Gaillard Townsend Bailey
(Mother of Jimmy Bailey)
“My earliest memories of Kiawah go back to the 50’s when
I was a very young child. My mother and her good friend
used to pile the kids in the station wagon to take a day trip
from Rockville, our summer home, to Kiawah, a unique
island where we would picnic and swim at the beach. What
I remember about this magical place was a beautiful island
with lush foliage and dense forests and a beach with big
sand dunes.
A few years later, when I was in my teens, we visited
families who owned one of the original 9 houses on the
island. (Eugenia Road, I believe it was called). Every house
owner had an open army-type jeep and we would explore the
Island’s thick forest and never-ending dirt roads that always
seemed to end at the big mansion. (Vanderhorst)
I remember being very sad when I learned that the
Island had been sold and would be developed into a resort.
Fortunately, the vision of the developers was to protect the
natural beauty of this magnificent place. The richness of
Kiawah is unsurpassed by any place I have ever frequented.
No, it is not the desolate beach where we used to watch the
turtles lay their eggs, but it is a well- developed island where
the turtles continue to nest and the deer still roam. I am still
amazed by its beauty.”
Sidi Limehouse and Louise Bennett
Sidi Limehouse and Louise Bennett know a thing or two
about the Lowcountry and its barrier islands. They are both
South Carolina natives and have spent their lives in the area.
Today they are figures who are familiar to Kiawah residents
as the owners of Rosebank Farms on Betsy Kerrison Parkway.
Sidi recalls the day 70 years ago when he accompanied his
father to a meeting with C. C. Royal who offered to sell
Kiawah Island to him for $5,000.00. Mr. Limehouse declined
because he already had plenty to keep him busy.
At the time the Island was only accessible by boat. Sidi
has not always rejoiced in the development of Kiawah. His
preference would be to have maintained the entire place as
a natural park preserve. Even so, he finds time to fish near
the Ocean Course and support every effort to keep Kiawah
as a place where wildlife flourishes and habitat stays natural.
He also respects the efforts of early developers to preserve
the natural habitats of Kiawah as they initiated construction
on the Island. Both Sidi and Louise have spent a lifetime
celebrating the beauty of the area and generously supporting
efforts to preserve it for future generations.
WINTER/SPRING 2019 • VOLUME 41
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