top of page
Search

Isle of Palms History: Uncover the Rich Past of South Carolina's Long Island

Updated: Sep 26

Located beyond Mount Pleasant, and stretching from Dewees Inlet to Breach Inlet, Isle of Palms is a popular beach community in Charleston County known for its watersports, white sand, and easy pace of life.  The barrier island attracts tourists in the summer months but is home to locals year-round. Fronting on the Atlantic Ocean, the Isle of Palms has a deep history woven with military feats, pirates, and dancing pavilions of the early twentieth-century early resort town. 


People enjoy a sunny beach under colorful umbrellas near a wooden pier. Waves crash as others swim. Greenery in the foreground.
The beach at boardwalk in IOP

Isle of Palms History


Isle of Palms was originally home to the Sewee Native American tribe, and the English settlers named it Hunting Island, likely because of the way the land was used by its indigenous residents. In the later eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it was known as Long Island for its shape, stretching along the Atlantic Ocean. Legends state that pirates stashed their treasure on the uninhabited island in the colonial era. During the American Revolution, neighboring Sullivan’s Island became the scene of South Carolina’s first Patriot victory when local forces were able to defend against the British Navy as it tried to attack Fort Moultrie. Leading up to the battle, British scout boats landed on Long Island to plan their assault.

 

During the American Civil War, Isle of Palms was mostly uninhabited, but the famous Confederate submarine the H.L. Hunley departed from Breach Inlet, which lies between Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island.

 

Palmetto trees on a sandy beach with grass, near calm sea under a cloudy sky. Text reads: Palmettoes on Isle of Palms, near Charleston, S.C.
The pristine beach circa 1870s. Library of Congress.
A vintage map showing the Isle of Palms, Atlantic Ocean, and surrounding waterways with labeled areas like Mt. Pleasant and Grays Bay.
Undeveloped IOP on a 1919 USGS Topographic Map

The island remained mostly uninhabited in the decades immediately following the war. Isle of Palms Magazine notes that Nicholas Sottile built the first house on the island in the late 1890s, which was a summer house accessible by rowing across Breach Inlet. That same decade, Dr. Joseph S. Lawrence convinced investors to create a streetcar from Charleston to neighboring Sullivan’s Island. Historian Nic Butler notes, “Lawrence’s principal goal was to develop the isolated wilderness property adjacent to Sullivan’s Island, known then as Long Island, into a fashionable resort destination. In order to deliver construction materials, workers, and tourists to that location, he intended to create a trolley line that extended from the ferry landing in the village of Mount Pleasant, across the cove to the western tip of Moultrieville, through the length of Sullivan’s Island, across the ocean waters at Breach Inlet, and across the western third of Long Island. After purchasing Long Island and rebranding it with the more attractive name, “Isle of Palms,” Lawrence and his investors chartered the Charleston and Seashore Railroad Company in February of 1898.” With the opening of the Charleston and Seashore Rail Company’s trolleys, beachgoers could board a ferry in Charleston near the market, transfer to a streetcar in Mount Pleasant, meander across Sullivan’s Island past the Atlantic Beach Hotel, before landing on IOP for a day of sunbathing and swimming.


People in vintage attire sit and socialize on a pavilion veranda, Isle of Palms. Text mentions Zissett's Cafe and oyster delicacies.
Resort goers on a pavilion in an 1898 photograph by Charleston Seashore and Rail Company

At the turn of the 20th century, Isle of Palms became the quintessential Victorian resort town. In 1906, Hotel Seashore opened to provide the first overnight accommodations for visitors. James Sottile, of a prominent Italian family of developers, politicians, and entertainment moguls, purchased most of the island in 1914 in a deal with the Long Island Improvement and Construction Company. Sottile had already been instrumental connecting IOP to Mount Pleasant by streetcar as president of the Charleston-Isle of Palms Traction company. Stealing a page from Lawrence, Sottile operated an amusement park that boasted a Ferris wheel with 500 electric lights that was visible from downtown Charleston. Other attractions included a pavilion to host bands and dancing, a steeplechase carousel imported from Coney Island, and swimming and sunbathing.

 

Vintage map of Isle of Palms development, showing property lots, railway, and Atlantic Ocean. Text includes "RAILWAY TERMINAL" and "BEACH ATTRACTIONS."
A 1914 Charleston County plat showing the Isle of Palms Development Company property
Aerial view of Isle of Palms Pavilion, beachgoers on sandy shore, blue ocean in foreground, amusement buildings and Ferris wheel in background.
A postcard of the pavilion and amusement park on the beach. Tichnor Brothers collection

In 1929, the Grace Memorial Bridge opened to link Charleston and Mount Pleasant for the first time, which allowed automobiles from the city to reach the Breach Inlet Bridge, a trolley trestle that had been rebuilt to accommodate cars in 1926. IOP experienced a burst of growth after J.C. Long of the Beach Company cast his eye on development on the island in 1944. He purchased 1,200 acres from Hardaway Contracting Company and set out building roads leading to residential building lots marketed to returning World War II veterans, marking some of the first year-round housing on the island. Two years later, a new bridge was constructed to connect IOP with the mainland, and it was another boon to IOP’s attraction. The Beach Company leveled dunes in the 1940s to create more building sites. The Town of Isle of Palms was incorporated in 1953. That year, the Beach Company erected a new public fishing pier, which was the longest in the state (stretching 1,000 feet into the ocean).


Vintage map of Isle of Palms shows waterways, creeks, and land labels with blue and yellow hues. Notable text: Intercoastal, Goat Island.
1943 USGS Topographic Map showing the growth on IOP

Finch Properties bought 1,600 acres on the northeastern part of the island in 1972 and opened the Isle of Palms Beach and Racquet Club, later renamed Wild Dunes Beach Club by Sea Pines Company, who were known for developing Hilton Head.  Hurricane Hugo struck the Lowcountry in September 1989 and did not spare IOP, where most of the residents evacuated, and nearly 95 percent of the island’s buildings suffered damage. Repair commenced immediately and included a new municipal complex. In 1993, the Isle of Palms Connector opened and connected the community to the mainland directly for the first time, stretching over the beautiful Intracoastal Waterway.


Today, Isle of Palms is popular for beach-going and relaxing year-round. Coastal Expeditions has an IOP headquarters to book kayaking and paddleboarding tours in the marina and along the marshes. Watersports abound, and the island is popular for surfing, boating, swimming, and fishing. Residents who don’t have their own boat can book with Barrier Island Fishing Charters.  Isle of Palms County Park is a favorite beach access point (though there are more than 50 public access paths) because it has parking, beach equipment rental, a playground, volleyball court, lifeguards on duty, a picnic area and grills, and outdoor showers.

 

Kayakers paddle in a line on a calm river at sunset. Boats and houses line the shore, with a colorful sky reflecting in the water.
Kayakers heading out. Town of IOP Instagram page

Isle of Palms has a commercial strand along the beach that is home to great restaurants with local specialties, like Acme Lowcountry Kitchen, and fun beach vibes like Coconut Joe’s. The Boathouse at Breach Inlet offers fresh seafood with waterfront views, while Islander 71 has a raw bar and custom cocktails offered dockside. IOP has a shopping center with a Harris Teeter, coffee shops, and small businesses, so residents barely need to leave the island.  Wild Dunes Resort offers 36 holes of golf, beaches, pools, tennis and pickleball, dining, event venues, a very popular spa, and regularly changing events ranging from summer camps to wellness days.


Plate of fried crab sandwich, fries, and sauce on a table with eggs benedict in the background. Next to a view of outdoor dining with seafood.
Left: crab sandwich at Acme; right: the view at the Boathouse, from their Instagram pages

IOP offers a combination of time shares, townhomes, condos occupied rear round, and stand-alone houses ranging from modest and kitsch 1950s and 1960s ranch houses to sprawling estates with private docks and beach access. New builds with private beach access fetch the highest prices, for no property on the island is far from the waterfront and sunset views.


For more real estate resources, follow CHS Regional MLS on Facebook and Instagram! If you’re not a member yet, join CHS Regional MLS for access to the Lowcountry's most extensive and accurate property database.


--


Sources:

 
 
bottom of page