2019 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 3 - U.S. Government, Agreements and Relations With
Chapter 3 - Specific Grants Or Cessions Of Jurisdiction To United States
Section 3-3-240. Lands on Sullivan's Island for Fort Moultrie.

The right, title and interest of this State to, and the jurisdiction and control of this State over, the following described tracts or parcels of land and land covered with water situated on Sullivan's Island (those described in items (1) to (14) below being in the town of Moultrieville) in Charleston County have been granted and ceded to the United States as sites for the location, construction and prosecution of works of fortifications and coast defenses in the case of the lands described in items (1), (2) and (3) below, as sites for the location, construction and prosecution of works of fortifications and coast defense and for the use of the garrison in the case of the lands described in items (4) and (5) below, for military purposes in the case of the land described in item (6) below, for the enlargement of the military reservations on said island in the case of the lands described in items (7), (8), (9), (10) and (11) below, for the location, construction and prosecution of works of fortifications and coast defenses, the enlargement of the military reservations on said island and generally for any military purposes whatsoever in the case of the lands described in items (12) and (13) below, for the purpose of affording a clear field of view from the fire-control station pertaining to the defenses at Fort Moultrie and for such other purposes as shall render its use needful or desirable in connection with the works of fortification and at Fort Moultrie established by the United States Government on Sullivan's Island in the case of the land described in item (14) below, and for the purposes of the United States Government as permitted and directed by statute in the case of the lands described in item (15) below, to wit:

(1) Beginning at the point of intersection of the eastern boundary line of Fort Moultrie military reservation with the line of the southern side of Beach Avenue and running thence along the southern side of Beach Avenue in an easterly direction to its intersection with the western side of Sumter Street; thence along the western side of Sumter Street extended, in a southerly direction, to a point in the sea one hundred yards beyond low-water mark; thence in a westerly direction, following the meanderings or intersections of a line in the sea one hundred yards beyond low-water mark to the eastern boundary line of the Fort Moultrie military reservation extended and thence along the eastern boundary line of the Fort Moultrie military reservation extended and along said eastern boundary line in a northerly direction to the place of beginning;

(2) Beginning at a point in the sea on the prolongation or extension, in a southerly direction, of the dividing line between lot T and lot U, as laid down on the plan of the town of Moultrieville, one hundred yards beyond low-water mark and running thence in a northerly direction, along the prolongation or extension of said dividing line and the line that divides lot No. 224 from lot No. 225, as laid down on the plan of the town of Moultrieville, to the southerly side of Ion Street; thence in an easterly direction, along the southerly side of Ion Street, to the point of intersection of the southerly side of that street with the dividing line between lot No. 256 and lot No. 257, as laid down on the plan of the town of Moultrieville; thence in a southerly direction, along the dividing line between said lots 256 and 257 and the dividing line between lot No. 260 and lot No. 261, as laid down on the plan of the town of Moultrieville, and the prolongation or extension of said dividing lines to a point in the sea one hundred yards beyond low-water mark; thence in a southwesterly direction following the meanderings or indentations of a line in the sea one hundred yards beyond low-water mark to the place of beginning, excepting from the tract or parcel of land so described and ceded the United States jetty reservation;

(3) Beginning at a point in the sea on the prolongation or extension, in a northerly direction, of the easterly side of Horry Street, one hundred yards beyond low-water mark, and running thence in a southerly direction along the prolongation of the easterly side of Horry Street and along the easterly side of said street to its intersection with the northerly side of East Middle Street or Beach Avenue; thence in an easterly direction along the northerly side of East Middle Street or Beach Avenue to the point of intersection of the northerly side of that street with the dividing line between lot No. 269 and lot No. 270, as laid down on the plan of the town of Moultrieville; thence in a northerly direction along the dividing line between said lots Nos. 269 and 270 and the dividing line between lot No. 265 and lot No. 266, as laid down on the plan of the town of Moultrieville, and the prolongation of said dividing lines to a point in the sea one hundred yards beyond low-water mark; thence in a southwesterly direction, following the meanderings or indentations of a line in the sea one hundred yards beyond low-water mark to the place of beginning;

(4) Beginning at a point on the prolongation or extension in a northerly direction of the westerly line of lot 159, as laid down on the plan of the town of Moultrieville, on the back beach, one hundred yards beyond high-water line; thence in an easterly direction following the meanderings or indentations of a line one hundred yards beyond said high-water line to the intersection of the prolongation or extension in a northerly direction of the western line of Petigru Street; thence in a southerly direction along said prolongation or extension of the westerly line of Petigru Street, along the westerly line of Petigru Street and along the prolongation or extension in a southerly direction of the westerly line of Petigru Street to a point one hundred yards beyond low-water line in the sea; thence in a westerly direction following the meanderings or indentations of a line in the sea one hundred yards beyond low-water line to its intersection with the prolongation or extension, in a southerly direction, of the eastern side of Marion Street; thence in a northerly direction along the prolongation or extension of the eastern side of Marion Street and along the eastern side of Marion Street to its intersection with the northern side of Central Avenue; thence in a westerly direction along the northern side of Central Avenue to the southwest corner of lot 159 aforesaid; and thence in a northerly direction along the western line of said lot 159 and along the prolongation or extension, in a northerly direction, of the western line of said lot 159 to the place of beginning; excepting from the area described those portions which are occupied and in use by the public as highways, known as Central Avenue and Beach Avenue;

(5) Beginning at a point on the prolongation or extension, in a northerly direction, of the westerly line of lot 131, as laid down on the plan of the town of Moultrieville, on the back beach, and one hundred yards beyond high-water line; thence in an easterly direction following the meanderings or indentations of a line one hundred yards beyond said high-water line to the intersection of the prolongation or extension, in a northerly direction, of the eastern line of Marion Street; thence in a southerly direction along said prolongation or extension of said easterly line of Marion Street, along said easterly line of Marion Street and along the prolongation or extension in a southerly direction of the easterly line of Marion Street to a point one hundred yards beyond low-water line in the sea; thence in a westerly direction following the meanderings or indentations of a line in the sea one hundred yards beyond the low-water line to its intersection with the prolongation or extension in a southerly direction of the eastern side of Sumter Street; thence in a northerly direction along the prolongation or extension of the eastern side of Sumter Street and along the eastern side of Sumter Street to the place of beginning; excepting from the area described those portions which are occupied and in use by the public as highways, known as Central Avenue and Beach Avenue;

(6) The lands comprising those portions of Central Avenue and Beach Avenue, in the town of Moultrieville, Sullivan's Island, which lie between Petigru and Sumter Streets;

(7) Bounded on the west by the former boundary of Fort Moultrie reservation and parade ground; on the south by lands acquired by the United States for fortification purposes; on the east by lands acquired by the United States for garrison purposes; and on the north by a line following the meanderings or indentations of a line in the sea one hundred yards beyond high-water line; the easterly and westerly boundaries to be extended to meet this last-mentioned line;

(8) All that tract or parcel of land and land covered with water on the eastern end of Sullivan's Island lying to the south of the right of way of the seashore division of the Charleston Consolidated Railway, Gas and Electric Company and east of the street known as Sixth Street and of said street extended southward to low-water mark on the plan of Moultrieville made by Lamble, surveyor, in 1899 and recorded in the office of the register of deeds for Charleston County;

(9) All those pieces or parcels or tracts of land, lying and being in said town of Moultrieville and comprising not only the two lots designated by the letters "O" and "P" on a plan of Moultrieville compiled from official maps and surveys by H. S. Lamble, civil engineer, in April 1902, and recorded July 15 1902, at page 189 of plat book D in the office of the register of deeds for the county of Charleston, on which or a part of which is located the lifesaving station, but also the land of the same width as that of said two lots together and extending in front of and from said two lots down to mean low-water mark, said two lots "O" and "P" together measuring two hundred (200) feet, more or less, from rear to front and two hundred and twenty-five (225) feet, more or less, in width and abutting and bounding northeastwardly on Patrick Street, northwestwardly on Ion Street, southwestwardly on the lot designated by the letter "N" on said plan and southeastwardly on Atlantic Street or the front beach;

(10) All those pieces or parcels of land lying and being in the town of Moultrieville, shown on a plan of Moultrieville compiled from official maps and surveys made by H. S. Lamble, civil engineer, in April 1902, and recorded July 15 1902, at page 189 of plat book D, in the office of the register of deeds for the county of Charleston, comprising all the land lying to the westward of the United States Government reservations at old Fort Moultrie and contained between said reservations on the east and the town lots numbers 73, 74 and 77 on the west, embracing lots numbers 78, 79 and 80, the town hall lot, portions of West Fort Street, Main Street and Middle Street, and marshlands to the north of lot 78, more particularly described as follows: Beginning at low-water mark in the cove on the north side of Sullivan's Island at the former northwest corner of United States Government reservation and extending approximately south 21 degrees 35 minutes west 1,170 feet following the former west line of said United States Government reservation to its western corner to the north of Middle Street; thence approximately south 52 degrees 15 minutes west 65 feet to the corner stone at the northwest corner of the old Fort Moultrie reservation; thence following the boundaries of this reservation approximately south 17 degrees west 126 feet to a corner stone, approximately north 75 degrees west 82.4 feet to a corner stone and approximately south 15 degrees 30 minutes west 580 feet to the low-water line on the south or ocean side of Sullivan's Island; thence westward along the low-water line approximately 100 feet to the extension of the west line of West Fort Street; thence along the west line of West Fort Street approximately north 12 degrees 30 minutes east 695 feet to the southeast corner of lot No. 74; thence approximately south 77 degrees 30 minutes east 80.8 feet along Middle Street to the eastern corner of the public square; thence approximately north 6 degrees east 90 feet to the southeast corner of lot No. 73 on West Fort Street, thence along the west side of West Fort Street and its extension northward approximately north 12 degrees 30 minutes east 1,030 feet to low-water mark on the cove or north side of Sullivan's Island; thence along low-water mark eastward to the original point of beginning;

(11) The streets and avenues between the east and west lines of the original reservations of Fort Moultrie as said reservations existed on January 1 1894;

(12) Beginning at a point on the prolongation or extension in a northerly direction of the westerly line of Petigru Street, as laid down on the plan of the town of Moultrieville, made by H. S. Lamble in 1902, on the back beach and one hundred yards beyond high-water line; thence in an easterly direction following the meanderings or indentations of a line one hundred yards beyond said high-water line to the intersection of the prolongation or extension in a northerly direction of the western line of Frost Street; thence in a southerly direction along said prolongation or extension of the westerly line of Frost Street, along the westerly line of Frost Street and along the prolongation or extension in a southerly direction of the westerly line of Frost Street to a point one hundred yards below low-water line in the sea; thence in a westerly direction following the meanderings or indentations of a line in the sea one hundred yards beyond low-water line to its intersection with the prolongation or extension in a southerly direction of the western side of Petigru Street; thence in a northerly direction along said prolongation or extension of the western side of Petigru Street and along said western side of Petigru Street in a northerly direction and along the prolongation or extension in a northerly direction of the western line of said Petigru Street to the place of beginning;

(13) All that piece, parcel or tract of land and the wharf or wharves thereon situate on the extreme western end of Sullivan's Island, formerly owned by the Charleston Isle of Palms Traction Company, being wharf sites one (1), two (2) and four (4) and also the lot of wharf site number three (3), between wharf sites two and four aforesaid, as per plat made by Louis Y. Dawson, engineer, November 29 1912, being traced from a plat of Sullivan's Island by William Hume, dated July 1871, and such other property in the neighborhood thereof and contiguous thereto as may be needed by the United States Government for the purposes for which such cession was made as hereinabove set forth;

(14) Beginning at the southeast corner of the main United States Government reservation on Sullivan's Island, such point being located on the extension of the west line of Petigru Street in the town of Moultrieville one hundred yards to seaward from low-water line in the Atlantic Ocean (wherever such low-water line may now or hereafter be); thence northerly along the easterly boundary of said United States Government reservations (said boundary line being the west line of Petigru Street) to a point in the line with the southerly boundary of lots M, N, O and P, as shown on the Lamble map, recorded in the office of the register of deeds July 15 1902, in plat book "D"; thence easterly along said southerly boundary of said lots M, N, O and P to the east side of Patrick Street, a distance of 500 feet, more or less; thence southerly along the west boundary of lot Q, shown on said Lamble map, a distance of 150 feet, more or less; thence easterly along the southerly boundary of lots Q, R, S and T, shown on the above-mentioned Lamble map, crossing Wharf Street, to the United States Government reservation known as Thomson reservation, a distance of 490 feet, more or less; thence southerly along the boundary of said Thomson reservation to a point one hundred yards to seaward from the low-water line in the Atlantic Ocean (wherever such low-water line may now or hereafter be); thence westerly along a line in the Atlantic Ocean at all points one hundred yards to seaward from low-water line (wherever such low-water line may now or hereafter be) to the point of beginning; containing in all, above low-water line, at the time of the original cession, eleven acres, more or less; and

(15) All that tract, piece or parcel of land situate, lying and being on the western end of Sullivan's Island, in Charleston County, being all the land lying to the northward and westward of the western boundary of the road leading to Cove Inlet Bridge and to the northward and westward of the west line of Church Street, including specifically lots numbered 1 through 17 inclusive, including the half lots, and also including all that portion of Middle Street which lies to the northward and westward of the west boundary of Church Street extended, together with the water lots and marshes; all of which is shown on the map of Sullivan's Island waterworks, made by the John McCrady Company, dated November 1937 and on file in the office of the board of township commissioners for Sullivan's Island.

Reservation of driveway. - The cessions of the lands described in items (8), (9), (12), (13), (14) and (15) above were subject to the following reservations and exceptions, to wit: That such portion of the front beach of Sullivan's Island included within the limits described in said items as lies below a line drawn along said beach twenty (20) feet above high-water mark and parallel thereto, limited, however, in the case of the cession of the lands described in item (15) above to such portions as are adjacent to lots Nos. 8, 10, 11, 15 and 16 as shown on the map aforesaid, shall be always open to the public as a footway and driveway, so that the public shall have the free and unobstructed right of passage by foot and vehicle upon, over and across it, subject to the right of the United States Government to close and exclusively occupy it, so far as these reservations are concerned, at the following times and under the following circumstances, to wit: (a) during hours of actual target practice in, over or upon such portion of said premises, during which time (and prior thereto in the case of the lands described in items (9) and (15) above) due and proper notice thereof shall be given to the public; (b) during hours of actual military drill in, over and upon such portion of said premises, except the portion thereof included within the land described in item (14) above; and (c) during time of war.

Effect of grant on streets. - The portion of Beach Avenue so ceded and all other streets, roads and highways within said tracts or parcels of land were vacated and discontinued as and from the time such cessions, respectively, became effectual except:

(a) Central Avenue (but not excepting any portion of Central Avenue, if any, within the lands described in items (8), (9) and (13) above);

(b) The portions of the streets and avenues within the land described in item (10);

(c) The portion of East Middle Street included in the land described in item (12) above; and

(d) The streets and avenues within the land described in item (14) above.

The portions of Central Avenue so ceded (except any portions thereof, if any, included within the lands described in items (8), (9), (13) and (15) above) and the portions of East Middle Street included within the lands described in item (12) above shall be forever kept open as a public street and such portions of Central Avenue (other than the portions lying within the lands described in item (12) above), together with the continuation of Central Avenue through the government reservation, shall be kept in proper condition and repair by the United States Government; and such cession shall in no way interfere with any private rights or franchises heretofore legally granted with reference to Central Avenue nor shall the cessions of the tracts described in items (10) and (12) above in any way interfere with any such right or franchise with reference to any portion of Middle Street included within the lands described in item (10) or any portion of East Middle Street included within the lands described in item (12). The State also reserved the right to authorize the laying and maintaining of tracks for railroad or traction purposes on and across the portion of Central Avenue described in all items above except (8), (9), (13) and (15) and on or across the portions of East Middle Street within the lands described in item (12) above or on lands contiguous thereto and lying within fifteen feet thereof.

And all streets and avenues, within the boundaries of the lands described in item (14) marked and indicated at the time of the cessions thereof on said plat of Lamble and the extensions thereof, on and over such lands shall be forever kept open and unobstructed as highways for the passage of the public to and from the beach and other portions of Sullivan's Island and more particularly the extension of Atlantic Street from lot "Q" westward to the main government reservation and the extension of Bayonne Avenue eastward from the extension of Patrick Street to the extension of Wharf Street and thence by a line parallel with the north line of the lands so described to the west line of said Thomson reservation.

Compensation required. - The cessions of lands described in this section were made upon the condition that they should not be effectual as to any portion of the premises embraced therein in which any person then had any right, title or interest or upon which any person then owned or had any structures or improvements until the United States compensated such person for such right, title and interest or for such buildings, structures and improvements and acquired the title of such person thereto, nor until the United States further compensated the persons who, at and before the cession of such jetty reservations, owned like interests or owned structures and improvements upon the territory theretofore ceded by this State to the United States for jetty reservations.

Determinations of amount when not agreed. - In case of the failure of the United States and any persons interested as aforesaid or owner as aforesaid to agree upon the proper compensation to be paid as above provided the United States may have the same determined by the verdict of a jury upon application by petition to the court of common pleas for Charleston County, which shall be served as by law a summons in a civil action in said court is required to be served. Such application shall be heard without delay at a term of said court and under the direction of the presiding judge thereof, and such determination shall be final and without appeal. And upon the amount so found being paid, with the cost of clerk and sheriff, if any, the right and title of the parties thereto shall vest in the United States.

Service of process. - There was also reserved to this State a concurrent jurisdiction for the execution within said lands mentioned in this section of all process, civil or criminal, lawfully issued by the courts of the State and not incompatible with such cessions.

HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 39-124; 1952 Code Section 39-124; 1942 Code Section 2042; 1932 Code Section 2042; 1890 (20) 422; 1896 (22) 390; 1900 (23) 422; 1901 (23) 608; 1903 (24) 4; 1905 (24) 825; 1906 (25) 19; 1908 (25) 1130; 1909 (26) 180; 1916 (29) 782; 1921 (32) 181; 1939 (41) 526.

Code Commissioner's Note

1997 Act No. 34, Section 1, directed the Code Commissioner to change all references to "Register of Mesne Conveyances" to "Register of Deeds" wherever appearing in the 1976 Code of Laws.