"Plantations covered the island prior to the Civil War when they were occupied by Union soldiers. Freed slaves then occupied the island and grew cotton until fields were ruined by the boll weevil. Canning for the famous Daufuskie Island Oysters ended when local oyster beds were closed in 1951 due to pollution from the Savannah River.
"Electricity came to the island in 1953 and telephones in 1972; however, with few opportunities for work, the population shrank to less than a hundred people, leaving a legacy of rich Gullah history. In the 1980s, tracts of land facing the Atlantic Ocean were purchased, development began and the island was rediscovered as an historic treasure."
Briefly mentioned above is the unique Gullah culture that exists on Daufuskie. When the Civil War ended and slavery was no longer legal, plantation owners fled the island and left the land to the freed slaves. Living in isolation, the West African slaves were able to maintain their culture and pigeon English, which came to be known as Gullah.
You can only access the island by boat.
When you land on the island, you arrive at a small restaurant where they serve lowcountry food: biscuits, shrimp po'boys, Gullah deviled crab, black-eyed peas and more traditional southern food.
There are only about twenty cars on the island; most people travel by foot, bike, or golf carts.
Daufuskie has a wide variety of houses - everything from the most modest of trailer homes to a house once owned by Michael Jordan.
I'm not sure of the history, but the most beautiful part of the island is called Bloody Point.
That's about it! It's hard to take pictures from the back of golf cart, but it was a surprisingly awesome place!
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