Jasper County/Hardeeville/Ridgeland | Sights to See
Hardeeville Sites
Ridgeland Sites
Argent Steam Engine “Old Number 7”
36 Main Street | (843) 784-2231
This rare train was built around 1910 by the H.K. Porter Company. “Number 7” was used to haul timber. It is a wonderful relic of the logging and lumbering industry.
History and Nature are Alive in Hardeeville Blog Post
Blue Heron Nature Trail
321 Bailey Lane, Ridgeland | (843) 726-7611
This easy 0.6-mile walking loop trail is home to turtles, ducks, wading herons, and alligators. The path leads visitors around a pond and into a low-lying wooded area. The Nature Center is open for viewing Monday through Friday 9:00 am to noon.
Ridgeland’s Blue Heron Nature Trail Blog Post
Hardeeville Dog Park
2293 Main Street | (843) 227-4089
Bring your dog to the Hardeeville Dog Park and spend the afternoon off-leash without worries. The park is divided into three areas for small, large, and senior dogs ages 7 and older. The park also has a water fountain for dogs.
Church of the Holy Trinity, Grahamville
2718 Bees Creek Road, Ridgeland | (843) 726-3743
This stately Episcopal Church was spared on General Sherman’s march through the area simply because it had been used as a headquarters for Federal troops during the Civil War. Built at Grahamville in 1855, the church now has a recently refurbished interior. A more modern parish house nearby simulates the Gothic design of the church building. The church Bible, probably stolen during the Civil War, was returned to Grahamville in 1928. A New York music publisher had discovered it in an attic.
Historic Churches of Ridgeland Blog Post
Hardeeville Methodist Church
111 Main Street
No sooner had the Hardeeville Methodist Church been dedicated for worship in 1860 than the nation was launched into civil war and the building was put to use as a hospital. The frame church building originally contained a sizeable gallery for use by local slaves. Church members also adhered to the custom of seating men on the right and women on the left.
History and Nature are Alive in Hardeeville Blog Post
Euhaw Baptist Church
2576 Bees Creek Road, Ridgeland | (843) 726-3343
Although the current building at Grahamville is relatively new, the original Euhaw Baptist Church was organized in 1751 as part of the Charles Town Baptist Association. Located on Euhaw Creek, a few miles from the present site, the original building fell into disuse as families began moving to Grahamville. In 1865 Union troops destroyed it. The present structure, built in 1907, has beautiful twin towers on each side of the entrance.
Historic Churches of Ridgeland Blog Post
Hardeeville Recreation Center
285 John Smith Road | (843) 227-4089
This state-of-the-art 35,000-square-foot facility has a fully equipped fitness center, indoor walking track, basketball courts, Tai Chi classes, yoga, and much, much more.
Gillisonville Baptist Church
10158 Grays Highway, Ridgeland
Gillisonville was the governmental seat of Beaufort District when the church building was completed in 1838. The pulpit had once been the judge’s seat. All that has been changed on this, simple but beautiful, church is the steeple, which was demolished by a Union cannon during the Civil War. Box pews and a slave gallery in the rear remain today. Union troops used the church as a headquarters during the war, and one of the old Communion plates still used today is inscribed: “War of 1861-2-3-4. Feb. 1865 This done by a Yankee soldier.”
Historic Churches of Ridgeland Blog Post
Purrysburg Monument
Highways 34 & 203, 2 miles west of Hardeeville, Purrysburg Road | (843) 784-2231
Purrysburg was founded in 1732 by Swiss Huguenots but failed due to competition from nearby Savannah. Today, a cross marks the settlement’s location on the Savannah River, celebrating Hardeeville’s earliest history.
History and Nature are Alive in Hardeeville Blog Post
Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage
10782 Jacob Smart Boulevard South, Ridgeland | (843) 284-9227
Located in the heart of downtown Ridgeland in a historic Sinclair Service Station, the Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage is a learning and exhibition center dedicated to preserving and nurturing the history, culture, and spirit of Jasper County and its surrounding counties.
Savannah National Wildlife Refuge
694 Beech Hill Lane | (843) 784-2468
The Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and nature trail is located on Hwy 17, north of the Georgia border, near Hardeeville. The 5-mile drive through old rice field dikes can be accessed via Hwy 170. The refuge is home to over 7,000 acres of wetlands flora and fauna. There are also over 40 miles of hiking and biking trails for your enjoyment.
Trail Map
Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Blog Post
Pratt Memorial Library
451A Wilson Street, Ridgeland | (843) 726-774
Jasper County’s public library in Ridgeland is significant both for what it houses and for its exterior. Inside, the walls are graced with more than 200 portraits and maps relating to Lowcountry history. Some 250 rare books tell the history of the area and archeological artifacts make for fascinating displays. Outside, the building is adorned by a beautiful garden designed by nationally renowned landscape architect Richard K. Webel. It was Mrs. Webel who donated the building to the people of Jasper County in memory of her late husband, Frederic R. Pratt. The building was formerly a part of the Ridgeland Elementary School, built in the 1920s.
Sergeant Jasper Park
1458 Red Dam Road | (843) 784-5130
This park features walking trails, kayak and canoe rentals, a disk golf course, a playground, and a meeting facility.
Sergeant Jasper Park Blog Post
Robertville Baptist Church
26 Robertville Drive, Robertville
Black Swamp Baptist Church was organized in 1781, but Sherman’s troops burned its church building during the Civil War. About three years later, the Black Swamp congregation bought the present-day structure, then a 20-year-old Episcopal Church building, and moved it from Gillisonville. The white frame building has Greek Revival architectural features. In 1934, Black Swamp Baptist was renamed Robertville Baptist to honor the native Robert family, one member of which was the author of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Historic Churches of Ridgeland Blog Post
Yemassee
Frampton Plantation House (Lowcountry Visitor Center & Museum)
1 Low Country Lane, Yemassee | (843) 717-3090
The “Frampton House” property was part of an original King’s Grant to the Frampton family in the 1700s. In 1865, General Sherman’s troops burned the plantation house and all the farm buildings that stood on this site. In 1868, John Frampton rebuilt the present charming Lowcountry farmhouse and continued to work the land. About 1930, major renovations were made to the old house that included adding indoor plumbing and electrical wiring and applying the first thin sheetrock or drywall, replacing the old lath and plaster walls.
Thomas Heyward Jr. Tomb
Near the intersection of Highways 462 and 336
Thomas Heyward, Jr. (1749-1809) was most famous as a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was a member of the South Carolina Bar, a statesman, a circuit court judge, and a founder and the first president of the Agricultural Society of South Carolina. When he was named a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1776 he was not yet 30-years-old. The burial site is across the creek from White Hall Plantation where Heyward lived. A half-mile-long lane of live oaks leads from Highway 462 to the family cemetery where the State of South Carolina erected a monument and bust of Heyward in 1920.
