SI Mag 3.3

17 www.SullivansIslandMagazine.com | www.SullivansIslandHomes.com [ Feature ] for the three years the law was on the books, no African slaves were brought here. After the original law expired, it was renewed multiple times in various forms, from when the slave trade started up again in 1749 until about 1775. During this time, there are still many unanswered questions about the use of Sullivan’s Island as a quarantine station, according to Butler. This includes how rigidly the law was enforced and whether merchants sent all ships through quarantine. Or were ships stopping at Sullivan’s Island because it gave slave traders an opportunity to clean, dress and feed the slaves before selling them? Butler believes that through continued research and further evidence, there will be a more accurate explanation of the journey. “This evidence will also help us understand how many people came to Sullivan’s Island,” Butler said. Telling the whole story From 1787 to 1803, it was illegal to import Africans into the newly formed United States. During this time, the use of Sullivan’s Island as a quarantine location began to wane and made way for its more modern use by the 1790s, when wealthy Charleston residents discovered the appeal of the island’s breezes and beaches. They petitioned the General Assembly to build a summer resort on Sullivan’s Island and later to move the quarantine station to James Island. From 1804 to 1808, ships were brought to Point Comfort on James Island for quarantine. “Somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000 Africans passed through here during that time,” Butler revealed. The fact that Africans entered this country at James Island is something that hasn’t been talked about before, he said. There are no historical markers there, and the exact location of Point Comfort also is unknown at this time. When it comes to Sullivan’s Island, Butler emphasized, “I’m not trying to disprove the story of what happened here or what makes it an important place for so many Americans.” Instead, he hopes to show the island’s role in the bigger picture. “This is a Charleston story, a James Island story, a Sullivan’s Island story,” he said. It’s a story that needs to be told and not forgotten. Visit the Charleston County Public Library website at www.ccpl.org to listen to Dr. Butler’s podcast, “Charleston Time Machine.” Designing timeless homes and enduring renovations on these Islands, for the past 20 years. ARCHITECTURE + INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE + INTERIOR DESIGN 843.883.9190 | 2214 Middle Street, Sullivan’s Island | herlongarchitects.com