Christening dress reportedly made from sea island cotton. Rose Hill Plantation, Bluffton, SC.
Photo by Bill Riski, 2018.
Presentation by Bill Riski, of the Dataw Historic Society, on the history of sea island cotton. He explains why plantations came to the sea islands, why this crop was unique to the sea islands, why it was so desirable, and why it disappeared. This presentation adds to the body of knowledge of the Sams of South Carolina. Though sea island cotton generated enormous wealth for a few, it required great suffering by many.
Errata:
- Chart #1 – The book Sea Island Cotton is by Richard Porcher, not Porter.
- Chart #1 – I forgot to mention the fourth primary source. The History of Beaufort County, South Carolina, Volume I by Lawrence Rowland.
- Chart #4 – Image of a cotton field in bloom is from Clemson University, not Columbia University.
- Chart #40 – Modern fine cotton from the southwestern U.S. is also called Supima cotton.
Sources
Porcher – The Story of Sea Island Cotton, 2010
Dattel – Cotton and Race in the Making of America, 2009
Rosengarten – TOMBEE, Portrait of a Cotton Planter, 1986
Rowland, The History of Beaufort County, South Carolina, Volumes I, 1996
[print_posts post=”” pdf=”yes” print=”yes” word=”yes”]