The Greater Hardeeville Chamber of Commerce

The community where business is great, the people are wonderful, and life is exciting

Hardeeville - A brief history

Location:
The City of Hardeeville is the "Gateway to the Lowcountry", and is located at the southern end of Jasper County; the Lowcountry Region of South Carolina. The city is 15 miles south of the Town of Ridgeland, which is the county seat, fifteen miles north of Savannah Georgia, and 22 miles west of Hilton Head Island. Hardeeville is bisected by Interstate 95, the principal north-south corridor for the east coast of the United States, and includes eight interchanges along the interstate, Exit 5 Hardeeville SC/Rt17, Exit 8 Hardeeville SC/Rt 278, Exit 18, Switzerland, SC/RT 17, Exit 21, Ridgeland, SC/Rt 336 Exit 22, SC/Rt 278, Exit 28, Coosawhatchie, Exit 33, Point South, SC/Rt's 17 & 21, Exit 38, Yemassee, SC/Rt 17 . Several major roadways intersect within the city, including US highways 17, 278, and 321. The CSX Railroad also passes through Hardeeville. Many sidings exist in Hardeeville and the surrounding area.

Historical Background:
In the 1700's, the area that now encompasses Jasper County was known as the "back country" of Beaufort District, part of St. Peter's Parish. Rice formed the basis of Jasper County's economy at that time with extensive plantations along the Savannah River. This pattern of development, in which families with vast wealth controlled enormous tracks of land along river frontage, did not lend itself to the formation of towns. Robert Johnson, the first royal governor of the colony, sought to change this situation by creating a series of townships throughout the backcountry. Purrysburg was the principal township in Jasper County. Jean Pierre Purry, of Neufchatel, Switzerland, settled a group of poor Swiss Protestants in the 1730's. The settlement, located along the Savannah River just to the west of present-day Hardeeville, never became a great success. The Savannah River was not easily navigable at that spot, and it was not a healthful place for the settlers, many of whom moved to other parts of South Carolina and Georgia. A few of the colony's citizens moved a few miles to the northeast, to slightly higher ground away from the river. Here, they gave their first settlement the name of "Switzerland". Located about five miles south of Ridgeland on US Hwy. 17, this small community is still known by that name.

As Purrysburg declined, the village of Hardeeville came into being as a location for the summer homes of planters along the New and Savannah Rivers. The names of some of these planters were Cheves, Screven, Barnwell, Izard, Rutledge, Blake, Hardee, Lynah, and Hugar. Thomas and Pearson Hardee, for whom the town was named, came to St. Peter's parish from North Carolina around 1800. They owned Hardee Plantation, which is now part of Delta Plantation. The Delta Plantation house is located on the old Hardee Plantation lands. About three-quarters of a mile northwest of the house grounds is the brick-enclosed Hardee family cemetery.

The village of Hardeeville enjoyed a leisurely existence as a summer resort until the Civil War. In January of 1865, Union troops led by General Sherman marched through the region and set fires that destroyed much of the area. The only buildings in the village that escaped the fires were two homes (the Williams home and the Martin home, neither of which are still standing), and the Methodist Church, which had been pressed into service as a hospital.

The Civil War marked the end of large-scale rice agriculture along the Savannah River, and much of the land that comprised these plantations was broken up into parcels. New money arrived in the late 19th century to reconsolidate the former plantation lands. Some of these outsiders sought recreation and sport; two notable examples being the Pineland Club, which was South Carolina's first hunt club, and the Okeetee Club, whose large landholdings lie just to the north of Hardeeville.

An even more powerful force arrived when large timber companies began buying up former agricultural lands. The Argent Lumber Company, based in Hardeeville, arose in the early 20th century. H.W. Philips of Suffolk, Virginia, secured logging rights to the timber on the Okeetee Club, and contracted with the Garysburg Manufacturing Company of Garysburg, North Carolina, to mill the lumber in 1916. The Argent Lumber Company had a planing mill, dry kiln, and storage shed along the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in Hardeeville. At the same time, Argent created a network of railroads throughout the county to bring the lumber from remote tracts. These railroad lines used narrow-gauge engines, and Argent's Engine Number 7 remains on permanent display at the Hardeeville City Hall. Several Argent mill houses remain in the County. Union-Camp Corporation purchased the Argent properties in the late 1950's.

At the same time, Argent created a network of railroads throughout the county to bring the lumber from remote tracts. These railroad lines used narrow-gauge engines, and Argent's Engine Number 7 remains on permanent display at the Hardeeville City Hall. Several Argent mill houses remain in the County, moved away when Union-Camp Corporation purchased the Argent properties in the late 1950's.

Hardeeville was divided between Jasper and Beaufort Counties when Jasper Country was created in 1912. The town did not enter Jasper County fully until after World War II. The major influences of growth in Hardeeville during this century include the railroad, the timber industry and, later, the development of two major highways, US Highway 17, (the "Coastal Highway) and Interstate 95. Today, tourism plays a vital role in the economy as north and southbound travelers frequent the restaurants, gasoline stations and overnight lodging accommodations in Hardeeville. Once a feasible resort for antebellum planters, the City of Hardeeville has grown from a small community supported by an agricultural economy to the most populous town in Jasper County. Over the years, Hardeeville has seen considerable expansion in services and other businesses that have supported both employment and population growth. Author: Low Country Council of Governments, PO Box 98, Point South, South Carolina 29945.

It is most appropriate at this juncture to let the reader know that the next century of the History of Hardeeville is being written as you read this. Major development projects are in progress for private housing, a business park, and industrial development. A new hospital is scheduled for construction in late 2003 and early 2004. Two new K-12 public school campuses will be located and schools built in the coming year.

The Savannah National Wildlife Refuge also resides on the Savannah River in Jasper County, and on the uplands reside the most tranquil, and august plantations that have been at rest for a century.

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MOVING FINGER OF JASPER by Grace Fox Perry

The history of Jasper County as told by Ms. Grace Fox Perry is a book that holds interest for history buffs as well as the casual reader. The book called "Moving Finger of Jasper" can be found on line and the breadth of information that Ms. Perry documented for the Golden Jubilee of Jasper County is rich with what makes the Lowcountry such a special place. Visit "Moving Finger of Jasper" by Grace Fox Perry.

While reading Ms. Grace Fox Perry's book at the Hardeeville Public Library I found the following taped to the inside of the front cover.

"The first small volume of 'Moving Finder of Jasper' was published in 1947. The writer, while serving as associate editor of the Jasper County Record, gathered sufficient historical data on the county for a series of weekly articles. Readers of the paper found the stories of interest; therefore, the writer acceded to requests that the articles be compiled and printed in book form. The limited edition, sponsored by the Ridgeland Jaycees, sold out immediately.

During the years since then, many requests have come in for the books. More and more material came into the writer's and, as the continued writing features for the daily newspapers, as she edited a weekly newspaper, and as she completed and published a novel.

Last year, due to an apparent demand, the writer decided that the time had come to publish again a book on Jasper Country. During 1962, the county's fiftieth-anniversary year, seemed the appropriate time.

Jasper's actual history goes back to traders' days. Included in Jasper's resent boundaries are parts of Granville County, so-named by the Lords Proprietors; portions of St. Helena's, St. Luke's, Prince William's and St. Peter's parishes; sections of old Beaufort District and Hampton County.

Material on file for nearly fifteen years was compiled, and the entire book re-written and enlarged. "Moving Finger of Jasper", Golden Jubilee Edition, is illustrated with pictures of interest; it contains histories of every settlement and town in the county; histories of all the county's churches, sketches of clubs and plantations; brief biographies of outstanding men since Revolutionary days; stories of agriculture, education and industry; and, as a bonus, a work of fiction centered upon a famous figures who crossed the county in the 1700's.

Partial Biography of Grace Fox Perry, as taken from the insert found taped to the inside cover of the book.

GRACE FOX PERRY

Listed in Who's Who of American Women
Graduate of Columbia College, and former teacher
Author of a small historical volume in 1954
Author of the novel, Wall Within The Orbit, in 1954
Former associate editor and editor of county newspapers
Present contributor of feature articles to newspapers and magazines
Chairman of the Jasper County Confederate Centennial Commission
Former official of Jasper County Development Board
Named "Woman of the Year" by Ridgeland Business and Professional Women's' Club, 1954
Member of St. Paul's Methodist Church, and life member of Woman's Society of Christian Service
Hobbies: Doing historical research and painting, (kitchen cabinets and chairs)
Husband: Nelson Perry, retired businessman
Children: Landis Perry, in business in Ridgeland (SC); Mrs. Sandra Perry Schonning, a research technologist, in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Copyright ©2001, GRACE FOX PERRY, her heirs and assigns, all rights reserved. Note by FOC: Ms. Perry did not copyright the original book. This digital version is formally copyrighted to her heirs. I am breaking the text down into sections for faster web loading.