During the 1800s, residents of the larger cities, such as Columbia, would make an annual trek to Murrells Inlet to escape the oppressive heat of the city, much like the residents of Charleston would travel to Sullivan’s Island. The summer residents would take a train to either Conway or Georgetown, then catch the steamboat which docked at the Wachesaw river landing. From there, it was horses and carts until they reached their cottages.
Murrells Inlet and the Civil War
Murrells Inlet was hit hard by the Civil War. Union warships knew that the inlet was a popular port along the South Carolina coast and would frequently attack the Confederacy’s blockade runners as they attempted to sneak cotton and rice to England in exchange for weapons, food and medicine. The rice plantations suffered, but might have survived if not for the 1893 Sea Islands hurricane, a category three which wiped out the last of the stable rice crops. By 1916, the last commercial rice grower in Murrells Inlet closed their doors for the last time. Fortunately, commercial fishing was starting to take hold in the community and as early as 1914, deep sea charter fishing trips were being offered for $5 a person, a price which included the captain, a 20 foot skiff, and a full day of fishing. www.Discover.sc Online Magazine | 2009 55