Master Mystery
of Sullivan’s Island Was Once Home To Enigmatic Writer S
ULLIVAN’S ISLAND HAS been a laid-back, sun-splashed playground for residents of the Lowcountry and beyond
for more than a century. Before that, the island played
BY BRIAN SHERMAN
pivotal roles on the stage of American history, and, for a short time, captured the imagination of one of America’s most prolific and enigmatic writers. In 1776, at the start of the American Revolution, when seemingly unstoppable British naval forces attacked the fledgling fort at the island’s southern tip, they were repelled by colonists under Col. William Moultrie. And as the impending Civil War approached, federal troops abandoned Fort Moultrie, named for its Revolutionary War commander, for what they thought would be a stronger position at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Te following April, Confederate guns pounded Sumter into submission, plunging the young country into a brother-against-brother war that would drag on for four more brutal years. Between the two wars, Sullivan’s
Island was home to a soldier who had not yet reached his 19th birthday when the Army assigned him to Fort Moultrie in November 1827 and had, for whatever reason, signed up for military duty under an assumed name. Edgar Allan Poe, America’s master of
the macabre, had already published his first book of poetry when he enlisted as Edgar A. Perry. Poe’s formal education was interrupted when he was booted from the University of Virginia, apparently after running up heavy gambling debts. He spent 13 months at Fort Moultrie before cutting short his five-year enlistment and enrolling at the United States Military Academy. A year or so later, he was dishonorably discharged from West Point. Tough Poe spent only a year and a month in the Lowcountry, he left his mark on Sullivan’s Island – and the island apparently had quite an effect on him, as well, providing the setting for at least three of his stories: “Te Gold Bug,” “Te Balloon Hoax” and “Te Oblong Box.” Tis is how he described Sullivan’s Island in “Te Gold Bug”: “Tis island is a very singular one. It consists of little else than the sea sand and is about three miles long. Its breadth at no point exceeds a quarter of a mile. It is separated from the mainland by a scarcely perceptible creek, oozing its way through a wilderness of reeds and slime, a favorite resort of the marsh hen. Te vegetation, as might be supposed, is scant or at least dwarfish. No trees of any magnitude are to be seen. Near the western extremity, where Fort Moultrie stands and where are some miserable frame buildings, tenanted, during summer, by the fugitives from Charleston dust and fever, may be found
www.SullivansIslandHomes.com |
www.ILoveIOP.com |
www.CarolinaHomesAndInteriors.com
the bristly palmetto; but the whole island, with the exception of this western point and a line of hard, white beach on the seacoast, is covered with a dense undergrowth of the sweet myrtle. …” Poe’s mother and father, both
performers, died at an early age, leaving three young children. Poe was raised by Richmond, Virginia, merchant John Allan, but his relationship with his foster father soured when he was forced from the University of Virginia. Alcoholism and a drug problem plagued Poe throughout his dark and mysterious life. His first wife succumbed to tuberculosis at the age of 18, five years after their marriage, and was the subject of his poem, “Annabel Lee.” Poe died in Baltimore in 1849. Tough he was only 40 when the curtain closed on his life and though he spent only 13 months on Sullivan’s Island, his legacy remains. Tree streets, Gold Bug Avenue, Raven Drive and Poe Avenue, hark back to him and his works, and Gold Bug Island, across the Intracoastal Waterway in Mount Pleasant, is another testament to the eternity of his writing and poetry. And Poe’s Tavern on Middle Street, also named in his honor, offers fare reminiscent of the island’s early years. Te menu includes hamburgers with names such as Gold Bug, Pit & Pendulum, Annabelle Lee, Tell-Tale Heart and, a fitting tribute to Poe’s time on the island, Starving Artist.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66