South Carolina Lowcountry Part II

May 7th

We walked on the beach every day after work. One day when we walked further than usual, we encountered several abandoned, deteriorating houses, their foundations exposed by erosion. We learned later that after the houses were irreparably damaged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, the owners were unable to get the millions of dollars of FEMA aid needed to demolish them. So the houses still stand, and pieces continue to break off and fall into the ocean. So sad.

Next to Harbor Island is St. Helena Island, where we took a guided tour to learn about the Gullah Geechee culture. The Gullah people are descendants of slaves from West Africa. Their language and customs are still very much alive on St. Helena Island, as demonstrated by our tour guides, a wonderful mother-daughter team. Among the many interesting tour stops were the church where Martin Luther King, Jr. practiced his "I Have a Dream" speech, the Penn Center, originally a school for former slaves, and the Fripp Plantation. I was intrigued by the differences between the Chapel of Ease (for plantation owners) and the Praise House (for slaves - deliberately kept small to prevent large groups from organizing).