Georgetown is the third oldest city in South Carolina founded in 1729. It lies at the base of Winyah Bay formed by the confluence of five rivers- Black, Sampit, Great Pee Dee, Small Pee Dee, and the Waccamaw.

The area was home to many large rice plantations and in 1860 Georgetown County produced almost half of all the rice grown in the United States. As such it was a target of the Union blockade. Gunships passing up the Bay and into the 5 rivers that fed it could raid and destroy plantations, impair production, and reduce a valuable potential food source for Confederate armies. Realizing this, General P.G.T. Beauregard developed defenses for the Bay on the three islands that flanked its mouth- North Island, South Island and Cat Island. Of these only the earthen fort on Cat Island remains today. 

As the war went on the forts at the Bay entrance were abandoned and new ones constructed further up at Mayrant’s Bluff (Battery White) and Frazier’s Point both which still exist today and will be the subject of future posts. 

The Cat Island Fort is at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center and is a hidden gem. During the winter the Center offers a free tour called- A Walk Through History, the schedule is usually released on their Facebook page in November. It is was an excellent tour which included the Cat Island Fort. There was a lot of walking involved. In addition, there were a lot of chiggers and mosquitos due to the tropical and swampy climate (the reason why the tour is offered in winter). The exterior wall of the fort can be viewed from the Bay side on any one of two commercial boat tours of North Island.

To get to the Center I took a short ferry ride across the Intracoastal Waterway- (33.2511013, -79.2696465). The boat was operated by the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center.

A bus will take you around the island since the tour sites are not in close proximity.

The layout of the Fort.

As you look at the pictures below keep in mind that it is very hard for any picture to do justice to an earthen fort. The depth perception is completely lost due to the lack of contrast that occurs from vegetation. There are no interpretive markers at the fort. Some representative pictures are shown below.

Pictures from the Fort out toward the Bay.

The outer wall of the fort can be viewed from the Bay by taking a boat tour to North Island. No mosquitos or chiggers on that tour. You can get a good perspective of the current height of the outer walls from the water. Unfortunately, storms have done serious damage to them.

Saw this guy on the way.

This is the first post in the series- Coastal Defenses in SC in and around Winyah Bay- the next post will cover the battery at Fraser’s Point.