A History of the Lands Occupied by Naval Weapons Station Charleston

• Main Author: Larimer, Terrence
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Brockington and Associates, Inc. 2002
• Subjects: Charleston, SC; Berkeley County; Naval Weapons Station Charleston; South Carolina State / Territory; World War I; World War II; Cold War; Woodland; Historic Native American; Mississippian; Archaic; Prehistoric; Historic; Middle Archaic; Late Archaic; Araret Plantation; Brick Hope Plantation; Back River Plantation; Cow Jig Plantation; Cedar Hill Plantation; Maris Hill; Hickory Hill Plantation; Mount Pleasant Plantation; Marrington; Palmettos Plantation; Old Tom; Prioleau; Parnassus plantation; Sambo Hill; Red Bank Plantation; Sunnyside Plantation; Snows Point Plantation; Yeamans Hill Plantation; Woods Point Plantation; Liberty Hall Plantation; Melgrove Plantation; White House; Historic Background Research; Records Search / Inventory Checking; Heritage Management; Sunnyside; Woods Point; Back River
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6067/xcv8448184; https://core.tdar.org/document/448184/a-history-of-the-lands-occupied-by-naval-weapons-station-charleston

This report concentrates on the history of the plantations that were once located within the boundaries of Charleston Naval Weapons Station (NWSC). The NWSC is a large tract (17,000 acres) situated on the west side of the Cooper and Back Rivers, approximately 15 miles from Charleston. Currently comprised of four main areas: Northside, Marrington, Southside and South Annex, the land occupied by NWSC was home to many historic plantations. Each of the four large modern tracts is a collection of multiple historic smaller tracts. These historic tracts were of modest size, between 300 and 1,000 acres. Available official records offer few details as to how the properties were used. Deeds that extend back to the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries rarely describe buildings or other improvements. Archaeological evidence, however, indicates that NWSC lands were used extensively for the production of bricks as well as for rice agriculture. Documentary evidence from wills, probate inventories, and census records support the material evidence for bricks and rice.