Island Articles - Johns Island, Kiawah, Seabrook Island
Island Articles | Building the Dream Series | Cottage in the Woods Series
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The Grove at Fenwick Plantation
I only wish The Grove at Fenwick Plantation had been around when I was starting out. It is the perfect spot for young professionals to enjoy the Charleston lifestyle without busting their budgets.
For starters, The Grove at Fenwick Plantation is located amid huge moss-draped live oaks that have stood silently for centuries, looking on as history…
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Kiawah Island Lifestyle
Portions of Kiawah Island have changed little in the centuries since the Kiawah Indians lived there. Indeed, preserving the island’s natural beauty has been a prime concern among its various owners, from the Lords Proprietors of the Carolinas in the 1600s to Kiawah Development Partners today.
May 2006 marked 30 years since the development was first announced and, in that time, Kiawah has evolved from a privately owned enclave to one of the most prized resort …
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Salt Marsh at Seabrook, Seabrook Island, South Carolina
LIFE IS A BIT QUIETER ON Seabrook Island. Its sister island, slightly to the north, Kiawah, is perhaps better known, but Seabrook offers the same wide, sandy beaches and similar amenities amid the lush canopy of ancient oak trees.
Salt Marsh at Seabrook, a gated community, lies just outside the main gate, but it is very much a part of this lovely residential island. A total of 63 townhomes will grace this quiet corner overlooking pristine marshland on a tidal creek off the Bohicket River.…
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James Island, South Carolina
James Island, Just across the river from Charleston, has a long history of conflict. Early on the morning of April 12, 1861, Confederate troops in Fort Johnson, on the northern tip of the island opened fire on the Union forces in Fort Sumter, sparking the bloodiest war in American history.
In fact, James Island was the primary battleground throughout the war, serving as…
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Perfect Team - Perfect House
THEY FELL IN LOVE WITH THE VIEW. Naturally they decided to build a house to showcase it. After that, Rich and Maureen Dabruzzi like to say, the rest came together with teamwork like no one involved expected.
The Dabruzzis are natives of Atlanta and chose the Preserve on Kiawah Island as their place to retire. The convenience to Charleston, combined with the Kiawah golf courses, played a big role in their decision, but when they finally located the …
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Cozy Country Cottage - The Boathouse
BESIDES THE SHORES OF LAKE SHARON on rural Johns Island, South Carolina, builder Steve Koenig, owner of Steven J. Koenig Construction Company, has created a spectacular guest cottage aptly named “The Boathouse.” Koenig’s plan when he began to develop this 900-acre retreat at Briar’s Creek was to take advantage of an array of indigenous wildlife that would make Noah proud. The Boathouse, built adjacent to his magnificent main home, serves as the guest house …
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Kiawah River Estates
Kiawah River Estates, it seems, is on everyone's mind. When asked if she would answer some questions about the upscale neighborhood on Johns Island, Rebecca Lind, a real estate agent for AgentOwned Realty, a short drive up the road in Summerville, South Carolina, replied: “Oh, you’re writing about it, too.”
There’s good reason people are thinking and talking about Kiawah River Estates. One glance at the gated community will quickly explain why it has become one of the area’s most highly sought after addresses …
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Escaping To Seabrook Island, South Carolina
“YOU JUST DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE,” Diane Beck explained to me. “The home was built to take advantage of all the possible views on Jenkins Point. The interior was a soft warm inviting color and the layout made you feel comfortable and peaceful. You wanted to just sit in any room, get comfortable and look at the nature views.”
As Beck, a resort and real estate specialist for Disher, Hamrick & Myers, described 1405 Nancy Island Drive on Seabrook Island, my imagination drifted. I remembered a book I had been meaning to read, my grandmother’s old quilt I had been meaning to snuggle up with …
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Charleston Collegiate
When I First Heard That My Friend Marty Walmsley’s two teenage daughters attended Charleston Collegiate on Johns Island, I had to wonder why. By my calculations, it would take close to an hour to drive to the school from her Isle of Palms residence. There has to be something special about a private school tucked in the middle of a rural sea island.
It turns out there is something special about Charleston Collegiate–headmaster Dr. Bob Shirley. At 72, he meant to be retired by now but could not resist the chance to steward the inquiring young minds at this country school when …
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Sidi Limehouse: Remembering The Early Days Of Johns Island
No Visit To Johns Island would be complete without a stop at Rosebank Farms, a traditional roadside market famed for its fresh produce and fine flowers. Located on Bohicket Road, within “spittin’ distance” of the glittering resort communities of Seabrook and Kiawah Islands, it is a landmark that harks back to an earlier era, when the region, now engulfed by explosive upscale growth, was a rural community where agriculture reigned.
Presiding over Rosebank Farms is its founder and owner, Sidi Limehouse, a …
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Memories of Seabrook Island: A Tribue to Elizabeth Stringfellow
Seabrook Island just 30 minutes from historic Charleston, this elegant private residential community and resort is a paradigm of 21st century luxury living.
The island offers two championship golf courses, a well-equipped marina, restaurants and shops, a country club with 15 tennis courts, equestrian facilities and much more–from salt marshes and forests to miles of white sand beaches …
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Going Coastal : Waterfront Living Along The Coastal Highway
IF BOBBY TROUP’S LEGENDARY TUNE is to be believed, you can “get your kicks” on Route 66. It’s a shame the songwriter didn’t travel U.S. Route 17, a roadway perhaps not as snappy to rhyme but that serves as a main artery through some of the finest real estate markets along the scenic Carolina Coast.
As it passes through these exceptional residential and vacation communities, Route 17 is always near the water. It’s never more than a mile or two as the pelican flies …
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Bodacious Bohicket Marina
THE ONLY MARINA serving the upscale resort islands of Kiawah and Seabrook in coastal South Carolina, Bohicket Marina is one of the premier facilities on the East Coast.
Bohicket Marina also has some of the best waterfront views in the entire Charleston area, and the real estate market that surrounds it has never been hotter.
A recent $15-million renovation gave Bohicket new …
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The Annual Senior PGA Championship
A field of 156 players, including golf legends Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Gary Player, Hale Irwin, Fuzzy Zoeller, Craig Stadler, Peter Jacobsen and Raymond Floyd, as well as relative newcomers to the Senior Tour Nick Price, Mark O’Meara and crowd favorite Fred Fink, challenge the Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course each year in pursuit of the coveted Alfred S. Bourne Trophy and a share of a $2 million purse.
Network television coverage of the Senior PGA Championship, played May …
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Island Worship: Johns Island Presbyterian Church
Johns Island Presbyterian Church has stood a silent sentinel amid moss-draped oaks, watching as the island has grown and changed through the centuries. It has provided sanctuary to early settlers and modern-day residents for nearly 300 years.
The church, as we see it today, is believed to have been built in 1719; it was enlarged roughly 100 years later, in 1823, when a gallery was added to provide seating for slaves. But the church’s history begins even earlier. Organized about 1710 …
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Freshfields: Johns Island
Welcoming Home Friends, Neighbors and Travelers
Free movies, a farmers markets, old-fashioned sodas, free Internet and delicious coffee are waiting for you at Freshfields Village.
Located at the corner of Kiawah, Seabrook and Johns Islands, Freshfields Village brings together these communities by providing a great meeting spot for tourists and locals alike. I spent a glorious afternoon there, wandering …
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Early Seabrook: A Heartwarming Reunion
THE FIRST PERMANENT RESIDENTS OF SEABROOK ISLAND as it was being developed in the early 1970s were the Lowrys, Britt and Doodles.
Even without the chapter about a reunion between two long-separated siblings, their story goes well beyond interesting. Realtors at a beach resort further up the South Carolina Coast, they decided on a career change of monumental proportions. They wanted to serve their Church (Presbyterian) for the rest of their working lives as missionaries …
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Island Articles | Building the Dream Series | Cottage in the Woods Series
Building the Dream Series
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Building The Dream Part I: The Foundation
I LIKED YVONNE BUCHAN FROM THE VERY FIRST HANDSHAKE, but what impresses me most is her enthusiasm for her latest project. She and a couple of investors are in the early stages of an ambitious flip on Johns Island.
“I knew the water was close,” I told her, “but I didn’t realize just how close it is.”
“It surprises everyone,” Yvonne said. “Some of my friends say it’s like a present when …”
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Building The Dream Part II: Framing
IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THIS IS THE SAME HOUSE. Only the bits that remain of the original home remind me of its humble beginnings because the house itself has just about doubled in size. Best of all, it’s completely framed in and you can see it taking shape.
Michael Ackerman of Ackerman Construction takes me on a tour of the house, pointing out the spacious living room with floor-to-ceiling fireplace and the loft that overlooks it. And here are the kitchen, dining room and breakfast nook. There are …
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Building The Dream Part III : Taking Shape
YVONNE BUCHAN'S DREAM IS MOVING SWIFTLY TOWARD REALITY, and the house is becoming the spectacular residence she once only imagined. As I walk through, stepping carefully around the construction materials, I see the original house blending with the new addition to create a beautiful new home.
The great room is taking shape, anchored by the fireplace at one end. The entire house has been sheet-rocked, hardwood flooring has been laid and, in the upstairs …
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Building The Dream Part IV : Nearing Completion
THE DREAM IS NEARLY A REALITY. THE exterior is complete and a promise of the beauty and luxury that awaits inside. The landscaping is in place, brush has been cleared to enhance the water view and the ancient moss-draped oaks frame the amazing new structure. Where once a pink brick bungalow stood is now an impressive two-story gray home that blends the new with the best of the old. Wide porches invite you to sit awhile and enjoy the fresh breeze.…
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Building The Dream Part V
AS I WALKED UP THE STEPS to the house on Johns Island, I saw a pair of socks lying on the doormat. For me, I wondered? I was dressed for the occasion of seeing the nearly completed house, and I was pretty certain I’d be asked to remove my shoes to protect the brand- new floors. As I took off my shoes, Yvonne Buchan opened the door and welcomed me before apologetically explaining the socks to me. “There are some socks for you,” she said. “They’re clean.” No apologies …
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Island Articles | Building the Dream Series | Cottage in the Woods Series
Cottage In The Woods
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Cottage In The Woods: Part I
AS I WEND MY WAY around traffic circles and down tree-lined streets on Daniel Island, I’m expecting a pleasant morning and a quick look at a custom home under construction. My directions are pretty clear–it is the last house on Watroo Point. And there it is: a beehive of activity where dedicated craftsmen are building this house as though it is their own. I’m greeted immediately by Ben Henrich, and his excitement is contagious as he speaks to me about his building philosophy. It’s simple enough to be summed up in one word–perfection …”
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Cottage In The Woods: Part II
IT’S BEEN JUST A FEW weeks since I last stopped by the home going up at the end of Watroo Point on Daniel Island, but, in that short amount of time, a great deal of progress has been made. If anything, it is more impressive than before. Ben Henrich, the builder, guides me through the house, showing me the highlights. Once again, he is so excited that I can’t help but feel the same way. “The windows weren’t in when you were here before,” Ben tells me …”
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