Hobcaw Barony

It was snowing when we left Portland to escape the grey Pacific Northwest winter for a week. The local weatherman tells us we can look forward to a week of sunny weather in the mid-70's in coastal South Carolina. Works for us! We are staying in Pawley's Island with Aunt Snootypurse for a few days. We spent a good portion of our first day touring Hobcaw Barony, a 17,500 acre wildlife refuge between Pawley's Island and Charleston.

It's hard to describe this tour because it covered a wide variety of subjects. Hobcaw Barony was owned by Bernard Baruch and his daughter, Belle. Mr. Baruch was a powerful businessman during the Roosevelt and Eisenhower administrations so the most interesting anecdotes were those of the powerful people who stayed at the Barony during the WWII era. The Barony's is currently used as a research site for Clemson and USC. That's the University of South Carolina for readers from the West coast.

The top picture is of the saltmarsh where the universities are conducting research on sea-level rise and climate change. The middle photo is of the slave village. The Barony was originally a series of plantations and many of the "slaves" stayed as employees of the Baruch family. These small cabins had no electricity and it wasn't uncommon for up to a dozen people to share one. The final photo is the main lodge or Mr. Baruch's "hunting cabin". We saw a bedroom occupied by FDR just prior to his 4th presidential election.

We wrapped up the day with a visit to Georgetown, the 3rd oldest city in South Carolina. This is a pleasant town with several restaurants, shops, historical homes, and a walk along the inlet.