabitants. Each camp was the pride of their respective regiment. Soldiers from states such as New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Indiana, and Illinois were present. Each of these soldiers, experiencing the southern climate for the first time, learned of its difficult and deadly nature. Many soldiers succumbed to diseases that occurred because of poor food quality, unsanitary conditions, and the island’s bad water supply.

Then in July and August of 1863, the 54th and 55th Massachusetts, the first African-American soldiers in the United States Army, arrived on Folly Island. Little did the soldiers know that their presence would change history.

Sgt. Andrew Jackson Smith of the 55th Massachusetts was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery at the Battle of Honey Hill, SC, on November 30, 1864. He was stationed on Folly Beach during their stay.

The 54th Massachusetts would be the first to arrive on Folly Beach. This regiment changed the way America would think about African-Americans as soldiers. These soldiers’ sacrifices during the Battle of Battery Wagner on Morris Island were a true test of their bravery and skills. Leading the charge towards Battery Wagner, they earned their place in the annals of American history.
The 55th Massachusetts was the sister regiment of the 54th. When the call went out in Massachusetts that an African-American Regiment was being raised, the response was so overwhelming that it became possible to raise two regiments. The 55th arrived on Folly in August of 1863. The troops’ first order of duty was to prepare a campsite on the island. Tents were raised, the jungle was cleared, and roads were made. The camp was to be one of the best on the island, complete with a hospital, a sutlers and an ordnance store. Wells and latrines were dug and stables for the horses were built. From this camp, soldiers would leave daily to perform arduous fatigue labor on Folly and Morris Islands. Building fortifications on Morris Island, these soldiers were under constant artillery fire from the Confederates.  They sustained many casualties during their fatigue duty, but they would have to fight an even more deadly foe: disease.
In 1972, when I first began to search for relics on Folly, I was lucky to be granted permission to metal detect around some good spots on the island. I found bullets and buttons lost by the soldiers, and for years I would search this sea island for artifacts. On the beach, in the jungles, and in home owners’ yards, my search for the Union Armies’ leftovers would continue.
Then in 1987 my life would change forever. A new housing development was being built where I knew I had found Union relics before. As they began to clear a road through the palms, I was right there behind the bulldozers. Relics were to be found just about everywhere. Uniform buttons, bullets and other artifacts were being brought to light because of the bulldozing and land clearing.
Then, they started to bulldoze a small sand dune where I had never found artifacts before. But as they cleared the dune down about four feet, we began to find uniform buttons. The buttons were very corroded, which was unusual because normally the buttons were not corroded at all. As I was digging one of those buttons, my hunting partner found a human femur. We immediately stopped digging, left the site and went to my home to figure out what we had discovered. Our game plan was to return the next day and walk the site without metal detectors to see if we could see any more bones. If we found more, we were going to contact the University of South Carolina Archeology and Anthropology department.
The night before our return it rained all evening. This would uncover any more bones that the bulldozer had uncovered. As we arrived at the site we began to find small bones scattered about that the rain had exposed. Only small bones were found, so we assumed that just one soldier uncovered. I gathered up the bones in a small towel, walked about ten yards and started to dig a hole to place the bones in. As the shovel entered the sand it struck an object about a foot down. On the end of the shovel were three human vertebrae held together by a root. I looked into the hole and saw three Union buttons. Overwhelmed by what was being uncovered around me, I simply sat there in the sand. Relic hunting, in an instant, had become something sacred. I was actually touching a Union soldier from the Civil War.
I filled in the hole, placing the bones carefully back into it. I then contacted the University of South Carolina and told them about what I had discovered. We met at the site, and showed them where the remains were found.
For two weeks we excavated a total of 19 Union soldiers. Research would show that the soldiers were from the 55th Massachusetts. The discovery would be the first of its kind ever made. It was determined from military records that these soldiers died of disease while on Folly Beach. The soldiers were reburied on Memorial Day 1989, with full military honors in the Beaufort National Cemetery. Thousands attended this event, and relatives of the soldiers and the Governor of Massachusetts were in attendance.
And all of this happened because of a shovel full of sand from Folly Beach.
Now, twenty years after their reburial, we are on a mission to recognize these 19 soldiers who gave the last full measure of a soldier for their country. As a small gesture of thanks for their sacrifice, we are working with the State of South Carolina to have a State Historical Marker placed here on Folly Beach. A piece of cast aluminum to honor those of flesh and blood who fought, lived and died here on Folly Beach.
It is an honor and a privilege to recognize their sacrifice, and future generations will benefit from the memory of what they did during the Civil War here on Folly Beach.

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