Dear Reader:

As I turned onto Brooke’s road last Thursday… I stopped long enough to snap a photo of Brooke’s street sign. DAWHOO!

For years now I thought Dawhoo was a branch or sub-tribe of the Edisto Native-Americans who originally inhabited this sea island. I decided to use ( this time around) my ” Ed-I -Slow” leisure time to research this term.

Today you cross the McKinley Washington ( Jr) bridge over the Dawhoo river to get onto Edisto Island.

The second Dawhoo draw bridge built ( in the 1950’s) to connect Edisto Island to the mainland still had many of the same problems that plaqued the first one. It got STUCK… ALOT!!

Libby remembered and shared with me several stories-memories of spending many happy weeks in the summer (as a child) at Edisto with her beloved aunt and several cousins … but her aunt always packed enough food to ” tailgate ” ( coming and going) across Dawhoo River because you never knew when the bridge would get stuck, while boats sailed under, and then the bridge operator couldn’t get the bridge back in position for car traffic. Hours could pass.

The term ” Dawhoo” actually refers to a type of silt or sand composite -like the porous sand found all around at Edisto.

One really interesting way this term was used during the Civil War was in connection with the advancement of Sherman’s troops as they planned to invade the sea island.

Before the total devastation and destruction left behind by the Union troops … Edisto was filled with prosperous planters and the sea island was considered one of the wealthiest spots in the state.

Look-out ” runners” were placed far in advance of the Union troops to warn the sea island residents how far away the troops were. One secret code word ” Dawhoo” was used to designate a mile… five Dawhoo’s -approximately five miles.

This gave landowners time to make the painful decision to watch their properties go up in flames or destroy some of their belongings themselves.

Today the term Dawhoo is found all over the sea island. Dawhoo Landing, river., bridge, boat ramp, Brooke’s street etc.

So until tomorrow… Rest In Peace… because the Ya’s sure did! R and R at its best!!!

Tommy and Kaitlyn went to Boston to visit Kaitlyn’s niece and go to the Clemson-Boston College game!!!

Today is my favorite day! Winnie the Pooh