Brief History of Shem Creek
shem creek glory
Shem Creek is known for its beautiful and calm lookout on the waters. With all of the shrimp boats and local establishments alike surrounding the harbor. Shem Creek is located in Mount Pleasant just over the Ravenel Bridge. If you’re looking for some stellar seafood, then you are in luck. There are several restaurants located at Shem Creek right on the water/marsh. Along with the rich abundance of fish and sea life, the history is just as rich for this morsel of a harbor. Shem Creek is a safe haven for travelers back when it was first developed and still is. Light was not added to the harbor until 1905 when the Shem Creek Beacon was erected. The red triple-pile structure was developed on the east side of the entrance into Shem Creek and lit on August 12th, 1905. This light provided a clearer and safer path into the harbor for ships.
fog on shem creek
It wasn’t until 1930 when Captain C. Magwood brought the first haul of ocean shrimp into the harbor. Jumping forward almost one decade later marked the construction of a bridge over the creek; two decades later the first shrimp dock was built. After both construction projects were completed came the Moultrie Fisheries which emerged and became Shem Creek’s seafood ice manufacturer. The foundation has been set for this harbor to make it a strong seafood industry which made Shem Creek an important harbor since it became the local powerhouse for shrimping. In their prime, the number of shrimpers was an astounding seventy trawlers that operated off the docks. It wasn’t until 2011 that this large number dwindled down to only about ten trawlers remaining in the harbor along with some charter boats.
Going back further into the history of Shem Creek comes the origin of the name of said harbor. The creek’s name derives from the Sewee Native American word “Shemee.” Whether that be the name of the specific tribe who lived along the banks or the name that was just given to the creek, is still to this day, undetermined. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the Native Americans who resided there were known as the Sewee; this tribe was located north of the harbor and lived along the coast, which is now known to be from Mount Pleasant to the Santee River. It’s worth noting that this specific Sewee tribe were members of the Eastern Sioux Linguistic group.
shem creek sunset
After settlement, the name of the creek began to change due to ownership. The first person granted ownership of the lands adjacent to the harbor was Captain Florence O’Sullivan, for whom Sullivans Island is named after; the creek gained the name Sullivans Creek. O’Sullivan possessed ownership from the 1670s-1680s. Following that, Barbadian colonist Captain George Dearlsey gained ownership of the creek changing its name to Dearsley’s Creek. It is speculated that under Dearsely’s ownership that shipbuilding was introduced to the creek. The name of this creek will change several more times; however, between the change of hands, the harbor was always referred to as Shem Creek.
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These photos are:
-Justin