Wadmalaw Island is an island located in
Charleston County, South Carolina
Charleston County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina along the Atlantic coast. As of the 2020 census, its population was 408,235, making it the third most populous county in South Carolina (behind Greenville and Richland counties). ...
,
United States. It is one of the
Sea Islands, a chain of tidal and barrier islands on the Atlantic Ocean.
Geography
Wadmalaw Island is located generally to the southwest of
Johns Island and more than halfway encircled by it. To the north it is bordered by Church Creek; to the northeast and east by Bohicket Creek; to the south by the North
Edisto River; and to the west by the Bohicket Creek. The island's only connection to the mainland is via a bridge over Church Creek. The island is about 10 miles long by 6 miles wide. It has a land area of 108.502 km² (41.893 sq mi). The
2000 census reported a population of 2,611 persons.
History
Wadmalaw Island was landed upon by
Captain Robert Sandford and the crew of the Berkeley Bay in mid-June 1666 after an excursion up the Bohicket Creek. It is believed that Sandford landed where
Rockville, South Carolina now sits. On June 23, 1666, Captain and crew carried out the ritual of
turf and twig
Livery of seisin () is an archaic legal conveyancing ceremony, formerly practised in feudal England and in other countries following English common law, used to convey holdings in property. The term ''livery'' is closely related to if not synony ...
, claiming the land for England and the Lords Proprietors.
In 1670, 148 colonists arrived and settled on the west bank of the Ashley (Kiawah) River. They survived the first four years of poor crop production through the generosity of natives who shared beans and corn. They later moved to what is now Charleston.
In 1890, planters organized the first sailing regatta at Rockville, less than a mile from the tea garden. The 120th Rockville Regatta was held in August, 2010.
In more recent times, The
Lipton
Lipton is a British brand of tea, owned by Ekaterra. Lipton was also a supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, later sold to Argyll Foods, after which the company sold only tea. The company is named after its founder, Sir Thomas Lipton, who fo ...
Tea Company operated an experimental tea farm on Wadmalaw Island from 1960 until 1987, when it was sold to Mack Fleming and Bill Hall. These gentlemen converted the experimental farm into a working tea Garden. The
Charleston Tea Garden utilized a converted
cotton picker and tobacco harvester to mechanically harvest the tea. The Charleston Tea Garden sold tea mail order known as American Classic Tea and also produced Sam's Choice Instant Tea, sold through Sam's Clubs. American Classic Tea has been the official tea of the White House since 1987. In 2003,
Bigelow Tea Company
The Bigelow Tea Company (formerly R.C. Bigelow, Inc.) is an American manufacturer of dried teas based in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by Ruth C. Bigelow in 1945, based on a recipe she marketed as "Constant Comment" tea. The company mar ...
purchased the Charleston Tea Garden and temporarily closed the garden in order to renovate it.
[Franklin PM, Mikula N. Backroads of South Carolina: a Guide to South Carolina’s Most Scenic Backroad Adventures. Voyageur Press, 2006 p. 40] The garden reopened in January 2006. Tours are now offered of this last remaining working Tea Farm in America. Wadmalaw now produces
Firefly
The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...
, a sweet tea flavored vodka.
See also
*
Charleston Tea Garden
References
External links
Yahoo! MapsCharleston Tea Garden
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Islands of South Carolina
Islands of Charleston County, South Carolina
Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville metropolitan area
South Carolina Sea Islands