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I'll see if I can dig up some old pictures. The last time I was there was in the early 1970's. When I first started going there (early 60's), there weren't any condo's, and the pier was open to the public. And the pavilion was great! As I recall (and I'm really reaching here), Lachicotte's was a small mom and pop grocery store at the corner of the north causeway, and Ocean Hwy. Yeah, it's been a while.
Now that was the old Pawleys, back when there were still trees along Hwy 17... In fact, as I recall, Hwy 17 was a little-used 2-lane road with very little but trees after you headed South from MB. As a high-schooler in the 60's we would head to MB in the summer, then hitchhike down to Pawleys Pavilion to meet nice Christian ladies. If you had trouble catching a ride back northward, Hwy 17 was a dark, lonely place. We've vacationed in the area ever since, finally moving here about 11 years ago.
The island itself and Pawleys Creek is still a treasure during the offseason. When summer rolls around, there are more folks than there is parking, and it becomes a hassle. The local gendarmes have their hands full keeping everyone happy. Oystering and clamming has been banned in the creek for quite awhile, due to run-off pollution, another sign of the times. There's still some decent shellfish up in Murrells Inlet, but it's hit hard. Times do change...
If you remember the Pavillion, you'd love the annual Pawleys Pavilion Reunion, held near the site of the last Pavilion. They set up an open-air wooden dance floor, bring in a beach music band, and party down. It was held annually for about 10 years, then the economy shut it down for a couple years, but it's been resurrected for this May. IMO, it's by far the best thing that happens around here.
Would luv to see some of your old pics. In fact, Georgetown County has started an Online Digital Library of area photographs from the past. I've talked with the lady there a couple times, and she is very anxious to add items to their collection. If you want to drift back in time for a little while, it's well worth checking out.
I have great memories of our family vacations on Pawleys Island. I do remember going into the pavilion, but I was pretty young at the time. Maybe 5 or 6 years old (early 60's). I remember thinking, I can't wait until I'm old enough to hang out here. What ever happened to the pavilion? Did it burn down? I also remember being bummed out when the pier became private, and we couldn't go fishing on it anymore.
I never did go oystering, but in an effort to catch shrimp, my father and I did pull a seine in the creek quite a bit. You had to wear an old pair of tennis shoes, so your feet wouldn't get cut up by the oyster shells. And I did a little crabbing, too. Tie a chicken neck to a string, and slowly real the crab in, so you could net him. Lots of fun!
Thanks for the link to the the Georgetown County Library. I ran across it last year, when I started doing some research on my family's history. There are a lot of old pictures of relatives and (former) family properties in the South Santee Plantation scrapbook. But I didn't realize there were so many old pictures of Pawleys Island. I'll have to check them out.
I am all for change as it comes with time but like you I wish for the overbuilding and destroying of history to stop.
We have enough buildings, hotels etc and need to find ways to protect things like you just discussed.
As a kid we got to travel all over the eastern beaches, as and adult I have been lucky enough to do the same. Now our kids have got to do it and one thing I have seen since I was a kid was growth removing things like you posted about and that is not good.
One day we will look back and wonder why the heck did we do that.
Your status is also cool.
Life is a beach, then you die.
Drop me at the ocean with a cooler of tea, a chair, sunscreen and I am one happy mother watching my DH and kids body surfing, building sandcastles etc.
We have enough buildings, hotels etc and need to find ways to protect things...
Right on, Sunny. There are some very special places in this world, and the reality is that too many of us want to be there. Unfortunately, in doing so, we too often destroy the things that make the place special. We have all probably experienced it. As a tourist, I've had the misfortune of watching it happen to Key West, and as a resident, watching Pawleys Island change. I fully recognize that, by moving here, I am part of the problem.
When our grandkids are down here, I always take them to Georgetown or McClellanville to see the shrimp boats. The local shrimpers are a dying breed, and this may be the last significant generation around here. While the shrimpers may hang around for awhile in the Gulf, it's become impossible for them to compete long-term with the cheap, tasteless, steroid-filled pen-raised shrimp that are imported from the far east. It's a shame that so many folks don't know or don't care. Watching shrimp boats work just offshore is one of my favorite memories from childhood, and it's sad that my great-grandkids will never have the opportunity to see that.
Lyndon Johnson was, by no means, by favorite president, but he left us with one of my all-time favorite quotes: "If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them with a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it."
I started to dig through my boxes of old family papers, today, but I only got as far as the first box. I haven't found any family pictures, yet, but I did find some really old stuff. Some hand written documents that definitely have some historical value to the St. James Santee Parish. I also found an 1897 Georgetown Semi-Weekly newspaper. I suppose someone kept it, because at the time, a family member was the editor. I also found an 1887 Charleston newspaper, though I'm not quite sure what the specific significance of it is. Some other old books and papers, too. Some of this stuff probably belongs in a museum.
Hopefully I'll find some family pictures from Pawleys Island, as I dig through more boxes.
Oh, and I found my HS diploma, too. Not sure why it was in that particular box, though.
Oh, and I found my HS diploma, too. Not sure why it was in that particular box, though.
Hang onto it. One day, it will also represent an old, historic event! If you ever think about loaning some of the items to a museum, Georgetown is getting their act together with a nice county museum. I'm sure they would be interested in your items.
You know, if I lived any where Georgetown, I would take all of my old "stuff" to the museum in a heartbeat. I don't have the knowledge or expertise to preserve this stuff properly, and I would hate to see it lost forever. But I live in Texas, and that would have to be a well planned trip. On the other hand, this stuff has lasted for 125+ years in the back of my closet. Hopefully, I can get it to a museum some day.
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What ever happened to the pavilion? Did it burn down? I also remember being bummed out when the pier became private, and we couldn't go fishing on it anymore. 
If you ever think about loaning some of the items to a museum, Georgetown is getting their act together with a nice county museum. I'm sure they would be interested in your items.
