Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Mosquito Beach

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. Mosquito Beach Marker

Inscription.
Located 1.5 mi. SW of here, Mosquito Beach is a .13-mile strip of land that served African Americans during the Jim Crow era, when nearby Folly Beach was segregated. The beach began as a gathering spot for workers at a nearby oyster factory in the 1920s and 1930s. A store selling seafood and drinks first opened in the 1930s. Other businesses followed in the 1940s and 1950s.

Mosquito Beach lies along a tidal marsh historically known for the large mosquito population that gave the beach its name. By the 1960s, the beach provided African American leisure-seekers with music venues, pavilions, restaurants, and a hotel. Mosquito Beach's businesses as well as the land were owned by African Americans. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

Erected 2019 by Historic Foundation and Mosquito Beach Business Association. (Marker Number 10-109.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1930.

Location. 32° 41.145′ N, 79° 57.593′ W. Marker is in Charleston, South Carolina, in Charleston

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County. It is at the intersection of Folly Road (South Carolina Route 171) and Sol Legare Road, on the right when traveling east on Folly Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Folly Road, Charleston SC 29412, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Historic Charleston

and 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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Battle of Sol-Legare Island (approx. half a mile away); Secessionville (approx. 1.6 miles away); Battle of Secessionville (approx. 1.6 miles away); Battery Number 5 (approx. 1.6 miles away); Riversville / Battle of Secessionville (approx. 1.9 miles away);

Mosquito Beach Marker (reverse) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. Mosquito Beach Marker (reverse)

Hunter's Volunteers (approx. 2.1 miles away); Camp of Wild’s “African Brigade” / Wild's Brigade Cemetery (approx. 2.2 miles away); Battery Reed (approx. 2.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charleston.

Also see . . . Welcome to Mosquito Beach. (Submitted on March 5, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Mosquito Beach sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

3. Mosquito Beach sign

Credits. This page was last revised on August 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 5, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 791 times since then and 82 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 5, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. A link to the National Register nomination form with a citation of the beach's historical significance. • Can you help?