For the last 20 years, visitors to a secluded part of James Island saw a sign made from a vibrant blue surfboard with pink and yellow stripes that said, “Welcome to Mosquito Beach, est. 1953.”
For the last few days, the sign has been missing. But no more, according to an area resident, former James Island Public Service District Commissioner Cubby Wilder, who lives nearby on Sol Legare Road.
Wilder told the Charleston City Paper this afternoon that the sign is on the way back to Charleston County after it apparently was discovered in an Upstate dorm room of a college student who was thought to be here on spring break last week. Charleston County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Alexis Douglas confirmed this afternoon that the sign is headed back to James Island from Clemson after authorities received a tip.
Wilder, who also has served as president of the Mosquito Beach Business Association, flagged down a Charleston County deputy on the afternoon of April 5, saying he last saw the sign at the corner of Mosquito Beach and Sol Legare roads on the day before.
Mosquito, what?
Mosquito Beach was a gathering place for African American residents and visitors during segregation and has historical significance as a community hub.
As described in a 2020 City Paper story, the Historic Charleston Foundation described how a 2017 grant from National Park Service helped it document the James Island community’s impact during the civil rights movement.
“Out of the five historic ‘black beaches’ in Charleston County, Mosquito Beach is the only that remains virtually intact, preserving an area that serves as a reminder of the American South during the years of Jim Crow when public beaches were segregated, reserved for white residents,” the story said. “In September 2019, the site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.”
No longer isolated
Ernest Parks, curator of the Seashore Farmers Lodge Museum and Cultural Center on Sol Legare Road, said the once-quiet community is no longer isolated.
“Outsiders are coming in, and they see what they want,” he said. It is unlikely the person who took the sign is from the community, he said. A Sol Legare resident, Parks stressed, “would not steal or desecrate one of the gems of Sol Legare.”
A Follow Beach artist, Parks said, donated the surfboard sign to the community about two decades ago.
Herb Frazier and Andy Brack contributed to this story.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.
