Beaufort County historic-resources survey recommends post‑1950 sites, including Moss Creek district, for National Register eligibility

Althea Wunderler Selby, an architectural historian with Stantec, and Sandy Shannon, an architectural historian with Stantec, told Beaufort County officials that their county‑commissioned historic resources survey documented 14 properties encompassing 34 resources and recommended several post‑1950 sites and one district as potentially eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

The survey, funded jointly by Beaufort County and a National Park Service grant administered by the South Carolina Division of Archives and History (the State Historic Preservation Office, or SHPO), focused on properties built between 1950 and 1979 and re‑evaluated six pre‑1950 properties that had been judged eligible in a 1998 survey.

The project matters locally because it identifies mid‑20th century sites — including resources tied to Black and Gullah Geechee history — that were not previously documented for the National Register and could be preserved or nominated by property owners or the county. Selby said the survey was intended to update the county’s historic context for the post‑World War II era and to provide information property owners could use if they later pursue formal National Register nominations.

Stantec said the field effort produced photographic documentation and condition notes for 34 "resources" (defined as buildings, structures, objects or sites) located across the survey area, which covers Saint Helena Island and unincorporated Beaufort County south of the Broad River. "Our field work resulted in the documentation of 14 properties encompassing 34 resources," Selby said. Of those 34 resources, 14 had been previously documented and 20 were newly documented by this survey, the presenters said.

Survey findings

The team recommended that four of the six properties previously determined eligible in 1998 remain eligible for National Register listing, because they have had few or no changes since their prior determinations. Those include the Coffin Point Praise House and the (identified in the presentation as) Props Praise House on Saint Helena Island, the Edwards House Complex on Spring Island, and the Gay Fish Company on Saint Helena Island, which Stantec described as a "legacy business" associated with Beaufort County’s seafood industry.

Stantec recommended three newly documented post‑1950 properties as eligible: the Saint Helena Church of Christ (described as an uncommon mid‑20th century praise house), Bradley’s Seafood (a legacy, family‑owned seafood business), and the Folly Road grocery (noted as a prominent Black‑owned business that provided local access to groceries). The team also recommended the Selmerge Cottages in Moss Creek Plantation — a late‑1970s grouping of clustered cottages by architect Jackie Hoyt Lee — as eligible as a historic district. "We recommended the complex eligible for listing in the National Register because it is a good example of modernist architecture and planning," Shannon said.

Two of the six previously eligible pre‑1950 properties were judged no longer eligible due to later alterations: the Light Sea Cottage (circa 1930) has a large addition and new exterior materials that, according to presenters, remove the building’s circa‑1930 character; and the Prichardville Primate Center (sometimes called the "monkey farm") has been repurposed for commercial use and its older buildings have been heavily modified.

Other findings and recommendations

The team reviewed listed historic districts such as the Penn Center National Historic Landmark District and the Daufuskie Island Historic District to document post‑1950 resources not covered in existing nominations. Stantec recommended more in‑depth documentation of civil‑rights‑era history at Penn Center, including specific structures such as a retreat house, because that later era is less documented in the current National Register nomination.

Presenters also advised the county that creating a local historic designation program (established via county ordinance) could provide stronger local protections — such as demolition‑delay reviews or exterior‑change certificates — and that a local program could identify properties or small districts that meet locally defined criteria. Stantec suggested that, for potential local districts with modern intrusions (for example, a recently built gas station), boundaries could be drawn to exclude modern development while preserving a concentration of older resources.

Public input and next steps

Stantec said the South Carolina SHPO has reviewed and agreed with the survey recommendations. The consultants told the county they will edit draft reports based on county and SHPO feedback and submit final deliverables by January 24. They asked for any additional public information about recommended resources within roughly five days (they referenced "Tuesday the 21st") to consider for incorporation into the final report. After the report is finalized, property owners or the county may initiate formal National Register nominations with SHPO and the National Park Service; the consultants emphasized that the survey only identifies resources that appear eligible — formal listing requires a separate nomination process.

The meeting concluded without votes on designations. A motion to adjourn was made and seconded; the voice vote was "Aye" and the meeting was adjourned.