Daufuskie Island Real Estate - Hilton Head Island, SC
Daufuskie Island Real Estate Listings For Sale
Rarely will you hear the sound of an automobile motor; preferred transportation is a golf cart while walking, biking and even an occasional horse-drawn carriage rides from the island's equestrian centers. Daufuskie’s approximately 5,200 acres are only accessible by boat, ensuring the maintenance of the traditional lifestyles preserved by the island’s slight population of less than 500. Daufuskie Island developments existing on this 5-mile by 2 1/2 mile paradise: Haig Point, Melrose, Bloody Point, Beachfield, Oak Ridge Tract, and Webb Tract.
Security Features:
Only Haig Point and Daufuskie Club and Resort are gated-entrance communities, and each prohibits automobiles.
Daufuskie Island History:
History Life on Daufuskie Island can be traced as far as 9,000 BC, starting with groups known as the Woodland Indians who left traces of their existence through pottery remains and shell rings in the area. The Cusabo Indians came before the seventeenth century Yemassee Indians of Florida; even the name Daufuskie means “land with a point” in an Indian dialect. Nearby Hilton Head Island’s written history begins in the 1500s with Spanish explorers, closely followed by the English captain William Hilton in the mid-1600s. Thomas Cowte received the first land grant to Daufuskie Island from Britain in 1707, and Captain John Mongin received a deed from Britain in appreciation for his pirate control. The 1700's and 1800's saw Daufuskie Island thrive on the production of "Sea Island Cotton". This crop, with the prettiest and longest fiber of any cotton, was more profitable than even tobacco; unfortunately, it also used slave labor, triggering the trade of thousands of people from the west coast of Africa. The original 1848 Melrose Mansion (built on the same site as its modern namesake community) had acres upon acres of roses, flower gardens, fruit orchards, and every luxury for the affluent of that time. The family moved to Savannah when Union forces took Daufuskie in 1862 and tore down every plantation but theirs; then the Stoddards returned in 1865 to restore the home and land until the family’s father died, at which point all the land was divided. The tracts that we know today were split into three: Bloody Point went to one son, Oak Ridge to another, and Melrose to a third. The mansion burned in 1912. The Great Depression of the 1930s forced all but 300 Daufuskie residents to leave and find new jobs; the rest stayed for oystering (at the time, oystering was the only means by which to earn a living other than cotton and vegetable farming). In 1972, Sea Pines’ Charles Fraser purchased 700 acres across the water from South Beach. Unfortunately, he soon lost his hold on the parcel due to poor finances. Later, in 1979, more developers with eyes bigger than their wallets purchased most of Daufuskie’s acreage and quickly resold huge portions to International Paper Realty Company by 1984. In the same year, the Melrose and Bloody Point areas were purchased by the new Melrose Company. Haig Point, on the northern tip of Daufuskie, was first purchased by Scottish merchant George Haig in the 1600s, who named the area for himself. International Paper started the Haig Point community’s development in 1986. In 1997, the Melrose Company holdings were purchased by ClubCorp of Dallas, who combined properties of Melrose and Bloody Point to Daufuskie Island Club & Resort. In May 2002, Daufuskie Island Properties, LLC purchased the property. In May 2003, the property was renamed Daufuskie Island Resort & Breathe Spa. Tiburon Hospitality Management LLC purchased Daufuskie Island Club & Resort in 2006, and quickly signed a decade-long management contract with West Paces Hotels (previously known as Ritz Carlton).
Amenities:
Two clubhouses at the Daufuskie Island Club & Resort, one at Melrose and the other at Bloody Point, present fine dining, lounges, grilles, pro shops, and dressing rooms in spaces totalling nearly 13,000 square feet of luxury. Haig Point’s clubhouse, in a restored mansion, contains men’s and women’s locker rooms, parlors for each, a pro shop, dining, a library, and an exercise room. The Atlantic beach stretches 3.5 miles, from the 14th green at the Rees Jones-designed golf course to the southernmost tip of Daufuskie. All over the island are small establishments offering goods and services with Daufuskie’s traditional style: Marshside Mama’s serves a delicious shrimp menu; island-made arts, crafts, and other gifts and goods can be purchased at the general store or pottery emporium; or book a history tour of the island to learn about the former cotton and indigo fields. Shrimping, fishing in the many lakes, lagoons and ponds, sailing, kayaking, water skiing, or just lazing around are all typical activities here. Although there are several homesites and fewer homes currently developed on the Oak Ridge and Webb tracts, access to the plantations' amenities can be acquired through Haig Point’s or Melrose’s membership packages. Plans for Oak Ridge will include a large nature conservatory, including walking paths, riding trails, and views of the ocean.
Activities:
Haig Point and Bloody Point Haig Point is Daufuskie’s 1100-acre private residential neighborhood, developed as an environmental conservatory under scrutiny of the International Paper Realty Corporation of South Carolina. Upscale golf greens sprawling across 27 holes, clay tennis courts, croquet, a sophisticated beach club, a riding stable, boating dock, and fitness trail make up the complex’s amenities. The clubhouse is a sprawling facility gracious in customer service as well as dining quality. Haig Point recently acquired a membership in the Audubon Society’s Cooperative Sanctuary Program, which focuses on protecting Daufuskie’s wildlife habitats. Haig Point’s private beach overlooks Calibogue Cay. The Beach Club with a heated swimming pool, the Strachan Mansion Community Center, and an equestrian center that offers riding lessons and trail rides for adults and children of all ages combine to provide fun and entertaining activities for guests and residents. A restored 1872 lighthouse converted to a Bed and Breakfast on Haig Point is available for private reservations as well.
Daufuskie Club and Resort Daufuskie Island Club and Resort, created by combining the Melrose and Bloody Point communities, is located on the seaward side of the island, south of Haig Point. This community used to be part of a private resort, but has now become publicly accessible. Three fine-dining restaurants, a beach club, tennis courts, and a Jack Nicklaus-designed green are only a few amenities offered here. The community is also home to a top-notch equestrian center, a sportsman’s club, and the upscale Breathe Spa. With Bloody Point’s golf course in the background, this destination spa assigns an individual coordinator to each guest in order to schedule exactly what the guest(s) desire. Facials, herbal baths, body polishes, and ethnic-specific treatments, to name a few, collectively form an extra slice of peace and tranquility on an already relaxing island. Bloody Point Plantation, so named for a 1700s battle between Native Americans and the settling British, lies on Daufuskie’s southeren tip and is part of the Daufuskie Island Club and Resort. It features over a mile of beach, an 18-hole golf course, and most notably the ritzy Breathe Spa. Bloody Point’s 1883 lighthouse is an interesting landmark: built like a normal house (unlike the typical tall, slender lighthouses), the southern Bloody Point lighthouse worked in tandem with the northern Haig Point lighthouse so that when their lights aligned, captains would know they were in the correct channel. Unfortunately, this lighthouse is now privately owned and is closed to the public. Sandy Lane’s two 18-unit oceanfront properties spread across seven of Daufuskie’s Bloody Point acres, and also has a private swimming pool for residents and their guests. Each unit is a three-bedroom and –bathroom building near the tennis and golf facilities where members can access all other Daufuskie amenities. Back To Top