Wadmalaw Island is an island located in
Charleston County, South Carolina,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. It is one of the
Sea Islands
The Sea Islands are a chain of tidal and barrier islands on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the Southeastern United States. Numbering over 100, they are located between the mouths of the Santee and St. Johns Rivers along the coast of South Caroli ...
, 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
The Edisto River is one of the longest free-flowing blackwater rivers in North America, flowing over 250 meandering miles from its sources in Saluda and Edgefield counties, to its Atlantic Ocean mouth at Edisto Beach, South Carolina. It rises i ...
; 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, 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 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 The Charleston Tea Garden is located about twenty miles south of Charleston, South Carolina on Wadmalaw Island. Owned by the Bigelow Tea Company, it grows the tea sold under the brand name American Classic Tea and Charleston Tea Garden from the Cam ...
utilized a converted
cotton picker
A cotton picker is either a machine that harvests cotton, or a person who picks ripe cotton fibre from the plants. The machine is also referred to as a cotton harvester.
History
In many societies, like America, slave and serf labor was utiliz ...
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 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, a sweet tea flavored vodka.
See also
*
Charleston Tea Garden The Charleston Tea Garden is located about twenty miles south of Charleston, South Carolina on Wadmalaw Island. Owned by the Bigelow Tea Company, it grows the tea sold under the brand name American Classic Tea and Charleston Tea Garden from the Cam ...
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