Wildlife Removal in Sullivan's Island, SC

SULLIVAN’S ISLAND — Running low on gunpowder, Col. William Moultrie’s men timed their cannon fire carefully on June 28, 1776.

From behind the walls of a makeshift fortress made of palmetto logs and damp sand, the soldiers of the Continental Army’s 2nd South Carolina Regiment fought back the well-armed ships of the British Royal Navy.

And against all odds, they won.

America’s first decisive victory against British forces is a well-known story among South Carolina natives and locals. Now the Battle of Sullivan’s Island is commemorated in a new documentary produced in time for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.

“The Battle of Sullivan’s Island,” produced by Wide Awake Films and commissioned by South Carolina 250, premiered Nov. 6 to a packed house at the Charleston Library Society.

“Our team is dedicated to creating media that breathes new life into stories from the past and hopefully spurs new generations to get hooked on history. That's our mission,” said Shane Seley, founder of Wide Awake Films.

The 13-minute short film is available for free on the S.C. American Revolution 250 Commission YouTube channel. The documentary depicts the battle that proved to British forces that they wouldn’t easily lay siege to Charleston. The triumph is celebrated each year Carolina Day on June 28.

It took over a year to produce as the filmmakers poured over maps and books, researched period-specific military uniforms and consulted with historians. Rob Shenk, an SC 250 board member and chief content officer for Wide Awake Films, said the goal was to create an accurate retelling of the Battle of Sullivan’s Island and the critical moments that led Moultrie and his regiment to victory — and bring the story of this early American victory into the mainstream.

“This film was built to kind of build awareness, to be a vanguard, to help people to understand this important moment in our history,” Shenk said.

In the weeks leading up to the battle, Moultrie’s men constructed a fort with palmetto logs and sand. Though some had wavering faith in the makeshift fortress (Maj. Gen. Charles Lee dubbed it a “slaughtering pen”), the logs proved incredibly useful at absorbing blows from British cannonballs.

But that wasn’t the only reason for the American’s success.

The British Royal Navy hired local Black harbor pilots to guide their warships through the Charleston Harbor. With Moultrie’s regiment vastly outnumbered, the ships approached Sullivan’s Island in a major show of force against the American soldiers.

A trio of ships, the Sphinx, Syren and Actaeon, were dispatched by British Maj. Gen. Henry Clinton. They were to sail behind the fort. In their attempt to flank Moultrie’s troops, the three ships ran onto a hidden shoal. With these ships stuck on a sandbar, the soldiers on Sullivan’s Island only had the handful of warships on the British mainlines to focus on.

“Those three ships were trying to flank and provide enfilading fire down the side of the fort,” said historian Doug MacIntyre. “If they had succeeded in that, we would have lost, basically, because his men would not have been able to withstand that and fight.”

Still, the 2nd Regiment was extremely low on gunpowder and fired at the enemy ships only once every 10 minutes. Though the American blows were accurate, severely wounding British soldiers manning the ships and significantly damaging their artillery, a lone blow from a Royal cannon knocked down the fort’s flag.

The liberty flag, indigo-hued and bearing a white crescent, toppled from the fort. Sgt. William Jasper refused to continue the fight without the flag and successfully evaded enemy fire to retrieve it. He secured it once more over the fort — signaling to the British forces that the battle was not yet over.

As the sun set on June 28, a delivery of over 500 pounds of gunpowder arrived. The delivery from South Carolina president John C. Rutledge arrived at a critical time and gave Moultrie’s men the necessary power to deliver the final blows to the British. Clinton’s ships surrendered shortly after.

“The absolute victory for the Americans was a disgraceful disaster for the British. Following their defeat at Sullivan’s Island, the British military had no base for southern operations,” MacIntyre said. “They realized claiming Charleston and the South would not be easy.”

Despite British weaponry outnumbered the Americans’ 8 to 1, the British saw far more casualties than the Patriots. The 2nd Regiment reported 37 dead and wounded soldiers after the battle, compared to the 200-plus dead and injured soldiers recorded by the British. One Royal Navy soldier wrote that they “have never had such a drubbing” in their lives, describing the unexpected defeat.

SULLIVAN’S ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) — The final draft of the Town of Sullivan’s Island Sea Level Adaptation and Resilience plan is under consideration.

Town leaders are considering the final version of the plan before potential adoption on Tuesday evening.

Ideas for the Sea Level Adaptation and Resilience Plan began last April. The plan looks ahead to the year 2050 by creating community-wide recommendations to protect the island from future flood events.

An estimated $105,000 in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds along with a local match of $45,000, is going towards project plans.

Flood models and strategies ranging from regional collaborative projects to site specific efforts that can be conducted by residents are outlined in the document.

Kiel Shmidt voiced his thoughts during the plan’s public input opportunities. As a coastal geologist, he believes the plan is a beneficial move to protect the community as a whole.

Shmidt supports plan recommendations, including efforts that can take place at resident homes.

“What I do affects my neighbors and what they do affects me, so if they help themselves out with the recommended solutions…those are kind of couched in a way that they won’t detriment the people next to them," Shmidt says.

More than 100 recommendations are outlined in the plan that are designed to protect the island from future flooding.

Plan recommendations include for stormwater and drainage, zoning and land use, and natural resource protections.

Town Director of Resilience and Natural Resource Management Rebecca Fanning says the plan is also a basis for regional partners to apply to surrounding areas despite tailored efforts to the area’s unique soil and high-water tables that cause flooding.

“There’s a lot we can do to leverage our open spaces, collect rainwater before it enters our pipes and building resilience as a community by working together and collaborating,” Fanning says.

More than 30 solutions are nature-based, including bio-soils that filter runoff before entering stormwater structures.

Area residents had opportunities to share their desires of bringing prevention efforts up to speed with surrounding governments. Fanning says a new item outlined in the plan is designed to do just that.

“Vegetative buffers along the marsh front which help to decrease erosion on our marsh front while also trapping pollution that also comes from stormwater runoff,” Fanning says.

You can find the final draft of the plan on .

Just a twenty minute drive from Charleston’s stoic steeples and stately single houses, Sullivan’s Island, with its storybook cottages and pristine beach, is the charmingly sun-bleached answer to the Holy City’s pomp and circumstance. Sullivan’s is also a secret locals are keen to keep. The small island measures only two and a half miles long, but the town punches well above its weight when it comes to natural beauty, historical significance, curb appeal, and places to eat, drink, and shop. Here are the best things to do on Sullivan’s Island.

Enjoy the Outdoors

With 2.5 miles of Atlantic Ocean-fronting shoreline, Sullivan’s Island’s main draw is its pristine shoreline, a wide sandy stretch prime for sandcastle-building and sunbathing. Called “Stations” as a nod to the trolley line that once ran in the area, the island’s wayfaring points also serve as easy meet-ups for beach access. Each station has its perks: If you want to stay close to the main drag of Middle Street, with all of its restaurants and shops, Stations 21, 22, and 22 ½ are your best bets; If you want to be a little farther from the action and close to the lighthouse, try Station 18 ½.

Connecting the Charleston Light (the iconic black-and-white lighthouse) to Fort Moultrie (the Revolutionary War-era fort that’s now a National Historic Park), this two-mile trail winds through the island’s maritime forest for a different perspective of the spot’s natural beauty.

Savor the Impressive (Especially for Its Size) Food Scene

The Lowcountry is shrimp country, and at this fish-camp-inspired restaurant, you’ll find the best local ones, pulled straight from nearby Shem Creek. Try them fried with garlic aioli or stirred into fried Carolina Gold rice with fresno chilis and XO sauce. If you’ve got a thirsty crew, wash it all down with the Big Fish Jug of Margs.

sullivansseafoodandbar.com; 2019 Middle St., Sullivan's Island, SC 29482

With a menu inspired by local, seasonal ingredients and surrounds informed by the area’s maritime culture, the self-proclaimed “eclectic Southern” restaurant isn’t dishing what you’d necessarily expect for beach-town fare. That’s due largely in part to its chef, two-time James Beard Award nominee Jacques Larson, whose menu includes house-made pastas and “Lowcountry frites,” polenta fries served with comeback sauce. Not in the mood to come off the beach for dinner? Pick up a wood-fired pizza for a sunset picnic on the sand.

theobstinatedaughter.com; 2063 Middle St., Sullivan's Island, SC 29483

The sister restaurant to concepts first born in St. John and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, The Longboard celebrates seafood in its freshest, lightest forms, with dishes like poke bowls, ceviche, and sushi wraps. Don’t miss Oyster Happy Hour (weekdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and weekends 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.), with its rotating selection of the bivalves, served raw, grilled, dressed, or as shooters.

thelongboardsullivans.com; 2213-B Middle St., Sullivan's Island, SC 29482

When you’ve tired of seafood, settle into this local favorite for a pulled pork sandwich or perfect smoked wings. Better yet, order “The Board” for your crew of beach bums; it’s a sampler of wings, sausage, ribs, pulled pork, and turkey, served with a trio of their memorable sides, like the mac & cheese or collard greens. Be sure to try their signature sipper, the Gamechanger, a frozen fruity concoction with two kinds of rum. They even sell the mix, should you want to make it at home.

hometeambbq.com; 2209 Middle St.; Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482

So named for Edgar Allen Poe, the famed poet who was stationed on Sullivan’s Island with the U.S. Army in 1827 and 1828, the gastropub is the town’s destination for burgers and fish tacos. Roll off the beach in your cover-up and flip flops for lunch at one of the umbrella-shaded picnic tables out front.

poestavern.com; 2210 Middle St., Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482

Shop Local Favorites

Rethink the kitschy airbrushed-tee-filled surf shops you’re accustomed to seeing in beach towns. Generally speaking, that’s not the vibe on Sullivan’s, but especially not at this thoughtfully curated boutique, where Vogue veteran and owner Katie Poole sells effortlessly stylish women’s clothing (think hand-blocked prints and flirty silhouettes) and accessories, along with some kids’ offerings.

bennieandcoco.com; 2213 Middle St., Sullivan's Island, SC, 29482

Forget the stuffy gallery experiences you’ve had in the past. At this spot on the island’s main drag, you can shop everything from paintings to ceramics. And given that the welcoming spot highlights pieces at a variety of prices, you’re sure to find a memorable keepsake of your time in the Lowcountry. And should you make a detour to Charleston, be sure to visit its downtown counterpart Dare Gallery, on Broad Street, which has a contemporary sculpture garden.

sandpipergallery.net; 2201 Middle St., Sullivan's Island, SC, 29482

Shop handmade jewelry by SCAD grad Ashley Reid Martin, along with other giftable finds, like natural beauty finds and hand-painted greeting cards, at this bright and airy outpost that’s positioned in the middle of all the action.

shopgoldbug.com; 2205-E Middle St., Sullivan's Island, SC 29482

This special community gathering spot has a little something for everybody, peddling a wide-ranging collection of art and home and garden goods. Plus, they offer plant-potting services for the green-thumb-challenged and host creative events like sourdough workshops and Mahjong lessons.

makers-post.com; 2019 B. Middle St., Sullivan's Island, SC 29482

Discover the Area’s History

First settled in the late 17th century, Sullivan’s Island has its own Historic District that’s listed on the National Register. Stroll Middle Street, I’on Avenue, and Central Avenue between Stations 17 and 18 ½ to see private homes that once served as both military properties and residential dwellings and were built between 1870 (like the Dr. John B. Patrick House on Middle Street) through about 1950 (like the Fort Moultrie Chapel on Central Avenue, built in 1944). For true, stop-in-your-stroll cottage charm, make sure to walk past circa-1900 1808 I’On Avenue—a prime example of the architectural type. (Just don’t stare or linger for too long! It’s a private residence.)

Built in 1962 and officially called the Charleston Light, the black-and-white lighthouse that rises above the beach has become synonymous with the island—with most locals referring to it as the Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse. While it’s not open to the public, you can read the explanatory markers on your way to the beach at Station 18 ½. It also makes for a great photo opp from the sand.

Still under construction as the Revolutionary War began, this coastal garrison (the island’s first) was notably built from palmetto logs and sand. Even so, the British advance was thwarted by the defensive efforts there, saving Charleston from a 1776 occupation (it eventually fell in 1780) and it was renamed for its victorious Commander William Moultrie. The original fell into disrepair, as did the second that was built in its place. Finally, a third brick iteration was completed in 1809. It served as a garrison for the Federal troops, and once they abandoned it, by the Confederacy. It was modernized in the 1870s and was used until World War II. Operated by the National Park Service, it’s worth a visit for anyone interested in military history, as it’s been restored to showcase its various functions from 1809 to 1947.

nps.gov; 1214 Middle St., Sullivan's Island, SC 29482

Shipwrecks frequently get lost, but a search for four missing Civil War blockade runners off South Carolina has come to the unusual conclusion that at least three are now buried on land.

The fourth one is still unaccounted for off Fort Moultrie, but it’s also likely buried, according to the S.C. Maritime Research Division.

“Historical records indicate that several American Civil War blockade runners wrecked in the shallow waters around the fort, but their exact locations were forgotten,” the division reported in a social media post.

“Because Sullivan’s Island has been marching steadily southward ... since the construction of the Charleston Harbor jetties, what once was water for ships to wreck in is now dry land. The remains of these vessels are now buried deep below the beach and adjacent woodlot.”

The buried “magnetic anomalies” were found with the help of drones fitted with magnetometers, S.C. underwater archaeologist James D. Spirek told McClatchy News in an email.

“We launched aerial drone magnetometry over the suspected locations of the four wrecks. After a bit of adjusting to the magnetics, we believe we have located at least two or three of them: the Celt and either the Beatrice or Flora ... or both of them, as they lay close together,” Spirek said.

“I’m not sure why we didn’t locate the other one: Presto, as I know that it isn’t in the water. Back in 2001 and again in 2009, we had undertaken marine remote-sensing operations to locate these four and other blockade runners in the water. While detecting several adjacent to Bowman’s Jetty, we did not appear to locate the four. Which gave us the idea that they were now buried under the accreted beach.”

An analysis of their depth hasn’t yet been completed, but it’s estimated the three wrecks are “five feet or more” deep, he said.

“At high tide, most of the Celt would be underwater, but the Beatrice/Flora would still be dry,” he said.

The Celt was a sidewheel paddle steamer that ran ashore while trying to leave the harbor, historians say. Union troops boarded the vessel and “found the back or keel of the hull broken and full of water, decks ripped apart, and the boilers below water along with the machinery, and deemed it worthless to recover,” Civil War Traveler reports. A cargo of cotton was also found and salvaged to be taken North, the site says.

The survey was intended to find the wrecks so they can be protected, officials said. No further archaeological work is planned to find out exactly what survives in the ground.

However, additional drone surveys are planned to determine whether both the Beatrice and Flora were found, Spirek said.

The island in Charleston Harbor was the “first line of defense” for Charleston during the Civil War, and is now part of the National Park System, along with nearby Fort Sumter. The harbor played host to “a protracted struggle from 1861 to 1865 between Confederate defenders and Federal attackers,” the University of South Carolina reports.

Blockade runners were private vessels that worked to sneak cargo through Union blockades of southern ports like Charleston. Wrecks of the ships are today considered “nationally significant cultural resources,” historians say.

Over the past 15 years, a legal battle involving the Town of Sullivan’s Island’s maritime forest and some homeowners who front it has been tossed back and forth more than the sea spray along the accreted land in question. This month, the issue is again before the South Carolina Court of Appeals as the appellants respond to a 2023 decision ruling that a 2020 settlement with the town was unenforceable.

The nearly 200-acre maritime forest on the southern tip of Sullivan's Island has been described as resilient, flourishing, and protective — but the same could be said of the dispute between a few front beach property owners and the Town of Sullivan’s Island, the proprietor of the land in trust. Now back in court are the parties in a case that began in 2010, when oceanfront homeowners who could no longer see the ocean sought to force the town to trim and maintain original views of a shoreline that had moved farther away. Both parties are resilient — each has sued and countersued.

Things change — especially on a sea island. Sullivan’s Island is a barrier island, formed when water moves sand over time. Usually, barrier islands and oceanfront homeowners fight erosion and the very real threat of losing property. On the north end of Sullivan’s Island, this is the case. However, due to jetties built in the late 1800s, Sullivan’s Island is one of the few barrier islands in the United States with such extensive accretion of sand, land, and vegetation that a forest was created, sustained, and continues to grow.

Walk through the maritime forest today along sandy footpaths and wooden boardwalks and you’ll find secluded benches surrounded by thick underbrush and windswept trees. Many species of birds, butterflies, and bumblebees are visible, as are scurrying squirrels. Nocturnal creatures such as rodents, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, and coyotes remain hidden by day. Signs warn of coyotes in the area and of strong ocean currents, holes, and drop-offs — a caution to anyone who might swim nearby. Turn one way and see the beach as the path opens up; turn the other and catch glimpses of homes in the distance, obscured by trees and brush.

Ultimately, this maritime forest acts as a protector of the Sullivan’s Island coast. It absorbs wave and wind energy before it reaches inland, meaning the homes behind it are better protected from storms — as is Mount Pleasant.

This role of Sullivan’s Island as a Lowcountry protector is nothing new. Walk in the footsteps of history at the western end of the Sullivan’s Island Nature Trail in the maritime forest. Before the First Siege of Charleston in 1776, Col. William Moultrie led the construction of Fort Sullivan, the island’s first military fortification. It consisted of a 16-foot-thick palmetto cribbing filled with sand. During the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, the native sabal palmetto trees enabled Americans to fend off British warships, marking the first major victory of the American Revolution.

Sand and trees as protectors — that’s precisely the benefit provided by the maritime forest. Yet nature has a tendency to grow and change. That growth is at the root of the ongoing litigation. The appellants claim their property values have diminished because of the forest, yet a simple online search for homes along Atlantic Avenue fronting the maritime forest shows that the accretion is often listed as a positive feature, increasing privacy and protection while maintaining ocean views and access.

At the heart of this pending litigation is the notion that the Town of Sullivan’s Island is obligated to maintain the maritime forest vegetation — and that by not doing so, the town is in breach of contract. The most recent voided settlement spells out those obligations in detail. The original deed gives the town this power but does not obligate it.

Attorney for the plaintiffs, James Hood, said his clients “simply want the Town of Sullivan’s Island to do what it promised to do. Nothing more and nothing less.”

History of the litigation

After Hurricane Hugo ravaged the Charleston area and residents began to rebuild, the Town of Sullivan’s Island sought to protect the accreted land through a heavily restricted deed with the Lowcountry Open Land Trust. After watching a developer bulldoze accretion on Isle of Palms to make way for development, the town had the foresight to protect its own accreted land for residents’ safety as well as for its aesthetic, educational, and ecological value.

In 2010, homeowners Nathan and Ettaleah Bluestein, M.D., along with Theodore Albenesius III and Karen Albenesius, applied for a permit to cut down vegetation between their homes and the ocean. When they were denied, they sued the town (Bluestein v. Town of Sullivan’s Island). They argued that their property values were affected, that the forest was a nuisance harboring wild animals, and that their ocean views and breezes were obstructed. They pointed to the 1991 deed, claiming it required the town to keep the vegetation at the low-brush state that existed when the deed was enacted.

For a decade, the case went through several courts, including the South Carolina Supreme Court and the South Carolina Court of Appeals. In 2018, the Court of Appeals sided with the town. In 2020, the Supreme Court reversed the lower court’s ruling and recommended further proceedings due to the “ambiguity” of the 1991 deed’s language regarding maintenance obligations. A settlement was reached that same year, with the town agreeing to selective trimming — provided the homeowners obtained necessary permits and funded the work.

A new Town Council was elected in 2021. In 2023, it challenged the 2020 settlement, and a circuit court judge ruled it unenforceable, stating that a previous Town Council cannot dictate what a future Council must do with its governmental powers under the deed.

This month, the 2023 reversal was appealed by Nathan Bluestein and Theodore Albenesius III. Ettaleah Bluestein, M.D., passed away in 2019, and Karen Albenesius has since divorced and is no longer a plaintiff.

At the Oct. 8, 2025, hearing before the South Carolina Court of Appeals, the appellants’ attorney, James Hood, described his response to the nullification of the 2020 settlement:

“I think it’s illogical, and I think a conclusion that determines that maintenance of your property as you’re obligated to do it by the restrictive covenants that you negotiated, put on it, and then purchased it back — if you can’t do that as part of your proprietary function, then you can’t put on restrictive covenants. You can’t put historic easements. You can’t encumber property in the future.”

In response, attorney for the town, Greenville-based lawyer William Wilkins, argued that the 2020 settlement was too restrictive on future Town Councils.

“This prior Council is attempting to dictate to future Councils how it must spend taxpayer dollars of some unspecified amount. Without question, this is impairment of governmental powers.”

Looking forward

In April 2024, the Town of Sullivan’s Island hired a director of resilience and natural resource management, Rebecca Fanning, to use evidence-based decision-making to advise on land management and lead community engagement events fostering appreciation for the island’s natural resources.

Fanning said her role’s creation “has been a tremendous step in the right direction toward evidence-based land stewardship practices tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities of the barrier island environment.”

Sullivan’s Island is Fanning’s hometown, and she spent her childhood playing in the island’s maritime forest and forested batteries.

“I am uniquely aware of the forest succession that has taken place since the year Hugo hit,” Fanning said, “and the added value of those woods with their wonderful understories for providing forage and shelter for migratory warblers, nesting painted buntings, southern leopard frogs, fireflies, mosquito fish, praying mantises, and a host of other amazing creatures that call this place home.”

“Last year under my leadership,” she said, “several front beach homeowners pursued permits to remove more than 1,000 invasive popcorn trees from the maritime forest. Once the invasive removals were complete, I seeded the areas with beautiful saltmarsh mallow to suppress next year’s invasive reemergence, and a riot of pink blossoms emerged to greet the bumblebees that depend on native plant nectar and pollen to feed their young. We are only just getting that popcorn removal permitting process the attention it deserves, and I expect we will at least double that number this winter season.”

Town Administrator Joe Henderson said, “The town is committed to protecting its governmental powers by acting in the public interest on matters concerning the preservation and maintenance of the maritime forest now and in the future.”

At the Oct. 8, 2025, hearing, Wilkins also spoke about the validity of the 2020 agreement:

“This contract provides in perpetuity. It is to last forever, and that certainly is not a proprietary function that is appropriate. I might add that this contract says it is binding on the parties, their heirs, their successors and assigns, clearly making this a contract to last in perpetuity. The agreement also says it may not be modified or amended ‘except upon the mutual agreement of all parties and their authorized agents.’ This is clearly an attempt to give private citizens — the parties, their heirs, their successors and assigns and their authorized agents — the ability to veto any future act that any future Council wishes to take with regard to the accreted land.”

A land trust sign on the nature trail in the maritime forest claims this property at the heart of the lawsuit is “protected forever.” To many residents, it’s a promise of good stewardship for the future, but for a few, it’s a challenge — and a reminder that the fight continues.

The South Carolina Court of Appeals is expected to issue its decision by early 2026.