land near the central part of the island, now known as Huger Park. The center of the circle was also left as a park. Off this circle at the very point of the island (on what is now lot #34) the road continued, narrowing at ‘Possum Point,’ a favorite place for trysts. The first house was built by Mr. Daniel Hull of Savannah. It was finished in 1928 and was named ‘Mayfair.’ Mr. Hull owned lots 2 – 6, and Mayfair was situated on lots 2 and 3. This property was sold to Mr. Ralston Mingledorff, and later to it’s present owner, Mrs. Charles Golson, Jr. Lots 5 and 6 were later sold as separate plots of property. Shortly after Mayfair was built, the Lee house was built on Lot 1. Other plots held the Smith House (lot #46), the Seiler house (now the Chisholms on lot #7, and the Hendrix house (now the Lafitte’s on lot #8). While Bluffton did not receive electricity until 1937, Myrtle Island had electricity in 1926. Most, if not all of the above houses were served from a building
Bluffton Jasper Volunteers in Medicine In the early 90’s, one out of three people who lived in Hilton Head Island had no access to health care. A number of retired medical personnel - comprising physicians, nurses, and dentists - began expressing an interest in finding a way to address this through practicing their profession on a voluntary, part-time basis. In 1994, the first Volunteers in Medicine Clinic, was created as a free clinic utilizing retired health care professionals. The Hilton Head Volunteers in Medicine treated patients who live or work on Hilton Head which left a gap for the uninsured in the Great Bluffton/Jasper County area. In 2011 a group of concerned citizens began the process of forming, organizing and incorporating the Bluffton Jasper County Volunteers in Medicine. In the fall of 2011 the first patients were seen at our Clinic on Highway 46 in Bluffton. Two years later, the organization has grown by adding doctors, nurses and administrative volunteers and has screened over 1500 patients. The facilities have been expanded by moving to 1 Burnt Church Road to accommodate the additional patient workload. Over the last two years the awareness for VIM has increased substantially through word of mouth and fundraisers. This year, the fundraiser is a tour of Myrtle Island homes, and will take place on .....
near the central part of the island, approximately where the Mingledorff ‘play house’ now stands (lot # 54). This building contained a Delco generator that generated DC current. This Delco was started by anyone in any of the houses by turning on a light. It took about 30 seconds for the Delco to build up power so that the light would come on. However, once the first light was on, all the other lights would come on immediately. There were no electric clocks, radios, or other electric appliances on Myrtle Island at the time, but there were some electric fans that ran on DC current. In this same building, there was a water pump that pumped water for all of the houses. The water was stored in a large tank holding roughly three thousand gallons. It stood about 3 stories high and was situated next to the pump house. Jake would
We encourage all the Breeze readers to sign up for this tour and support such a worthy cause. This is our way of making sure that all Blufftonians get access to medical care, and our thanks goes out to all the volunteers -- both professional and administrative -- who make the BJVIM play such a meaningful role in our community. come in his mule wagon from Bluffton every day and pump the tank full. The pump was a large one-lung diesel engine. Mr. Percy sold the last lots on the island in the early 1940′s. By then, there was electric service to the island, and the old Delco generator was no longer needed. Residents had their own wells with electric pumps, so the old central water pump was no longer needed. Riding down Myrtle Island Road you get a sense on tranquility and as if you are entering a sanctuary. The oak tree canopy frames the road, and most homes sit back toward the water on both sides. The Bluffton Breeze
May 2014
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