A postcard of Osceola's grave and entrance to Fort Moultrie. The back of the postcard reads: "Fort Moultrie successfully defended the harbor against the British fleet under Sir Peter Parker. It is now a modern Coast Artillery Defense and Army Post."
A postcard of the Post Quearters and Parade Ground of Old Fort Moultrie. Back of the postcard reads, "Fort Moultrie on Sullivans Island has figured extensively in history. During the Civil War, the Fort was abandoned, when Charleston Harbor was evacuated in 1865. It is now a modern Coast Atillery Headquarters."
A postcard of Oceola's [sic] gravestone at the enterence of Fort Moultrie. The grave reads, "Patriot and Warrior Died at Fort Moultrie January 30th, 1838." The back of the postcard notes that it was "Made in Germany no. 1938."
A postcard of the highway entrance to Fort Moultrie. The back of the postcard reads, "Shown in this view are the old guns left from past days, the grave of Osceola, famed Indian chief, and the road to the modern coast artillery headquarters. This Fort successfully defended the Harbor against the British Fleet under Sir Peter Parker."
Doris Dayhoff was born in a house on Sullivan’s Island on March 5th, 1928. During this interview, she recounts her early childhood growing up on the island. Her father worked as a tugboat captain and an oysterman. Her mother was postmistress at the Atlanticville Post Office. The family home was at Station 26 ½ and Myrtle Avenue on the marsh side of the island, locally referred to as “the back beach.” Property research indicates the land was originally part of a “King’s grant” in the Colonial era. Dayhoff helped her father with his oyster business, selling pints of fresh oysters for only 25 or 50 cents each. Dayhoff attended elementary school on Sullivan’s island. For high school, Dayhoff first attended Memminger on the Charleston peninsula, though she attended and graduated from the newly opened Moultrie School. Much of her time was spent on the beach with friends, and in this interview Dayhoff recounts an instance when one of her friends nearly drowned. Dayhoff also recalled how, despite there being only a few stores on the island, one store operated a delivery service for the residents of the island, including going to the house of customers to take their order. Dayhoff was in high school when World War II started. She described the island’s initial reaction to Pearl Harbor. Like most all the other girls on the island, Dayhoff was recruited during the war to go to the local USO clubs as a volunteer to dance with the servicemen. Dayhoff recounted how some of the airmen would later fly over the beach and dip their wings to say good-bye to the girls as they flew off to war. Dayhoff described the stresses of living on the island during World War II, including blackouts, rationing, and evidence of U-Boat activity. A GI from Ft. Moultrie eventually asked Dayhoff to marry him, which she did. Doris describes in detail the origins of Sullivan’s Island Baptist Church, which she has attended for 68 years. Dayhoff discusses the changes the island has undergone in her lifetime, including the island demographics shift, the accretion of land and increased traffic on the island.
At one time there were so many Schirmers living on Sullivan's Island that the area around Station 19 and the Coast Guard Station earned the nickname, 'Schirmerville.' Ruth DeHaven is a member of that family that can trace its connection with the island back to the marriage of John Elias Schirmer to Helena Sass around 1800. Ruth's father as a young man would canoe to the island with his friends to spend time at a house called the 'Helluvajoint.' As a child, Ruth and her family would pack as many as eight or nine people into their car and as soon as school was out in the spring, drive to Sullivan's Island where they would stay until school started in the fall. Ruth goes on to detail many of the summertime activities she and her family engaged in, including fishing and crabbing on the rocks (jetties), shrimping in the creek, and swimming. After supper the adults usually turned to card games, often joined by 'Vincie' Coste, head of the Coast Guard Station. Other memories revolved around the Coast Guard including the bells that marked the hours, rescues of those in distress, and watching practices with breeches buoys. When the red hurricane flags went up, everyone plus dogs, chickens and goats loaded up the car and headed for Charleston. Ruth also covers relations with Ft. Moultrie, tensions during World War II, internment of German-Americans, disputes over which chickens laid which eggs, and lemon meringue pies. Her family was also close by when a runaway ship hit the Grace Memorial Bridge sending a car with five passengers to their death in 1946. The interview closes with Ruth's impression of the changes that have occurred on the island.
