The Tiny Fishing Town In South Carolina That Survived Against All Odds
By Robin Jarvis
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Published January 20, 2018
Shortly after midnight on September 21, 1989, one of the great old fishing villages in the state received a test. It was a battle of man versus nature as Hurricane Hugo ripped through McClellanville, South Carolina (1989 population: 333 residents) destroying, moving, toppling and stealing every possession the residents held near and dear.
The first three photos below reportedly show the community a full NINE MONTHS after Hugo came and went.
The Category 4 hurricane sent many area residents to the local shelter at Lincoln High School. However, the surge brought with it so much water that it filled the gymnasium and the residents had to climb into the crawl space between the ceiling and the roof to escape drowning.
Those of us who didn't ride out the storm in McClellanville will never know the terror they suffered in those hours and months/years afterward.
But what we do know is that it's hard to keep good people down. It's going on 29 years since the tragic storm took so much from the poeple of McClellanville. But OH HOW they have bounced back!
Even though their commercial boats were found in the streets and yards all over town after that night, the fishing community is thriving in McClellanville, one of the last great fishing towns in South Carolina.
And the faith of the residents still carries them through trying times, whether it be another impending storm, or simply helping a neighbor in a time of need.
Since Hugo, the population in McClellanville has grown 61%, up from 333 residents in 1989, to a 2016 estimate of 543 folks who call this tiny town home.
You can take just one look at this sleepy bedroom community and see why people are moving here. Right?
Many of those residents live right in town, in perfectly unpretentious housing with the proverbial white picket fence every little girl dreams of.
There are enough businesses right in town to handle some of the daily needs, like a bite to eat at T.W. Graham & Co.
Or breakfast over at the McClellanville Diner, where you'll never get a bad cup of coffee.
The town has a museum and this little art gallery, run by a group of local artists.
And of course, since this is a fishing town, there is the annual Blessing of Fleet to look forward to each spring.
As for Hugo? We're certain that tragic disaster is one the people of McClellanville would rather never repeat. And we hope the same. Either way, as a state, we're proud of our little McClellanville for bouncing back and surviving against all odds.
Were you around for Hurricane Hugo? Did you get any damage in your little corner of the state? Feel free to continue the discussion in the comments.
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