 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2014) |
Native name: Callawassee, Callawasys, Calliwassee | |
|---|---|
 Beaufort County, South Carolina | |
| Geography | |
| Location | 176 Callawassie Drive Okatie, South Carolina 29909 |
| Coordinates | 32°19′36″N 80°51′20″W / 32.32667°N 80.85556°W |
| Adjacent to | Colleton River,
Okatie River, Little Chechessee River, Callawassie Creek |
| Total islands | One |
| Area | 880 acres |
| Coastline | 5 mi (8 km)Rivers and tidal marshes |
| Highest elevation | 42 ft (12.8 m) |
| Administration | |
United States | |
| Additional information | |
| Official website | Public:
www.callawassieisland.com Members: www.callawassieisland.org |
Callawassie Island is one of hundreds of barrier and sea islands in the southeast corner in the outer coastal plain, making up a portion of Beaufort County, South Carolina.[1]
Callawassie Island is centrally located 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Beaufort, South Carolina, 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and 275 miles (443 km) southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. The island is ten to twelve miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean in the estuarial system of the Port Royal Sound and is entirely surrounded by salt marshes and tidal creeks. Access to Callawassie is by a half mile causeway, one mile south of SC 170, or by boat via the deep waters of the Colleton River. The island's 880 acres (360 ha) are nestled at the confluence of the Callawassie Creek and the Little Chechessee, Okatie, and Colleton Rivers.[2] With five miles of waterfront on the salt marshes of the Port Royal Sound Basin, Callawassie Island is a major supporter of the state-of-the-art Maritime Center, run by the Port Royal Sound Foundation located on Lemon Island.
Archeological and site surveys reveal that the island was inhabited approximately 4,000 years ago.[3][4] In 1897, archeologists discovered prehistoric burial mounds. 102 sites have been identified and added to the National Register of Historic Places since then. The island is also home to the Callawassie Sugar Works (Sugar Mill Tabby Ruins), the only sugar mill ruins known to exist in South Carolina.[5][6][7]
In 2006, Callawassie Island was designated as South Carolina's first Community Wildlife Habitat (the 15th in the nation) with more than 200 residences being certified as Backyard Wildlife Habitats.[8]
The owners of 717 homes and home sites have access to 33 lagoons, three parks, one butterfly garden, and three rookeries, as well as a 27-hole golf course designed by Tom Fazio, tennis courts, pickleball courts, two pools, two clubhouses, two kayak launch docks, and three community fishing/crabbing docks, which also provide boat slips for both long-term and daily dockage.[9]
- ^ "About Beaufort County, SC". bcgov.net. 9 February 2015. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ Michie, James L., "An Archeological Investigation of the Cultural Resources of Callawassie Island, Beaufort County, South Carolina" (1982). Research Manuscript Series. Book 168. http://scholarcommons.sc.edu/archanth_books/168
- ^ http://www.bcgov.net/departments/Administrative/beaufort-county-council/comprehensive-plan/2010-comprehensive-plan.php Archived 2018-09-29 at the Wayback Machine (2010-2-2.1)
- ^ Brooks, Mark J. "Preliminary Archeological Investigations at the Callawassie Island Burial Mound (38BU19). Beaufort County, South Carolina" (1982). Research Manuscript Series. Book 177. http://scholarcommons.sc.edu/archanth_books/177
- ^ Library of Congress (USA), Historic American Buildings Survey, Callawassie Sugar Works
- ^ Mashaun, Simon, Sugar Mill's History Revealed, The Island Packet, July 8, 2002
- ^ http://www.nwf.org/community. Action report: October/November 2006
- ^ "List of Community Habitats". nwf.org. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
CIHistorywas invoked but never defined (see the help page).