Summerville in Dorchester County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Networks of Trade
| | South Carolina State Park Service | |
The Ashley River served as an early highway between Dorchester and Charles Towne. It provided planters easy access to the largest market in Carolina for their crops. But as the colony expanded inland, it became an obstacle to overland travel and trade.
The bridge that finally crossed the river here in the 1720's connected Dorchester to the growing network of inland roads and communities, and it funneled goods and people through the heart of the village. Like other bridges in the colony, the 150 foot long Dorchester Bridge providied "for the Conveniency of Travellers from North Carolia to Georgia, as also from Charles Towne, to the interior Settlements."
[Caption:]
To maintain the links in the local chain of roads, in 1744 the Dorchester bridge and four others in St.George's were declared parish bridges subject to repair with public funds and labor.
"The Province is conveniently traversed with public Roads," wrote the surveyor general of the southern colonies, "and the Rivers are made passable with well constructed wooden Bridges."
Erected by South Carolina State Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Industry & Commerce
this page online
Location. 32° 56.813′ N, 80° 10.18′ W. Marker is in Summerville, South Carolina, in Dorchester County. It can be reached from State Park Road. Located .6 miles south of Dorchester Road ( State Road 642 )in Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site, along footpath to the River. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Summerville SC 29485, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Lowcountry. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. 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 walking distance of this marker: A Concrete Solution (within shouting distance of this marker); Dorchester's Merchants: Middlemen on the Road to Riches (within shouting distance of this marker); Designed for Defense (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Dorchester (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Loading Zone (about 300 feet away); To Market, To Market (about 400 feet away); Clues of Wealth (about 500 feet away); Welcome to Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Summerville.
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 13, 2009
2. Colonial Dorchester Marker
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 13, 2009
3. Colonial Dorchester Marker seen along hiking path to Ashley River, 300 feet away
there are no bridges to be seen from this location today
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 13, 2009
4. Colonial Dorchester Marker, Fort Dorchester ruins seen in background
Credits. This page was last revised on May 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 19, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,191 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on May 28, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 19, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
