About Us
The History and Mission of the
Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society
In 1986, a small group of Edisto residents gathered to found the Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society (EIHPS), whose mission is to preserve the history of Edisto Island. EIHPS held its first “Plantation and Church” tour in February 1986, as part of a golf tournament package at Fairfield Ocean Ridge resort. Arranged for spouses, the bus tour took participants to the Old First Baptist Church, Cassina Point Plantation, Oak Island Plantation, the Edisto Island Presbyterian Church, Middleton Plantation, Trinity Episcopal Church, and on a short driving tour of the Island. The tour continued to be in conjunction with the Fairfield golf tournament until October 1989, when EIHPS sponsored its first “Edisto’s Golden Age” tour, a self-guided driving tour with sites open from 10:00 to 5:00. In 2002, the “Golden Age Tour” became “Edisto & Beyond.” Held on the second Saturday in October, "Edisto and Beyond," is EIHPS’s largest fundraiser of the year and a cherished Island tradition.
From the beginning of EIHPS, a museum was the goal. In January 1987, Harvey Teal presented the organization with its first object—a black glass whiskey bottle, found on the grounds of the Presbyterian Church. In 1988, the anonymous donation of a house on Chisolm Plantation Road gave EIHPS a home. By October 1989, the house served as tour headquarters, and had electricity, water, a kitchen and working bathrooms, but as yet no heat, air conditioning (these had been delayed by Hurricane Hugo in September 1989), or exhibits. The EIHPS newsletter’s wish list included a desk and an office chair, but the people selling tickets on tour day did have a table and a few chairs!
Throughout 1990 and 1991, EIHPS members, board members, and others (all volunteers) raised funds, planned, donated artifacts, hammered, cleaned and built exhibits. On September 28, 1991, the Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society opened the Edisto Island Museum, dedicating it to the memory of EIHPS’s first president, Alfred T. “Skeex” Clarkson. Volunteer curator, Sheila Beardsley, cut the ribbon, and the following Edistonians were cited for their efforts: Caroline Pope Clarkson (now Boineau), Carl and Claire Williams, Gail Belser, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Brown, Jack Boineau (president in 1991), Tommy Nease, Amy Connor, Francis Pate, Herb Black, and Virginia Tavel. The design and layout of the museum’s original exhibits were by Mickey VanMetre, who would also serve as EIHPS president. The original exhibits told Edisto’s story from first European contact to 1920.
Not content to rest on their laurels, EIHPS continued to expand the museum and the collection, and to work to preserve the Island outside of the museum’s walls. In 1992, the Town of Edisto Beach awarded EIHPS a $4000 grant to develop a Nature Room and EIHPS established a cemetery fund to help clean up isolated cemeteries on the Island.
The EIHPS board began a building campaign in January 1993 to raise money for an 850 square foot addition to house temporary exhibits and meeting space. The addition opened in time for the tour in 1994. With a constant demand for new space to house new objects, in 1995, EIHPS began plans to enclose the museum’s porch and buy the lot next to the museum. By April 1997, the porch was enclosed and exhibits installed. In January 1996, EIHPS made an offer on 4.8 acres next to the museum; the deal was finalized in 2004. (EIHPS now holds 9.1 acres.) Preservation work continued in the 1990s as well, including a 1995 contribution toward the restoration of the Presbyterian Church.
From the beginning, EIHPS published a newsletter to keep its members informed of events at the Museum and on the Island. Early on, EIHPS held a competition to choose a name for the newsletter. Twenty-five names were submitted. “Edisto Echoes,” suggested by Mrs. George (Betty) Senteney of Edisto Island was the winning entry, and “Edisto Echoes” is still the name of EIHPS’s quarterly newsletter, which is sent to members.
In 2001, EIHPS added a new fundraising event to its calendar, “An Evening at Prospect Hill.” Renamed “A Taste of Edisto at Prospect Hill” in 2004, this July event has become as important to Edisto’s social calendar as the "Edisto and Beyond" tour.
In 2004, EIHPS renovated the original building to make it better suited for use as a museum, including replacing windows, adding ultra-violet film to windows, carpeting all walls, and removing some walls. EIHPS has also become more active in the last few years in historic preservation issues, including the threat posed by unbridled development. As we move into the twenty-first century, EIHPS is poised to expand its museum and continue to advocate for historic preservation.
- Information on current board and staff or to volunteer
- To help us preserve the history and built environment of Edisto, join us as a member
- Learn more about preservation projects on the island
