Summerville: An American Center Piece



Posted: Friday, July 18, 2008

by
Charleston Perlo

An American Centerpiece

At its heart, Summerville is a Victorian village of cottages and wooden houses built under long limbs of oak and towering pine trees. Twisting, shaded streets weave in front of the houses carved from manicured forests. Riding trails and walking paths that ran between the river and the village's seven hills formed the village's streets. Today, circled by subdivisions and hidden by high density commuter traffic, shielded by a small business district, these neighborhood streets dapple the light and soften time by expanding the moment. These famous promenades and strolls showcase homes in natural settings that are an unique American centerpiece.

Along one road in time, the rector at Summerville's St. Paul's whipped out a pistol from under his vestments and shot two of a group of men who tried to plunder the town during the 1861 war. After the war, Mrs. Kitty Springs sold dry goods by carrying her trunk shows on the back of the wagon into the yards of society ladies who opened their homes to neighbors to privately view the latest fashions from New York City where Ms. Kitty went to buy. Fishing is now the town's most popular sport, next to high school football. In March and April of each year, parks and homes explode with spectacular Azalea blooms.

Beginning with Brown's, Captain Vose's, and the Paradise hotels as summer retreats an hunting lodges, Summerville's hospitality tradition burst into a Golden Age of Inns when the Pine Forest opened in 1891.

Proclaimed in Paris as a world center for respiratory healing, more inns followed as travelers, including Teddy Roosevelt and Elizabeth Arden, discovered the village's charms. Soon the Carolina, Halycon, Holly, Pine View, Postern, Squirrel, Travelers, White Gales, Wisteria Inns, and the Pinehurst Tea farm were favorites of visitors who often build winter homes, then stayed year round. Today, the Woodland Resort, the lowcountry's only 5 star property (3 bell persons appear for each vehicle, one each side and rear), and a new generation of private inns recall the high standards of service and the rich offerings when Summerville was the first choice for SC visitors.

Walter Rhett Walter Rhett attended Ohio State and writes from Charleston, SC. He writes about national and global affairs with an eye on Southern history and culture and enjoys listening to his readers.

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