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The town of Bluffton, located in what was the King's
grant to Lord Proprietor Colleton, has had quite an
interesting and important history.
Situated on the "High Bluff" overlooking
the beautiful May River, it came to be, in the early
1800's, the summering place where the families of the
rice and cotton planters of the surrounding "Low
Country" could escape the heat, insects and malaria
of the near sea-level plantations. It was a merry place
where everyone swam, boated, fished, crabbed, shrimped
and, in the cooler weather, enjoyed the oysters, clams
and scallops as the Indians long before them had done
and as the present day residents still do.
Bluffton grew. Travel between the coastal towns in
the early days was, of course, mainly by water. So, as
it was situated between Savannah on the south and
Beaufort and Charleston on the north, Bluffton became an
important distribution center. Out of Bluffton to the
coastal cities flowed the crops from the farms and
plantations (and often from there to Europe). And back
came the supplies the farms needed. Soon the main street
of Bluffton, leading to the town wharf, boasted
well-stocked general stores and boarding houses to serve
the increasing number of travelers. This commerce
brought Bluffton year-round residents.
In 1844 the planters around Bluffton became angered
by Federal tariffs which were making the goods they
imported from abroad excessively expensive. Out of this
discontent grew the "Bluffton Movement."
Incensed planters gathered beneath what became known as
the "Secession Oak" and the secessionist
movement was born. Sixteen years later South Carolina
became the first state to secede from the Union. On June
4, 1863, several Union gunboats and a transport carrying
1,000 infantrymen steamed up the river to Bluffton
because, as the officer in charge wrote in his report,
"This town has been the headquarters for the rebels
for a long time in this vicinity." Troops were
landed with orders to fire the town. Confederate
soldiers attacked but were outnumbered and outgunned.
When shelling and torching ended and the Union forces
withdrew, 34 or more homes, churches and other buildings
had been destroyed. This, of course, was a severe blow
to the town which took years to overcome.
But Bluffton is as resilient as it is unique. Its
antebellum homes and churches, many of which still
stand, are as interesting today as on the day they were
built. And their third and fourth generation owners are
as proud of them as their great grandparents were.
Interspersed with them are newer structures and newer
people: scholars, artists, musicians, writers,
scientists, farmers and businessmen from many places.
And an increasing number of young people who work in
Savannah or Beaufort or Hilton Head Island choose to
live in Bluffton, drawn not only by the bluff, the river
and the weather but most of all by a feeling of what can
only be an extremely strong mixture of community and
independence . . .and that's Bluffton.
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