Early Site History

Early Site History. Oyster Point. Archaeology studies document occupation of the Oyster Point property as far back as 3,500 years ago. There are numerous shell middens and shell rings along the shore line and in the marsh of Copahee Sound. There is also evidence of a small Native American camp site dating back as far as 1000 AD. These early inhabitants were drawn to the area by the plentiful marine resources of the Copahee Sound. It is believed that by 1600, there were more than eight hundred Seewee Indians living in the area. After white settlers found their way to the region, there was only one village of fifty-seven Indians by 1715., A church act in 1706 established Christ Church Parish, an area bounded by Charles Town harbor to the west, the Wando River to the north, Awendaw Creek to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The first settlers were making their way into the parish by the late 1600s., Andrew Hibben, a jeweler and watchmaker, came to Charles Town in 1763 from Kent, England. He acquired a considerable amount of property through his marriage to Elizabeth Wingood on January 12, 1766. He shortly abandoned his career as a jeweler and became a planter, much higher on the early social order in South Carolina. Andrew and Elizabeth opened a plantation on the Copahee Sound that they named Sea Side. This plantation included the footprint of today's Oyster Point., The soils in Christ Church Parish were not favorable for most agricultural pursuits, and property owners turned to cutting timber, brick manufacturing, and burning shell for lime production. Lime was in much demand and had a variety of uses including creating mortar, whitewash, fertilizer, an antiseptic for livestock's feet, painting on fruit trees to prevent fungal diseases, bleaching paper for printing, and disinfecting well-water., In 1770, Hibben acquired land on the south side of Shem Creek to establish a fairy service from Christ Church Parish to Charles Town. This ferry was instrumental in encouraging the establishment of the town in Mount Pleasant. At the time of his death in 1784, Hibben was operating two ferries and a large number of lime kilns. In his will, he left “my son James that plantation or tract of land on which I now live commonly called the Sea Side near Copahee Sound.” James also inherited the ferry service at Haddrell's Point. A plat in 1801 shows two lime kilns on the Sea Side property., James Hibben purchased Mount Pleasant Plantation from the estate of Jacob Motte and built a home there which still stands today, known as the “Hibben House.” In 1808, he divided the plantation into thirty-five lots with five streets, establishing the village of Mount Pleasant., Hibben died in 1835 and his 731-acre Sea Side Plantation was purchased by Thomas Hamlin. Hibben's son purchased the plantation back but then sold it to John Hamlin, the son of Thomas Hamlin, in 1839. In February 1852, Hamlin sold Sea Side Plantation to Daniel, Edward, Henry, and John Horlbeck of Boone Hall. The Horlbecks were one of two families that dominated the brick industry in Christ Church Parish in the mid-1800s., Sea Side Plantation was farmed until the late 1980s., (captions) , Early Native Americans in Carolina. , An 1801 plat of Sea Side Plantation in Christ Church Parish. Courtesy of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. , This surviving chimney in Christ church Parish was host to the fire for the boilers that produced the steam to operate the brick-making machine. Photo is courtesy of Suzannah Smith Miles.