Basic Information

• Location – Pocotaligo River, Brays Island, Prince William Parish, Beaufort County

  Located south of US 21 on Brays Island Drive
  

• Origin of name – Though no official record exists, it was perhaps named for William Bray, an Indian trader in the area as early as 1704. Bray was killed in the Yemassee War of 1715 (Northern Money Southern Land, p. 15).
  

• Other names – ?

• Current status – Privately-owned community
  

Timeline

• 1683 – William Hilton first discovered the island (History of Brays Island Plantation).
  

• ? – Richard Clark owned Brays Island (Northern Money Southern Land, p. 15).
  

• 1763 – Records indicate somebody by the name of Bowman owned a 1,293-acre tract which had been purchased from Richard Clark (Northern Money Southern Land, p. 15).
  

• 1798 – Plat shows 404 acres owned by Thomas Bowman (Northern Money Southern Land, p. 15).
  

• 1831 – Property sold to settle James Bowman's estate.
  

  930 acres sold to Mary B. Stuart for her son William Cuthbert (Northern Money Southern Land, p. 15).
  

• Lost by the Cuthberts through foreclosure after the Civil War (Northern Money Southern Land, p. 15).
  

• ? – J.K. Hollins was owner in early 1930s (Northern Money Southern Land, p. 12).
  

• 1937 – Brays Island was purchased by F. B. Davis (Northern Money Southern Land, p. 15).
  

• 1938 – Davis built a house but did not make Brays Island his permanent residence until 1959 (Northern Money Southern Land, p. 16).
  

• 1962 – F.B. Davis died leaving a large mortgage. Nearby Huspah Plantation owner, Sumner Pingree, Jr., purchased Brays Island (Northern Money Southern Land, p. 16).
  

• 1987 – Pingree turned Brays Island into a privately-owned community with open land and 252 areas of building lots (Northern Money Southern Land, p. 16).
  

• 1998 – Brays Island Plantation was conveyed to the Homeowners' Association of Brays Island Plantation (History of Brays Island Plantation).
  

Land

• Number of acres – 1,293 in 1763 (Northern Money Southern Land, p. 15); 930 in 1831 (Northern Money Southern Land, p. 15); 5,500 in 2010 (Brays Island)
  

• Primary crop – Historically cotton and rice (History of Brays Island Plantation) and in modern times Aberdeen-Angus cattle under Davis (Northern Money Southern Land, p. 16)
  

Owners

• Chronological list – Richard Clark, Thomas Bowman (1798), James Bowman (?-1831), William Cuthbert (1831-?), J.K. Hollins, F.B. Davis, Jr. (1937-1962), Summer Pingree, Jr. (1962-1998), Homeowners' Association of Brays Island Plantation (1998-present)
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – ?

Buildings

• During the Civil War, a house near the Pocotaligo River was destroyed by Union troops (Northern Money Southern Land, p. 15). Davis would build a house in 1938 as well as a carriage house. Both of these building have been converted into the Brays Island Inn property (History of Brays Island Plantation).
  

Web Resources

• Brays Island Plantation: Click here

• History of Brays Island Plantation: Click here

Print Resources

• Initial references: 1, 2, 4, 6, 26, 67

• Northern Money Southern Land, The Lowcountry Plantations Sketches of Chlotilde R. Martin edited by Robert B. Cuthbert and Stephen G. Hoffius, Publisher, The University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, S.C.

Contact Information

• Brays Island Plantation
  115 Brays Island Drive
  Sheldon, SC 29941
  

  Telephone: 866-320-1201
  Website: Click here

More about Beaufort County

• Learn more about historic Beaufort County, including the lovely town of Beaufort SC as well as Hilton Head. We have helpful guides to Beaufort SC history and Beaufort SC libraries and museums – plus Beaufort SC restaurants, Beaufort SC bed & breakfasts, Beaufort SC hotels, and Beaufort SC real estate.