Summerville in Dorchester County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Pinehurst Tea Farm

Photographed by Dave W, May 27, 2023

1. Pinehurst Tea Farm Marker, Side One

Inscription.
(side 1)
In 1880 the U.S. government leased 200 acres of the former Newington Plantation from Henry Middleton for tea production. In 1888, Dr. Charles Shepard, a professor at the Medical College of S.C., used plants from the federal farm to create “Pinehurst,” the first commercially viable tea farm in America. Production rose from 98 pounds in 1892 to 12,000 pounds in 1907. (Continued on other side) (side 2) (Continued from other side) Shepard imported exotic plants to create beautiful gardens and roadways at Pinehurst. He established a school to educate the tea pickers’ children. Dignitaries such as Teddy Roosevelt visited Pinehurst. Charles Shepard died in 1915 and tea production ceased in 1919 when the tea factory burned. In 1995 the S.C. General Assembly made tea the “Hospitality Beverage of S.C.”

Erected 2016 by Summerville Preservation Society. (Marker Number 18-22.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Education • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.

Location. 33° 0.169′ N, 80° 11.672′ W. Marker is in Summerville,

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South Carolina, in Dorchester County. It is at the intersection of Tea Farm Road and West Johnston Street, on the left when traveling north on Tea Farm Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 122 Tea Farm Rd, Summerville SC 29483, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Lowcountry.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Pine Forest Inn (approx. half a mile away); The Old Town Hall (approx. 0.7 miles away); Stallsville (approx. ¾ mile away); Summerville Memorial Stadium (approx. 0.9 miles away); Coach John McKissick and his wife, Joan (approx. 0.9 miles away); Summerville High School / Coach John McKissick (1926-2019)

Pinehurst Tea Farm Marker, Side Two image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Dave W, May 27, 2023

2. Pinehurst Tea Farm Marker, Side Two

(approx. 0.9 miles away); The Axtell Dam at Sawmill Branch (approx. 1.2 miles away); Timrod Library (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Summerville.

Pinehurst Tea Farm Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Dave W, May 27, 2023

3. Pinehurst Tea Farm Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 6, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 28, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. This page has been viewed 1,664 times since then and 133 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 28, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.