Myrtle Island at 100

If islands had personalities, Myrtle Island would be that elegant Southern grandmama who swears she’s always been sophisticated, despite a family photo album that tells a very different story.

As Bluffton’s half-mile-long Myrtle Island marks the 100th anniversary of its development in 1926, it’s worth remembering that this beautiful stretch of May River paradise was once called Beef Island. And because nothing markets waterfront lots like cows, Percival Elliott Huger renamed it Myrtle Island when he divided the property into lots and developed a master plan ahead of its time.

Beef Island was part of a whole family of agriculturally named neighbors along the May River: Bull Island, Potato Island and Corn Island. Back then, life on Beef Island was practical. The island’s center was devoted to farming, while the northwest point housed a small oyster factory where workers shucked, sorted and shipped the May River’s famous oysters. Farming and oystering paid the bills, and nobody was particularly concerned about creating a romantic real estate brochure.

Getting to Beef Island required patience, planning and preferably a mule with a cooperative attitude. A mule-wagon road led to the island, but you could only cross it at low tide. Visitors watched tide charts the way modern travelers watch airline apps. Miss your window, and the island politely informed you that your departure would be delayed until further notice. The Chisholm property featured a free-flowing artesian well, a house and a barn, the Lowcountry equivalent of luxury accommodations.

Everything changed in 1926 when Percival Elliott Huger, known affectionately as Percy, set his sights on developing the island. Renaming it was easy. Building access was another challenge entirely.

Percy, Jake Johnson and a hardworking mule built the first causeway and wooden bridge by hand. Armed with wheelbarrows, a wagon and determination, they constructed the embankment using techniques Percy had learned growing up on a rice plantation.

Unfortunately, nor’easters and spring tides saw the causeway as a fun challenge rather than an engineering achievement. Storms regularly washed sections away, forcing repeated repairs.

Eventually, the state stepped in and rebuilt the causeway to the height and width it has today, adding a metal structure beneath the bridge to make it less susceptible to Mother Nature’s whims.
The road leading to Myrtle Island had its own story. Constructed from crushed oyster shells from Lowden’s Oyster Factory, it wound along the bluff near present-day Burnt Church Road and Martin’s Place. Locals called the bluff The Rocks because a mile-long band of sandstone stretches toward Nanny Cove.

Once visitors reached the island, they traveled down a picturesque, tree-lined avenue. A triangular parcel in the center became Huger Park, and the circle at the island’s end was also preserved as a park, along with two properties designated as parks on either side.

Beyond the circle, the road narrowed as it approached Possum Point, a favorite destination for young couples seeking privacy. As history repeatedly demonstrates, romance can flourish almost anywhere, even on a peninsula named after a possum.

The island’s first home, Mayfair, was built in 1928 by Daniel Hull of Savannah on Lots 2 and 3. Soon, the Lee House on Lot 1, the Smith House on Lot 46, the Seiler House on Lot 7 and the Hendrix House on Lot 8 joined it. Myrtle Island was no longer just a development plan. It was becoming a community.

Then came one of the island’s more surprising claims to fame.
While Bluffton didn’t receive electricity until 1937, Myrtle Island had electrical service in 1926. A Delco generator powered the homes. The system had its quirks. Flipping a light switch anywhere on the island started the generator, which then took about 30 seconds to warm up. Residents frequently experienced those suspenseful half-minutes wondering whether they’d turned on a light or accidentally shut down civilization. Once the generator kicked in, however, every connected home lit up at once.

Fans operated on direct current, and a diesel-powered “one-lung” engine pumped water into a 3,000-gallon storage tank that Jake faithfully filled each day. It wasn’t exactly high-tech by modern standards, but in the 1920s, it was remarkably advanced and gave Myrtle Island a head start over much of the surrounding area.

By the early 1940s, Percy had sold the last of the island’s lots.

Modern utilities eventually replaced the Delco generator and centralized pumping system, and Myrtle Island settled into the peaceful, oak-canopied sanctuary that residents and visitors cherish today.

A century later, Myrtle Island remains one of Bluffton’s most distinctive treasures. The live oaks still frame the roads, the May River still sparkles in the sunlight, and the causeway still welcomes visitors. Thankfully, crossing it no longer requires a mule, a tide chart or a backup plan.

And perhaps that’s the greatest transformation of all. An island once known simply as Beef Island became Myrtle Island, evolving from farmland and oyster sheds into one of the Lowcountry’s most charming communities.

Tamela is a proofreader and book editor; she hosts paint parties for adults, art and drama camp for kids, and is the art teacher at May River Montessori. www.tamelamaxim.com www.artposseproductions.com.