Sullivan's Island Winter-Spring 2018-19

22 www.SullivansIslandMagazine.com | www.SullivansIslandHomes.com W hen I stopped by the Media Services publishing office several months back, Bill Macchio handed me a stack of dusty old documents – knowing that I live for local history – and simply said, “See if you can find some stories in these,” as he breezed out the door on the way to a meeting. Among the items, I found two faded books: “As I Remember It” volumes 1 and 2 by Betty Lee Johnson. Turns out, in the 1970s, Johnson had interviewed dozens of seniors who grew up East of the Cooper and compiled their oral histories into these two books. Some stories were published in a weekly feature in the East Cooper Pilot, which closed in 1979. These priceless memories of times and generations long-gone are not something you’ll find in any history book, and I am honored to share pieces of these Sullivan’s Islanders’ lives with you in this and coming issues, opening a small window to a century before us on these very streets. JOSEPHMC INVERNY SR. BornMay 1898 When Joseph Mc Inverny Sr., was a child, Station 22 was considered the “edge of town,” which was divided into Moultrieville and Atlanticville. Trolley cars ran on two- by-fours laid in the sand, and the conductor would carry a shovel in case boards had to be dug out. The ride to Mount Pleasant cost 3 cents. He remembers one World War I winter that was so cold that soldiers at the fort tore down nearby fences and several outhouses to use for firewood. If a soldier passed their home that winter, Mc Inverny’s father would often call him over and give him two logs to shoulder back to the fort for firewood. Mc Inverny said there was not much to do on the island as a child aside from chores, which consisted of feeding the chickens and cutting wood for the stove. For fun, he and his friends would go fishing or shrimping or watch the trolley go by and set small, flat “bombs” every six feet on the tracks and watch them explode as the trolley rolled over them. Mc Inverny also enjoyed the Atlantic Beach Hotel, which held dances and horse races and offered bathhouse rentals for people who wanted to swim in the ocean. During the Prohibition era, Mc Inverny said the laws didn’t stop most people from partaking if they wanted to, which he often witnessed firsthand while he worked at a downtown coal company. “One could buy all the moonshine they wanted right there at the dock. Boats often came in from Cuba with whiskey, and, when all else failed, there were always a few Coast Guard men who had it to sell,” he remembered. We Were Sullivan’s Island By Anne Shuler Toole Photo courtesy of Hal Coste. Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse - June 1965.