- Wadmalaw Island
Wadmalaw Island is an island located in
Charleston County, South Carolina .Geography
Wadmalaw Island is located generally to the southwest of Johns Island and more than halfway encircled by it. To the north it is bordered by Church Creek; to the northeast and east by Bohicket Creek; to the south by the North Edisto River; and to the west by the Bohicket Creek. The island's only connection to the mainland is via a bridge over Church Creek. The island is about 10 miles long by 6 miles wide. It has a land area of 108.502 km² (41.893 sq mi). The 2000 census reported a population of 2,611 persons, with the largest concentration in its only town of Rockville.
History
Wadmalaw Island was landed upon by Captain
Robert Sandford and the crew of the Berkeley Bay in mid-June of 1666 after an excursion up the Bohicket Creek. It is believed that Sandford landed whereRockville, South Carolina now sits. On June 23, 1666, Captain and crew carried out the ritual ofturf and twig , claiming the land for England and the Lords Proprietors.In more recent times, The Lipton Tea Company operated an experimental tea farm on Wadmalaw Island until 1987, when was sold to Mack Fleming and Bill Hall. These gentlemen converted the experimental farm into a working tea plantation. The Charleston Tea Plantation utilized a converted Tobacco harvester to mechanically harvest the tea. The Charleston Tea Plantation sold tea mail order known as American Classic Tea and also produced Sam's Choice Instant Tea, sold through Sam's Clubs. American Classic Tea has been the official tea of the White House since 1987. In 2003, Bigelow Tea Corporation purchased the Charleston Tea Plantation and temporarily closed the plantation in order to renovate it, the plantation reopened in January of 2006. Tours are now offered of this last remaining working Tea Farm in America.
References
* [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-context=dt&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-CONTEXT=dt&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_P001&-tree_id=4001&-transpose=N&-redoLog=true&-all_geo_types=N&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=14000US45019002200&-search_results=15000US450130012002&-format=&-_lang=en&-show_geoid=Y Wadmalaw Island: Census Tract 22, Charleston County, South Carolina] United States Census Bureau
External links
* [http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=&csz=wadmalaw+island%2C+sc&country=us&new=1&name=&qty= Yahoo! Maps]
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