MORNING HEADLINES | Two new historic markers on James Island now mark the site of a Black farmers cooperative and a six-hole golf course that catered to Black golfers.
The Town of James Island sponsored the marker that honors the history of the Seashore Farmers Lodge No. 767 at 1898 Old Sol Legare Road.
Chartered in 1906 with the International Liberty Union and built in 1915 by independent Black farmers, the lodge provided resources for its members, including health and life insurance, farming supplies and educational opportunities.
It also hosted annual parades, community gatherings, vacation bible schools and raised funds to help families through hard times. In recognition of its historical significance, the lodge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
“The Seashore Farmers Lodge is part of what makes James Island so special,” James Island Mayor Brook Lyon said in a press release. “We’re honored to help celebrate its long and proud history.”
A link to the past
The Seashore Farmers Lodge joined the Smalls, Walker, Craft, Urie and Frazier families to sponsor a marker at the site of the former Little Rock Golf Club.
When the Charleston Municipal Golf Course was closed to Black golfers, Richard Smalls built the Little Rock for Black golfers.
Smalls had worked as a caddy at the Whites-only Country Club of Charleston. He used his knowledge of golf to design a six-hole course on eight aces in the Grimball Farms community.
The course opened in 1953, and Smalls charged golfers $2 to play the six par-3 and par-4 holes. It featured a club house, bar and an eight-room motel.
Smalls named the course Little Rock supposedly after he and the men in the community who helped him build the course found pebbles scattered on the land.
In 1958, golfers met at the Little Rock’s clubhouse to begin planning an effort to desegregate the city’s golf course.
They sued the city. A judge in 1961 opened the course to Black golfers. Business at the Little Rock declined, but the course stayed open until Smalls’s death in 1973.
The Little Rock Golf Course has been replaced with Fairway Villas, a small subdivision at the end of Little Rock Boulevard near Grimball Road.
“Integration was good, but it hurt my father’s golf course,” said Richard Smalls Jr. of Charleston. “I don’t know if he had regrets. As long as he could play golf after he came back from fishing, he was happy.” —Herb Frazier
In other headlines:
10 years later since the Emanuel A.M.E. Church shooting. The shooting happened on June 17, 2015 at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in downtown Charleston, leaving nine members of the church dead.
Nonprofit opens North Charleston boarding home for vulnerable adults. Berry Manor Boarding Home specializes in both memory care and supportive housing, providing affordable, long-term, nonmedical residential care to elderly, disabled and memory-impaired adults.
Charleston commission says King Street curfew won’t stop violence. A city commission opposes a proposed curfew along King Street after 9 p.m. for anyone 17 years old or younger, claiming it won’t prevent crime from happening in the proposed area of the ordinance.
Charleston City Council to consider contract for Hagood Avenue Improvement Plan. City leaders are assessing the road’s condition and are considering a contract with an engineering company to create a master plan, an environmental analysis and a new design to help alleviate flooding in the area.
Historic Charleston challenges height of hotel. The Historic Charleston Foundation filed an appeal late last week of the decision by the city’s Board of Architectural Review that gave conceptual design of the 27-room development.
How to help the Lowcountry Orphan Relief. Lowcountry Orphan Relief will be collecting emergency clothing and essential supplies for abused and neglected children in the area through June 16 to June 20. These items will be used to create Care Kits, Toiletry Kits and Back-to-School packages for children in need.
Anonymous donor gives $50M to MUSC College of Medicine. The Medical University of South Carolina recently received $50 million to its College of Medicine from an anonymous donor. The College plans to use the money to train more physicians, advance research, retain practitioners and innovative medical education.
‘Outer Banks’ puts out casting calls for extras in Charleston area. Stewart Casting, the casting agency for “Outer Banks,” posted they’d be needing extras the week of June 16.
Water main break closes down North Charleston roadway. All lanes of West Montague Avenue between Dorchester Road and Lawyers Lane have been closed because of the break.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.
