City Directories and History: “Belle Isle plantation was laid out in 1801 and named by General Peter Horry, who carved the tract out of his Belle Isle in St. Stephen’s parish, Berkeley County. Horry had served under Marion in the Revolution; later he wrote a history of Marion’s brigade. The lovely gardens of Belle Isle have been open to the public for many years under the present Johnstone family ownership. Down Winyah Bay a few miles is a plantation called Estherville, in honor, supposedly, of Esther Allston Johnston, wife of Archibald Johnston, who came into possession of this portion of huge Winyah Barony during the mid-1700’s. Winyah Barony dating back to 1711, originally included some 12,000 acres along the bay. By about the middle of the 18th century, it was being divided up into smaller tracts and sold, forming smaller plantations. The barony is named, of course, for Winyah Bay.”
Early postcard view of the gardens at Belle Isle. Courtesy of the AFLLC Collection – 2017
This rice mill chimney is significant as one of seven known extant rice mill chimneys in Georgetown County; the agricultural features are significant as exceptionally intact examples of historic rice fields; both are significant for their association with Belle Isle, which was one of several productive rice plantations on Cat Island. This Belle Isle should not be confused with the much better-known Belle Isle on Winyah Bay, on the mainland. That plantation was owned b)’ General Peter Horry, who had served as an officer with Francis Marion in the American Revolution. The Belle Isle on Cat Island was one of the two plantations owned by Richard Henry Lowndes. Lowndes also planted rice at Cat Island plantation, which adjoined Belle Isle. In 1850 these two plantations produced 360,000 pounds of rice with 147 slaves; by 1860 Belle Isle and Cat Island had increased their output to 800,000 pounds of rice with 105 slaves. After Lowndes’ death in 1905, Belle Isle passed to his son Richard I. Lowndes, who was the first president of the Georgetown Rice Milling Company. Belle Isle was renamed Black Out in the mid-twentieth century and is now known by that name. It is one of several Georgetown County rice plantations which are now in use as hunting clubs and wildlife preserves. (NR File History)
R&R HISTORY THREAD: NATIONAL REGISTER – IMAGE(S)
“Adjoining this plantation is another called for many years by the name Belle Isle. The present owners, Mr. and Mrs. William E. Phelps, however, changed the name to Black Out after erecting there a low, rambling black hunting lodge. Considering the isolation of the lodge and the island as a whole, such a name is appropriate, indeed.”
Information from: Names in South Carolina by C.H. Neuffer, Published by the S.C. Dept. of English, USC
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R&R HISTORY LINK: A SCHS Mag. Article, “Jonathan Lucas Builds Rice Mills” via Peter Horry…
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