Bloody Point, South Carolina facts for kids

Bloody Point is a community located on the very bottom tip of Daufuskie Island in South Carolina, United States. It has the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Mungen River on the other. It's a place where people live and enjoy the beautiful coastal scenery.

History

Bloody Point was one of the first areas on Daufuskie Island settled by early European colonists in the late 1600s and early 1700s. It became famous for a very fierce battle that happened there in 1715 during a big conflict called the Yamasee War.

After Europeans had divided up the island, the Spanish, who had settlements in Florida, didn't like the English settlers being so close. So, they encouraged and paid Yamasee and other local Native American tribes to attack the English settlements on Daufuskie. During one of these attacks, so much fighting happened that the beaches at the southernmost tip of Daufuskie were said to have run red with blood. This is how the area got its name, "Bloody Point."

Bloody Point was the site of three smaller battles before the American Revolutionary War. The Native Americans eventually lost these battles, and their land was taken. This led to a time when large farms, called plantations, became common on Daufuskie. Throughout the 1700s and 1800s, Daufuskie had twelve farming plantations. They were known for growing a special type of cotton called Sea Island Cotton.

When cotton crops were destroyed in 1922, catching oysters became the main way people made a living on Daufuskie. Not many people lived in the Bloody Point area at that time.

In the 1980s, people who build new communities saw Daufuskie as a great place for homes near the ocean. In 1984, businessmen from Hilton Head bought land in the middle and southern parts of Daufuskie. This led to the development of Bloody Point and Melrose, and the creation of a company called the Melrose Company.

Bloody Point and Melrose became the locations for two golf courses and resorts. The Bloody Point Golf Course was first built in 1991. It was designed by famous golf course architects Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. However, both golf courses later had financial problems and became run down. The Bloody Point course was closed from 2008 to 2011.

A new owner bought Bloody Point Golf Club in 2011, and it is now getting a complete makeover of its buildings and grounds. A famous golf course design team, the Davis Love Design Group, is currently making the golf course new again. Thirty-two fancy homes right by the ocean have been built at the northern end of Bloody Point. Also, 110 lots are located near the ocean, the Mungen River, or the Bloody Point Golf Course. What was once a spa at the Daufuskie Island Resort is now being turned into a new hotel called the Bloody Point Inn.

Historical sites

Bloody Point is also home to several historic places. These include the Bloody Point Range Lights and the Silver Dew Winery. The Range Lights, which are like lighthouses that guide ships, were built around 1883. Their location, along with the Haig Point lights, helped ships travel safely to the port of Savannah.

The Silver Dew Winery, built in 1883, started out as part of the lighthouse building. It later became the first official winery in South Carolina. Papy Burn, who was the last assistant keeper of the lighthouse, lived there for over forty years. He used to make small amounts of wine for his friends by letting fruit juice change over time.