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

Sweetgrass Baskets

Photographed by Cindy Bullard, December 16, 2010

1. Sweetgrass Baskets Marker

Inscription. Coil baskets of native sweetgrass and pine needles sewn with strips of palmetto leaf have been displayed for sale on stands along Highway 17 near Mount Pleasant since the 1930s. This craft, handed down in certain families since the 1700s, originally was used on plantations in rice production. Unique to the lowcountry it represents one of the oldest West African art forms in America.

Erected 1997 by the Original Sweetgrass Market Place Coalition and the Christ Church Parish Preservation Society. (Marker Number 10-28.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce.

Location. 32° 51.274′ N, 79° 48.074′ W. Marker is in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, in Charleston County. It is on U.S. 17 close to Hamlin Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mount Pleasant SC 29466, 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.

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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: Brickyard Plantation (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Confederate Lines (approx. one mile away); Snee Farm (approx. one mile away); Christ Church (approx. one mile away); a different marker also named Christ Church (approx. one mile away); Boone Hall Plantation (approx. 1.1 miles away); Shell Rings and Shell Middens (approx. 1.1 miles away); Charles Pinckney (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mount Pleasant.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Cook's Old Field Cemetery / Copahee Plantation and Hamlin Beach (was approx. 0.9 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . . Images of Sweetgrass baskets. (Submitted on December 17, 2010, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)

Sweetgrass Baskets Vendor image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cindy Bullard, December 16, 2010

2. Sweetgrass Baskets Vendor

One of many small stands. (Windy day) Baskets sell for $100-$200 or more.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 22, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 16, 2010, by David Bullard of Seneca, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,724 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 16, 2010, by David Bullard of Seneca, South Carolina. 2. submitted on December 18, 2010, by David Bullard of Seneca, South Carolina. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Wide area view of the marker and its surroundings. • Can you help?