S.C. Department of Natural Resources
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Heritage Trust Program recently acquired a 122.6-acre tract of land located on Coosaw Island in Beaufort County. This is the 19th Cultural Heritage Preserve acquired for protection under the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program.
The SCDNR Heritage Trust Program purchased the land for $505,000 from the Beaufort County Open Land Trust (OLT) to establish what will be known as Coosaw Sea Island Cotton Heritage Preserve. The preserve is comprised of parcels formerly owned by the Stangel, Battey and Attaway families. Coosaw Sea Island Cotton Heritage Preserve will be formally dedicated during a ceremony at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at the preserve at 250 Coosaw River Drive in Beaufort.
Gullah Geechee people cultivated and harvested Sea Island Cotton in South Carolina from the late 1700s until the American Civil War, with very few sites still visible on the landscape. This property contains visible remnant beds and drainage ditches of Sea Island cotton fields, cultivated prior to the American Civil War.
During Reconstruction, Gullah Geechee men and women acquired the land and operated truck farms and other businesses into the turn of the 20th century. The cotton field ridges, furrows, surrounding edges and road shoulders will provide important places to reestablish the culturally significant sweetgrass within the preserve.
While designated a Cultural Heritage Preserve, the property also protects abundant plant and animal species. Coosaw Sea Island Cotton Heritage Preserve includes hummock and marsh islands bounded by intertidal marsh and tributaries of Boatswain Pond Creek and Duck Pond Creek, draining into the Morgan River and St. Helena Sound in the ACE Basin. The preserve looks out onto Morgan Island, another SCDNR owned and managed property, and creates a habitat corridor with nearby protected lands. On the wetland portions of the property, there are extant ridges, furrows and water control earthworks from sea island cotton production that provide habitat for many terrestrial and aquatic species.
“Coosaw Sea Island Cotton Heritage Preserve represents an overlooked conservation gem right beneath our feet – literally!” Open Land Trust Executive Director Kristin Williams said in a news release. “During the pandemic, OLT staff and board walked on Coosaw Island for solace in nature and knew this property needed to be protected forever. Thanks to the previous landowners and lenders, we were able to take quick action and purchase the property. We are thrilled to partner with SCDNR on its protection forever for everyone to enjoy as a Heritage Trust Preserve.”
Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation said: “The discovery of this area of Coosaw that appeared to be captured in time and held for the appropriate use in the way that foods are when we preserve them in the Gullah/Geechee Nation is not only significant to us but is a blessing. The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition and the Gullah/Geechee Nation’s leaders are pleased that we can continue our ongoing collaboration with the South Carolina Department of the Natural Resources through assisting with the research, interpretation and the sustainability plan for the historic site. We look forward to being able to honor our ancestors that toiled on that land and bring their voices to life again.”
“SCDNR looks forward to providing support and stewardship for this property that has significant habitat and cultural history,” said Ken Rentiers, deputy director for SCDNR Land, Water and Conservation Division. “We thank all of our partners that collaborated on this important project.”
The S.C. Department of Natural Resources Heritage Trust program was created between 1974-1976, the first such program in the nation, to help stem the tide of habitat loss by protecting critical natural habitats and significant cultural sites. Enabling legislation directed the state natural resources agency, in concert with other state agencies, to set aside a portion of the state’s rich natural and cultural heritage in a system of heritage preserves to be protected for the benefit of present and future generations. For more information, visit heritagetrust.dnr.sc.gov.
