Summerville in Dorchester County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Axtell Dam at Sawmill Branch
Photographed By Brandon D Cross
1. The Axtell Dam at Sawmill Branch Marker
Inscription.
The Axtell Dam at Sawmill Branch. . On a primitive map of the land where the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company planned to build “New Summerville” in 1830, there appears a structure labeled “Old Dam.” This was the Axtell Dam, constructed about 1700, under the supervision of Daniel Axtell and his partners. At that time, the dam obstructed the flow of the creek known to local Native Americans as “Boshoe,” the water filled the ravines in the north and west. A nearby sawmill supported the work of the colonial lumbermen who labored in the adjacent pine forest. The extensive millpond flooded the area which is now Azalea Park, forming the reservoir for the Newington Plantation rice fields. Today, Boshoe is the sawmill branch and east of this marker, the broken remains of the Axtell Dam still rest in the woods.
On a primitive map of the land where the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company planned to build “New Summerville” in 1830, there appears a structure labeled “Old Dam.” This was the Axtell Dam, constructed about 1700, under the supervision of Daniel Axtell and his partners. At that time, the dam obstructed the flow of the creek known to local Native Americans as “Boshoe,” the water filled the ravines in the north and west. A nearby sawmill supported the work of the colonial lumbermen who labored in the adjacent pine forest. The extensive millpond flooded the area which is now Azalea Park, forming the reservoir for the Newington Plantation rice fields. Today, Boshoe is the sawmill branch and east of this marker, the broken remains of the Axtell Dam still rest in the woods.
Erected 2019 by Lord Anthony Ashley Cooper Chapter, National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century, Summerville, South Carolina.
10.52′ W. Marker is in Summerville, South Carolina, in Dorchester County. Marker can be reached from Gahagan Road east of Berlin G Myers Parkway (South Carolina Route 165), on the right when traveling west. The marker is located along the Sawmill Branch Walk/Bike Trail near the intersection of Gahagan Rd and Berlin G. Myers Pkwy. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Summerville SC 29485, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . Sawmill Branch Walk/Bike Trail. (Submitted on March 14, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
Photographed By Brandon D Cross
2. The Axtell Dam at Sawmill Branch Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 18, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 14, 2024. This page has been viewed 65 times since then. Last updated on March 18, 2024. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 14, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
