Callawassie Island Through the Years

From How it Started to How It’s Going on this “Inclusive Island Sanctuary”

The island has always been the island – long before we called it Callawassie; long before so many came to call it home. Though much has changed through the years, for the better, in the community’s development of both residents and environment, the things that matter most have very carefully, intentionally stayed the same.

Callawassie Island comes with a deep and purposeful history within its region, playing a key role in the balance of the area’s ecology and economy, from early tribal trading to later commercial developments like the Callawassie Sugar Works and a vital indigo plantation. This lush landscape and lucrative Lowcountry locale drew attention nationally as an elite and exclusive retreat, an identity that would follow its residential development into the twenty first century as “An Island Apart.”

But in recent years, there’s been a perfect storm of positive change in the evolution of Callawassie Island as it progresses and secures a plan for preserving both land and legacy through coming generations.

Communications and Membership Director Lindsey Cooler has watched this firsthand for more than a decade sharing, “I’ve seen Callawassie Island change for the better with increasing owner participation, newer amenities, and overall becoming more of a vibrant community.”

Originally developed in the 1980s into the residential community that we know today, Cooler points out how resident’s needs, interests, and activities have obviously changed since then. “They enjoy more casual dining as well as more fitness and activities as part of their everyday life. So, the community has adapted to these changes and created quality offerings that enable today’s residents to enjoy what the Island has to offer.”

Those advances continue in the coming season with the conclusion of the renovation of the Dogwood Course as part of a several-year project to completely upgrade all three courses. “Residents are so excited as the second nine on the Island to be renovated (Magnolia was renovated in 2022) will open in November,” says Cooler, “and the Palmetto Course will start its renovation in early spring of 2024 and open in November 2024.”

One of the biggest changes over the years according to those responsible for shaping its image and impact, is its evolution from “self-interest” to “special interest,” as community interests continue to match the lifestyle of an enriching population – such as the addition of family clubs, or kids- and family-versions of existing clubs (meeting at hours designed for working adults or with educational and introductory opportunities to teach kids the skills and pastimes that are a central part of island life, from kayaking to golf to photography and more.

Over recent years, Callawassie Island marketing and management has maintained a vision to hear its residents, deliver on what creates the most rewarding and enduring community environment and has sought to stay ahead of the curve, establishing multi-generational connections that enhance the longevity and diversity of the community. Seeing a sharp rise in legacy estates – not just passing on to inheriting generations but buying multiple estates by extended family members – Callawassie Island continues to draw a caliber of people who share common standards and passions to serve as good stewards of their environment and one another.

Cooler bears witness that staff and members are equally a part of that consistency and commitment saying, “Callawassie Island attracts kind and caring people.  They care about their neighbors, their friends, and the environment.  I meet with potential residents and new residents on a weekly basis and the message is consistent – ‘the people on Callawassie Island are just kind.’”

A spirit of service to one another and transparency and communication by the Board of Directors and staff have also been credited for being a part of that winning formula as Cooler says, “Residents appreciate that so very much and feel better knowing they are well informed about what is going on in the community.

Some of the ways it’s been stated by residents through the years is that “there are no strangers on the island” and “everyone is a neighbor.” You could expand that further to say there are no strangers through time or across the nation among those who see the magic of Callawassie Island and know what it means to get “caught by the causeway.” After all, that’s the greatest consistency since before Callawassie Island was a residential development or “an island apart” – it’s the people who understand the inherent value of the place and its inhabitants, whether human or flora or fauna, and have influenced a changing landscape from “and island apart” to what has today become “an inclusive island sanctuary,” balancing the scales between down-home, close-knit community and unparalleled escape to a warm, welcoming, and award-winning paradise.