Edisto Island Swing – Charleston, South Carolina

This swing hanging from the boughs of a large old oak tree on Edisto Island is definitely one-of-a-kind. Rusty Williamson of North Charleston provided an interesting story about this unique swing.

He writes: “Where that tree stands was once a run-down mobile home, owned by a native of the island we called ‘Tish.’ My uncle befriended him over the years and we got to know him fairly well. He would take us shrimping back in the creeks behind his property, land left to him by his mother, a direct descendant of the original slaves on the island. Many years ago, a highway patrol officer plowed his car through the mobile home after failing to maneuver the curve in the road. My uncle gave Tish materials to help repair the damage [along with] the first mattress that ever hung from that tree. The story I remember is that Tish’s wife would make him sleep outside in the summer when he took to fits of drinking and not bathing for a few days.”

The swing is located off of SC 174 – the same road as Edisto’s Mystery Tree.

SCIWAY thanks Joan Perry for allowing us to use her picture. She has a wonderful blog about the Lowcountry that we enjoy following.