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SEPTEMBER 7–13, 2023
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PRESORTED PERMIT NO. 97 BEAUFORT, SC 29902
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Search continues for missing woman, son Sheriff’s Office, SLED, FBI, Sumter Police active in Beaufort County last week From staff reports Four different law enforcement agencies were active Friday, Sept. 1 in Beaufort County in an effort to locate a woman and her son, who have been missing more than two months. According to a Friday release from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), personnel from the Sumter Police Department, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and the FBI conducted various law enforcement activities throughout Beaufort County in search of Sophia Van Dam, 20, and her son Matteo, 2, who were last seen in June. According to the release, law enforcement has pursued numerous investigative approaches to locate the pair since June. Because this case remains an active investigation, according to the release, no other details are being provided at this time, though any questions were referred to the local agencies. Maj. Angela Viens, BCSO spokesperson, said she had no details she could share “to protect the integrity of the investigation.”
The docks at Gay Fish Company on St. Helena Island detached and floated up with the rising flood waters as a result of Hurricane Idalia. The flood also brought in a lot of reeds that needed to be cleaned up. Submitted by Gay Fish Company
Gay Fish Company floods during Idalia
By Delayna Earley The Island News One week ago, Beaufort was very lucky. Hurricane Idalia hit the coast of Florida as a Category 3 hurricane on the morning of Aug. 30, before
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heading north toward Beaufort. Looking at the trajectory of the storm, local governments, schools and businesses erred on the side of caution and closed for Aug. 30 and 31 with Beaufort County, the Town of Hilton Head Island and the state
of South Carolina declaring a state of emergency. Beaufortonians braced themselves to get hit by Hurricane Idalia as a Category 1 hurricane, but
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Preservation of Beaufort County’s oldest live oak moving ahead
By Jessica Wade The Post And Courier PORT ROYAL — The largest, oldest live oak in Beaufort County sprouted from an acorn and rose from the ground more than a century before South Carolina was established as a state. The tree stood through the American Revolution and Civil War, hurricanes and — most recently — developers. A preservation effort aims to keep the 350-year-old Cherry Hill Oak around for generations to come. On August 28, that effort took a step forward with unanimous approval by the Beaufort County Public Facilities and Safety Committee to recommend buying the land where the live oak stands. Committee members voted to rec-
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ommend paying $1.55 million to acquire the 12 acres surrounding the tree, including the grave plot of Mary Pope. The price is 87% of the land’s appraised value. Some believe that Pope was an enslaved woman at the Cherry Hill Plantation who was buried near the tree in the mid-1800s. Chuck Yahres has tried to solve the mystery of who Pope was.
Yahres is a direct descendant of the Ellis family, the family acquired the Cherry Hill Plantation at some point prior to 1860. His research has hinted that Pope may have instead been a family friend of the Ellis family. He also noted that there are several Popes in his family tree. Though Pope has the only marked grave on the property, others could have been laid to rest around the oak tree. The county might explore that possibility using ground-penetrating radar should it buy the land. Pope’s grave is a reminder that “the tree is a witness to the history of this place,” said Hope Cunningham. She is among a group of Beaufort
Plans to develop 12 acres surrounding the Cherry Hill Plantation live oak were scuttled last fall, and now efforts are underway to preserve the land and the oak, the oldest and largest in Beaufort County, seen here in Port Royal on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. The 350-year-old behemoth has a circumference that is reported to be a few inches larger than the iconic Angel SEE OAK PAGE A4 Oak in Charleston. Tony Kukulich/Post And Courier
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6 generation painter William Rhett IV hosts 1st art show.
Broad River Elementary Principal encourages students with L.O.V.E.
Beaufort High Eagles rally past Seahawks for 1st win.
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Join us for an evening benefiting education and research. Saturday, October 21, 2023 LIMITED NUMBER OF TICKETS AVAILABLE RESERVE YOURS TODAY!
Voices A12 Faith A13 Legals A15 Military A16–17 Directory A18 Classifieds A19
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We are proud to announce Dr. Robert Hueter, OCEARCH Chief Scientist, as this year's guest presenter.
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