Edisto Island

Book excerpt: Great fortunes were once made on tiny Edisto Island, as nineteenth-century planters and their families farmed indigo and cotton. Although the ancient, oak-shaded path to Edisto is now a highway, the trees overhead remain draped with lush Spanish moss, luring travelers to another era. Proud of their preservation of the island, residents here strive to maintain a lifestyle that is close to nature and removed from the hustle and bustle of city life. This remarkable new photographic history features over 200 vintage images, many never before seen by the public. With photographs of the founding planters and their families, homes, landscapes and beach views, and intimate views of everyday life on Edisto plantations, this book gives us a glimpse of what the "island experience" was like through the years.