Port Royal Town Clock – Port Royal, South Carolina

Barry Gooch, who contributed the photo below, lived in Port Royal as a child and shares with us his knowledge of the area.

Barry writes: “The building shown to the left of the clock is Scheper’s Store. It was built in 1885 by F. W. Scheper. Mr. Scheper was a ship chandler and opened the store to support the burgeoning shipping industry in Port Royal. He also offered dry goods, groceries, as well as hay, and grain. Around 1900, he built an addition to the store which served as the local post office. The post office was relocated to a concrete building across the street after WWII. The post office addition was destroyed by Hurricane Gracie in 1959. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The registry states the store closed in 1950. This is incorrect. Mr. Scheper operated the store at least through 1956.

“A large two-story wooden building, formerly a tavern, stood on the opposite corner behind the clock. This was used as a warehouse until it too was destroyed by Hurricane Gracie. The Port Royal train depot was located near this intersection. The depot was the major debarkation point for young recruits destined for the Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot at Parris Island, across the river from Port Royal.”