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Atlantic Beach Hotel


Stately Hotel Once Graced The Beach At Sullivan’s Island


T


THERE ARE NO HOTELS ON Sullivan’s Island, and, in the begin- ning, there was no reason to build one. But for the better part of four decades, Charlestonians and other visitors stayed at the Atlantic


BY CAREY NIKONCHUK


Beach Hotel, soaking up sun on the beach during the day and enjoying the sound of waves lapping gently against the shore at night. The barrier island’s recorded


history dates back to the late 17th century, when sick people and the dregs of society were sent there to separate them from the general pub- lic. Many travelers to the Charleston area, slaves and free persons alike, were quarantined on Sullivan’s Island until it could be determined that they were free of disease. They lived in pest houses, or lazarettos, a far cry from the stately hotel that eventually was to grace the island. In the late 1700s, the federal


government, which owned the is- land, began leasing parcels of land to people who were willing to build there, and several beach houses were


constructed. Under the terms of the leases, however, the properties could be reclaimed by the federal govern- ment at any time. This issue didn’t go away until legislation in 1953 granted property holders clear title to the land on which they lived. Despite its somewhat unsavory


history, Sullivan’s Island was later viewed in a much more favorable light, and the barrier island became a popular vacation spot for Charleston residents seeking a respite from busy city life. To accommodate these vaca- tioners, the New Brighton Hotel was built on the island in the 1880s. Many people owned homes of their own on Sullivan’s’ Island, but,


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as the island’s popularity grew and a trolley began making regular trips from Charleston and Mount Pleas- ant, a need arose for a hotel. The New Brighton Hotel, later known as the Atlantic Beach Hotel, was built on land given by the town of Moultrieville – the main government entity on the island at the time – to Robert Chisolm for the expressed purpose of constructing a hotel. The property, known as Ocean Park, stretched across the island from the front to the back of the beach, near what is now Station 22 and bounded generally by Middle Street, I’On Avenue and Atlantic Avenue. The hotel’s doors officially


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