Pawleys Island has rich history filled with stories that began in the early plantation days and extend into modern times. Over the next few months, we will be releasing posts focusing on certain aspects of Pawleys history. From ghosts stories, the development of Pawleys Island, historic vacation homes and more; there are pieces of Pawleys Island’s past that yearn to be explored.
As I cross the causeway, smelling the sweet pluff mud and hearing the seagulls chattering overhead, my imagination turns to the older days before technology and without the stress from today’s world. How comforting it is to sit on the front porch, take a deep breath of salt air and listen to the familiar sounds of the beach. One of the allures of Pawleys Island is the sense that it has always been here, a familiar friend. Regardless of the personal changes throughout the year, the island remains stable.
Liberty Lodge is a historic Pawleys House and an iconic property on the island. Originally built on the mainland, known as Canaan Seashore, across the Pawleys creek. Around the mid 1850’s, the Ward Family disassembled the home and moved it to the present location at 520 Myrtle Avenue! In 1912, Cornelia Ehrich, the Great Grandmother of the current owners, bought the house and surrounding 10 acres for $5,000. In 1954, Hurricane Hazel deposited a rowboat onto the porch, surprisingly without damaging any rails! Up until the 1970’s, an artesian well on the property supplied the water for Liberty Lodge and several other surrounding properties. Liberty Lodge has stayed in the family and is now known as a popular rental home to many repeat vacationers, year after year!
The next time you’re vacationing at Liberty Lodge, keep an eye out for the original 1” by 12” wooden siding, hewn from single planks with some pieces in excess of 30” long. A keen eye will also spot examples of mortise and tenon joints that harken back to an older style of home construction. See if you can find some of the home’s architectural clues that belie its storied past.
