Sullivans Island Magazine, Summer 2016

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Many of us have discovered South Carolina-produced
sea salt and consider it an exciting new addition to
Lowcountry cuisine. Salt production along our coast,
however, has an extensive history. Early settlers observed
Native Americans extracting salt, and a salt extraction
facility was, in fact, operating near Georgetown as
early as 1793. Unfortunately, the production of salt
was limited and never supplied the needs of a growing
colony, so salt was imported from England, France and
the Caribbean. Prices ranged from 75 cents per bushel
to $7 for French salt. To an extent not truly appreciated
today, salt was vital for the survival of our colony, and
a local, reliable source was a political and commercial
necessity. Government and business leaders were so eager
to find such a source that they might not have exercised
proper financial care. The story of salt production in the
Charleston area and particularly on Sullivan’s Island is
an interesting yet cautionary tale – a tale that was all too
often repeated during the ensuing years.
Our story begins with the release of Ludwig Baron D.
Niroth in 1794 from the King’s London Bench and Fleet
Prison for Debtors. When he was given his freedom,
Ludwig married Lucy Fennell, the daughter of George
Fennell of His Majesty’s Navy. The young couple quickly
immigrated to the New World, leaving his creditors
behind. Landing in Charleston, Niroth sought to become
part of the Holy City’s elite by dropping his first name,
using his middle name, Baron, as a title. He apparently
was successful – an article in the City Gazette and Daily
Advertiser stated, “the citizenry of Charleston have
become enamored of having a Baron in their midst.”
Niroth and his wife had immigrated from a part of
England known for salt production and exportation
to the Americas, which probably explains his attempt
to establish a salt production facility in the Charleston
area. Claiming that enough salt could be provided for
local needs and export, Baron Niroth obtained the
permission of Gov. Edward Rutledge to use 11 acres on
the eastern end of Sullivan’s Island in early March 1799.
With an expectation of rapid profits, investors from
Charleston were persuaded to provide some $17,000
toward the venture. Work was begun by March, with
the construction of a wharf, a warehouse, vats and
crystalizing canals, along with a large two-story dwelling
with several outbuildings for the family.
Salt production is a more complex and labor-intensive
process than you might think. Saltwater is collected in
a reservoir, evaporated and then passed through three
ever-more-shallow evaporating basins. This creates brine,
which is then passed onto salt tables for final processing
and then purification. The initial production of brine
takes place March through September. The following
year, the concentrated brine is processed and salt is
harvested in August and September. Niroth’s initial
construction was not completed until the summer, past
the season for crystallization.
In February 1800, following the birth of a second
child, Lucy Fennell Niroth died at the age of 28.
Unfortunately, the child, Amelia, died in September
1801 of yellow fever. Niroth and his first daughter,
Charlotte, continued to live on the island.
Given his investors’ expectations of rapid profits,
financial woes soon befell the Baron. He faced multiple
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