Eric

Morris Island has been saved from development. An option to purchase now rests in the hands of the Trust for Public Land. Everyone in the United States should be pleased that a portion of their nation’s history has been saved. South Carolinians should be proud at what has been accomplished. Charlestonians have the right to be ecstatic at the outcome of what should be the last battle for Morris Island.

This last battle was characterized by an overwhelming amount of public and political support. Alex McMillan, former congressman, Civil War Preservation Trust trustee, and mentor, said it best when he stated: “The stars are in alignment.” He was correct, but the statement by itself does not clarify that the stars were helped into alignment by the hard work of so many.

There have been seven attempts to develop Morris Island. Some were stopped by the effects of erosion while others were stopped by public opposition. The Morris Island Coalition was formed in February 2004 when the S.C. Battleground Preservation Trust authorized me to form a coalition of like- minded groups to oppose the sixth attempt to develop Morris Island. The real impetus, however, came from fellow board member Nora Kravec, who eloquently convinced me that the voice of a few can actually make a difference. She should be considered the first star in the sky over Morris Island.

Together, we formed the Morris Island Coalition. Our board consisted of groups representing the Civil War Preservation Trust, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the S.C. Battleground Preservation Trust, the Coastal Conservation League, the Robert Lunz Group of the Sierra Club, 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 37th Texas Cavalry re-enactors, Folly Island Voters’ Association, Surfrider Foundation-Charleston Chapter, the 27th S.C. Volunteer Infantry, the Palmetto Battalion, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans: Fort Moultrie and Secessionville Camp.
Although they could not take an advocacy position, the park rangers of the National Park Service in Charleston promptly supplied any historical information requested. Recently retired Superintendent John Tucker and his park rangers, Michael Allen, Rick Hatcher and Carlin Timmons, deserve to be commended as outstanding stewards of part of our nation’s history. I am officially petitioning Encyclopedia Americana to have their pictures added to the definition of steward.

All coalition members gave insight and wisdom, adding more stars to the sky. Without a doubt, we would not, however, have been able to attain the success we have today without the guidance and financial support of the Civil War Preservation Trust in Washington. They sponsored our Web site, and created publicity for us by putting Morris Island on their Top Ten Most Endangered Civil War Battlefields list. They also funded the Mason Dixon research poll last year, showing overwhelming public opposition to the development of Morris Island.

The Civil War Preservation Trust held their board meeting in Charleston last weekend to focus on the severity of the imminent plan to develop the island. I told their board of trustees then that I truly felt that the Morris Island Coalition would not have succeeded in helping to preserve the island had it not been for the role played by the Civil War Preservation Trust. Their star glows brightest of all.

Our job was relatively easy, for hardly anyone wanted to see the island developed, including the island’s owners. The sixth developer dropped his option to purchase in the face of public opposition and financial limitations. The seventh and last development focus came from the Ginn Company. We felt that there was room to negotiate a happy solution if the Ginn Company realized how important Morris Island was to our nation’s history. Indeed, Bobby Ginn is a South Carolina native who fondly remembers his boyhood trips to the island.

The coalition brought the issue to the public, who besieged The Post and Courier’s opinion page with their overwhelming opposition to the development plan. Armed with this mandate from the public, Charleston County Council members Henry Darby and Colleen Condon co-sponsored a council resolution opposing development on Morris Island. It passed unanimously.

With such a chorus of voices speaking in unison, we needed a political figure who believed in the island’s value to speak for us. Mayor Riley volunteered to contact Bobby Ginn and ask him to allow the island to be purchased by the preservation community. To hisimmense credit, Mr. Ginn readily agreed, confirming the right for a star to be named “Ginn.” The chairman for the Trust for Public Land, David Agnew, by all accounts, negotiated a fair and reasonable price for the island, allowing all parties involved to be pleased with the outcome. Mr. Agnew’s star shines brilliantly above Morris Island.

Indeed, everyone involved with Morris Island is a winner. Our elected officials listened to public input and then made appropriate decisions. The Ginn Co. deserves the majority of the accolades for responding sensitively and realistically to public will. The preservationists will see the island stay in its natural state and be used for commemorative as well as educational purposes. This last battle for Morris Island is a textbook example of what can happen when all parties work together for a realistic goal.
It should be safe to say that those American soldiers of the Civil War whose remains rest on Morris Island, both from the North and South, black and white, can rest easy tonight – rest for all eternity, knowing that their sacrifice has been acknowledged by their descendents. We should all be proud.

Blake Hallman
Spokesman,
Morris Island Coalition
Board member,
SC Battleground Preservation Trust,
Ft. Sumter-Ft. Moultrie Trust