Sullivan's Island

The Island is a very singular one. It consists of little else than the sea sand and is about three miles long. Its breadth at no point exceeds a quarter of a mile." Edgar Allan Poe's terse description, from his story The Gold Bug, is essentially as true today as when it was written. Others, before and after Poe, have been captivated by "the Island." For a long time, Sullivan's Island was the only Charleston-area beach resort, and its importance in the nation's history gave it a special significance. From the Battle of Fort Sullivan (now Fort Moultrie) came the inspiration for the state flag and for the arms of the Great Seal of State. The unique architectural heritage of Sullivan's Island evolved out of this historical background. A visiting New York architect in the 1970s said, "This Island has the greatest assortment of styles and periods of architecture ever put together in one small area." However, an 1872 observer more accurately called the style of architecture "multifarious." He noted, "Everybody who builds follows his own ideas-in most cases comfort is consulted-and the resort is a varied collection of cottages and summer villas of every conceivable description.