Edisto Island Museum

10/05/2026

This week's History Nugget is brought to you by the Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society. Enjoy.

DID YOU KNOW…

Chances are, you probably take the blue color of your favorite jeans for granted, but it was once highly valued, especially in the British Empire. While you may be familiar with the process of making the indigo dye, there’s one surprising step in the process that used to be a critical part of creating the dye. And, that step involves urine!

Even though the indigo plant eventually produces the familiar blue color, actually no part of the original plant is blue. It does, however, contain a compound called indicant that is the dye’s precursor, and urine plays a critical part as a source of the ammonia needed for dying the textiles. This process remained prevalent until the 1850s, when synthetic ammonia was developed from nitrogen and hydrogen, and the use of urine was no longer in practice.

In the mid-1740s, Edisto Island planters were among the first to jump on the indigo bandwagon and were heavy producers during its brief heyday. Indigo was very successful in the Caribbean, and it was introduced in the Charleston area by Eliza Lucas Pinkney in 1744, who got the seeds from her father when he lived in the islands. The variety of indigo grown in the lowcountry was brought from the West Indies. Several Edisto Island plantations got their early starts on profits from indigo, including Old House, Brookland, and Brick House. Did you know that the original American flag was made from indigo textiles.

The processing of the indigo plant into dye was a very unpleasant and labor intensive process. Indigo grew on high ground not needed for rice, and it was also harvested and processed before cotton, so both crops could be grown on the same plantations with the same amount of enslaved labor.

England received almost all Carolina indigo exports, although by the 1760s a small percentage was being shipped to northern colonies. The Revolutionary War essentially brought the indigo trade to a screeching halt, as the colonies lost their best customer. It has recently seen a resurgence in popularity thanks to several artisans who create the dye as well as give classes in making indigo. Rest assured that urine no longer plays the critical part in the process that it once did.


DID YOU KNOW…

Chances are, you probably take the blue color of your favorite jeans for granted, but it was once highly valued, especially in the British Empire. While you may be familiar with the process of making the indigo dye, there’s one surprising step in the process that used to be a critical part of creating the dye. And, that step involves urine!

Even though the indigo plant eventually produces the familiar blue color, actually no part of the original plant is blue. It does, however, contain a compound called indicant that is the dye’s precursor, and urine plays a critical part as a source of the ammonia needed for dying the textiles. This process remained prevalent until the 1850s, when synthetic ammonia was developed from nitrogen and hydrogen, and the use of urine was no longer in practice.

In the mid-1740s, Edisto Island planters were among the first to jump on the indigo bandwagon and were heavy producers during its brief heyday. Indigo was very successful in the Caribbean, and it was introduced in the Charleston area by Eliza Lucas Pinkney in 1744, who got the seeds from her father when he lived in the islands. The variety of indigo grown in the lowcountry was brought from the West Indies. Several Edisto Island plantations got their early starts on profits from indigo, including Old House, Brookland, and Brick House. Did you know that the original American flag was made from indigo textiles.

The processing of the indigo plant into dye was a very unpleasant and labor intensive process. Indigo grew on high ground not needed for rice, and it was also harvested and processed before cotton, so both crops could be grown on the same plantations with the same amount of enslaved labor.

England received almost all Carolina indigo exports, although by the 1760s a small percentage was being shipped to northern colonies. The Revolutionary War essentially brought the indigo trade to a screeching halt, as the colonies lost their best customer. It has recently seen a resurgence in popularity thanks to several artisans who create the dye as well as give classes in making indigo. Rest assured that urine no longer plays the critical part in the process that it once did.

09/30/2026

I am pleased to announce that we have selected our next Executive Director, and we are pleased to be able to hire within our organization. My replacement will be Elaine Daly, who now serves as our admin. She has been working for us since early October 2025 and has done an excellent job in that role. I have no doubt that she will also excel in this new position. She has great enthusiasm for our mission, is a very creative thinker, shows a willingness to try new things, and is always seeking to learn more about Edisto's rich history and culture.

My last day will be January 1st, and in the time leading up to my departure, Elaine and I will be working on my transitioning out and her transitioning in. Because of the lengthy overlap of our time together, I rest assured that Elaine will be ready to step up when the time comes.

These past twenty years have been so wonderful for me, and I treasure my time here. I've had such great support from our members and friends and from the Edisto community. I have no intention of leaving Edisto and will remain involved in this wonderful organization, just in a different role. I am truly grateful for the amazing team I've been working with over these years, and I believe we have done some really good work together. I will leave with many wonderful memories and a sense of pride in what we have accomplished. Thanks to you all for your support, and I know you will give the same support to Elaine as she takes over in a leadership position. I wish her well.

09/28/2026

DID YOU KNOW…

Last week, on September 24th, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) celebrated its tenth anniversary. The grand opening took place in 2016, but the effort to make this museum a reality goes back more than 100 years.

In 1915, a group of African American Civil War Veterans first proposed a national monument and museum in Washington, DC. Enabling legislation was signed by President Calvin Coolidge in 1929, but the Great Depression prevented any progress. In the 1980s, Representative John Lewis of Georgia revived the effort to create a museum on the National Mall. Lewis introduced bills annually to create the museum, and the legislation was finally passed in 2003. Lonnie G. Bunch, III, was appointed as the museum’s founding director, where he remained until 2019 when he was appointed as the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Lewis and Bunch are largely responsible for creating this magnificent museum.

What’s the connection to Edisto Island? Well, it is significant. In 2012, The Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society (EIHIPS) donated our Point of Pines Plantation slave cabin to the Smithsonian for the new museum. It was dismantled and moved to Virginia and then on to Washington where it has a place of honor on the first floor of the museum in the “Slavery to Freedom” collection. The story the Smithsonian tells begins with our slave cabin, which Lonnie Bunch refers to it as the “crown jewel” of the NMAAHC.

Not only was this cabin located on Edisto’s Point of Pines Plantation, it also was the birthplace and home of Jesse Meggett, the husband of Edisto’s beloved chef and cookbook author, Emily Meggett. So, it has strong Edisto connections. Its sister cabin from the Point of Pines Plantation is here in the Edisto Island Museum.

On this anniversary, we can all be grateful for the years of hard work and determination put forth by John Lewis and Lonnie Bunch in making this 100 year dream become a reality. We are so grateful to have been a part of this dream.

09/23/2026

NEW ARTWORK FROM JOHN JONES

We received nine new paintings from John Jones. All paintings are $250 and measure
10”x 13”.

09/22/2026

DID YOU KNOW that your Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society Membership (Edisto Island Museum) comes with many benefits?

When you become a member of the Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society, you’re not only supporting the preservation of our island’s history—you’re also enjoying some wonderful membership benefits!
Membership benefits include:
• Free admission to the museum
• 10% discount in the gift shop (and no sales tax is charged on gift shop purchases)
• Director’s emails with museum news and updates
• Early access to tickets for our popular annual Edisto & Beyond Tours

Depending on your membership level, you may also receive complimentary guest passes, gift certificates, and free tickets to Edisto & Beyond Tours.

Memberships can be purchased in the museum gift shop or online. Simply click the link below to join and support the Edisto Island Museum!

To help us preserve the history and environment of Edisto Island, please consider joining us as a member. We have a variety of types and levels of memberships available, with individual annual membership starting at just $30.00. We have also made giving to the Museum available on line for your conve...

09/21/2026

THIS WEEK'S HISTORY NUGGET IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE EDISTO ISLAND HISTORIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY.

DID YOU KNOW…..

It’s likely that many of you have heard of the Grimke sisters of Charleston who were pioneering abolitionists and suffragettes who were born into a wealthy slave-holding family. Their father, Judge John Faucheraud Grimke (1752-1819) owned several large plantations and numerous enslaved people.

Sarah (1792-1873) and Angelina (1806-1879) were raised in the cradle of slavery in South Carolina. The Grimke sisters, who were witnesses to the brutal realities of slavery, developed a lifelong hatred of the practice. By the 1830s, they had a national reputation not only as abolitionists, but also as proponents of women’s rights. The Grimke sisters were the subject of the very successful novel by Sue Monk Kidd, The Invention of Wings, which was published in 2014 and spent nine months on the New York Times Bestseller List.

John came from a very prominent family, and he graduated from Princeton University and studied law at Trinity College (Oxford) in England. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, he returned to America to take up arms against the British.

Grimke went on to have a very successful law practice and served in the South Carolina State Legislature, including service as Speaker of the House. He later served in the South Carolina Court of Common Pleas as an associate justice and senior associate justice. He and his wife, Mary, had fourteen children, including the infamous sisters, Sarah and Angelina.

Judge Grimke died before the sisters fully and publicly embraced abolitionism and moved North, but their mother remained a staunch defender of slavery and traditional southern customs. The Grimke sisters’ public denunciations of slavery made them personae non grata to their mother and siblings and the white aristocracy of Charleston. After the publication of one of Angelina’s treatises, the Charleston police warned Mary Grimke that her daughter would be imprisoned if she ever set foot in the city of her birth again.

All of this is very interesting, but what’s it got to do with Edisto? I discovered this unknown connection last week when we received an 1804 plat of Point of Pines Plantation. It details the division of the vast tract of land, including owners and neighboring properties as determined in the Court of Common Pleas. As I was carefully studying the plat, I came across the name of the judge in the case, who was none other than Judge John Faucheraud Grimke! I immediately recognized the name and did some digging to confirm that he was the father of the nationally famous Grimke Sisters, and he was.

So, in 1804 Judge Grimke rendered a judgment in the Court of Common Pleas on one of the most important pieces of property on Edisto Island. In fact, Point of Pines Plantation was originally the home of the first European settler on Edisto, Paul Grimball, and it was also the home to the slave cabin that we donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture as well as the cabin we have here in our Museum.

The plat was donated by Albert and Caroline Thibault and is now on display in the Edisto Island Museum.

09/14/2026

DID YOU KNOW…..

We are now in the beginning days of the fall white shrimp and baiting season, which runs from September through December. Traditional shrimpers use clay and menhaden bait balls, paired with marker poles to draw white shrimp in with the rising tide. If you’ve seen people pulling boats with stacked up lengths of plastic piping, you can be sure they are heading out to shrimp in Edisto’s creeks. But, you can’t catch shrimp without using a net specifically designed for sh*****ng.

In the Gullah Geechee culture, making fishing nets was considered a highly skilled art form directly linked to West African traditions. And, Edisto’s very own Frank “Scrape” Nelson (1900-1976) was a legendary Gullah Geechee traditional folk artist and master cast-net maker. There was no-one better than Scrape.

He was famous for knitting these intricate nets by hand, a craft he learned from his father. His nets were made from cotton twine by weaving and tying thousands of knots. The net, lines and weights were attached to rings made from sections of cow horn. He used needles often carved from local palmetto wood, weighting them perfectly with copper “bullets” to catch mullet and shrimp – a vital part of the lowcountry coastal diet. In the 1970s, he became a critical cultural preservationist by publicly demonstrating his craft and passing the traditional Gullah knowledge down to younger generations and began teaching the local youth at the Edisto Island Community Center.

When Scrape wasn’t in the creek sh*****ng, crabbing and fishing, he could be found seated on a bench just beside the road in front of his humble home on Steamboat Landing Road. He typically had a tale or story about life on Edisto to share with folks who would stop by to visit with him and see him at work on his nets. He had such a strong Gullah accent that it was often hard to understand everything he said, but you could usually get the gist of what he was saying.

If you want to see Scrape in action, the Edisto Island Museum has a wonderful video of him taken by Michael Vergot in the 1970s. We also have one of his nets on display. Scrape was a true treasure of Edisto Island who earned a place in the archival collections at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

09/10/2026

Calling all docents or docent wannabes: On Monday, Sept. 14th, we will be having a docent training class. It will be held at the Edisto Island Chamber of Commerce (42 Station Court) from 9:00 until 12:00. No need to pre-register, but please send your contact information to [email protected]. The class is being sponsored by SC Humanities.

This class will be useful whether you are already a museum docent or are interested in possibly becoming one.

09/08/2026

THIS WEEK'S HISTORY NUGGET IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE EDISTO ISLAND HISTORIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY:

DID YOU KNOW….

This past week’s history nugget talked about famous movie stars who had come to Edisto Island to work on films and television series. This week we’ll tell you about another equally famous visitor who came to Edisto, but it’s probably a story you’ve never heard.

In 1938, wealthy industrialist Henry Ford showed up at Bailey’s Store on Edisto, arriving in a big black Lincoln automobile. The chauffeur stopped at the store to get directions to Sunny Side Plantation. Bill Bailey was running the store at that time, and he told him they were in luck because Jim Milligan, a Black gentleman who lived on Sunny Side, was at the store and was riding his mule back to his home on the plantation. Milligan agreed to take them, but insisted that he would ride on his mule, and they were to follow him; he refused to ride in the car.

When they arrived, they told Milligan they wanted to see the cotton gin, which Ford wanted to buy for a museum he was creating in Michigan (The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, which was just listed as one of the top 10 museums in America by Travel & Leisure). There was no-one at home at the time, so to see the gin, they broke into the gin house. When Susalee Mikell Belser, whose father was the original owner of Sunny Side, returned home, an offer was made to purchase the gin. She turned them down. According to family legend, she told Mr. Ford that anyone that had nerve enough to break into her gin, did not have enough money to buy it. So, Ford left empty-handed.

The rest of the story: The gin was later moved to a barn from its original site in the gin house next to the main house, and then some time in the 1960s, it was given to the SC State Parks and Tourism. It then went to a historic park near Union, SC, and its final resting place was out in the nearby woods where all of the wooden parts rotted. Henry Ford never did get the gin, no matter how much money he had.

All that’s left of the cotton gin on Sunny Side is the tabby foundation, which can still be seen on the plantation. If you are fortunate to have gotten 2026 Edisto & Beyond Tour tickets, you will see the tabby ruins, still adjacent to the house.

09/01/2026

ROSIE PHILLIPS EXHIBIT TO OPEN AT THE EDISTO ISLAND MUSEUM

A new art exhibit will open on Tuesday, Sept. 1, featuring the work of the 2026 Edisto & Beyond Tour artist, Rosie Phillips. The exhibit will be on display through the end of the year. It will feature her paintings of this year’s tour properties as well as other original paintings.

Rosie is a native Texan and since 2010, she has lived in Meggett, South Carolina. She spends much of her outdoor studio time in the fields and along the creeks of Edisto Island, where she finds inspiration for her oil paintings. Rosie works both en plein air and in the studio, capturing the landscapes and atmosphere she loves most. She paints with a strong sense of place, inviting viewers to step into the scene and complete the story each composition suggests.

Rosie’s work has been in numerous juried exhibitions and is in private collections throughout the United States and Europe. She has been affiliated with the Oil Painters of America, the American Impressionist Society, and the Edisto Art Guild, among other art organizations. She is a juried member and past president of the Charleston Art Guild. She currently exhibits at Studio 151 Fine Art Gallery in Charleston and the Edisto Art Gallery.

The Edisto Island Museum is located at 8123 Chisolm Plantation Road, and it is open from 11:00 until 5:00, Tuesdays through Saturdays.