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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BEAVER COUNTY.
THIS WOULD BE THE AUGUST 17TH MEETING FOR THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON ACCOMMODATION TAX ADVISOR COMMITTEE.
UH, AT THIS TIME, I'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER.
I AM SAM BRITT AND I AM PRESENT.
SO WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL AND CAR CONFIRMATION WITH QUORUM, EVERYBODY ELSE, CHRISTY PENSKE, JO ELLEN SHOEMAKER.
AND I BELIEVE THAT WOULD GIVE US A QUORUM SO WE CAN PROCEED WITH OFFICIAL BUSINESS.
UM, SO EVERYBODY SAW THE AGENDA.
CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA? SECOND? ALL IN FAVOR STATE.
UM, SO EVERYBODY HAD A CHANCE TO READ THE, UH, MINUTES FOR THE MAY 18TH MINUTES, THE MAY 18TH MEETING, AND I WAS NOT THERE.
DID ANYBODY SEE SOMETHING THAT NEEDED TO BE CORRECTED OR CHANGED? CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THOSE MINUTES? I MOVE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF STATE BY SAYING AYE.
SO MOVED, THEY'RE APPROVED NEW BUSINESS.
UM, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANY OTHER THAN THE NEW APPLICANTS.
UM, I DID RECEIVE AN EMAIL FROM ARIANNA AND SHE JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW UP FROM THE WORKSHOP THAT THEY ARE WORKING ON, UM, A STRATEGY TO WORK OUT, WORK OUT TO NON-PROFITS UM, WHEN OUR QUARTERS ARE COMING UP FOR APPLICATIONS.
UM, SO SHE JUST WANTED TO PASS THAT ALONG THAT THEY ARE WORKING ON SOMETHING TO KIND OF RAMP UP THEIR, THEIR ADVERTISING, GETTING NOTIFICATIONS OUT TO HOPEFULLY GET MORE APPLICANTS IN.
AND I TOLD HER, I SHARE THAT AT THE MEETING.
WAIT, WHERE WERE YOU GUYS AT AT STAFF? WE'RE GOING TO PUT TOGETHER, UM, A KIND OF A SUMMARY AND CONVERSATION THAT WE CAN FOLLOW UP ON? YES, ABSOLUTELY.
UM, WE ARE GOING TO PUT THAT TOGETHER AND SEND IT OUT TO YOU ALL.
YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED IT YET, BUT YES WE ARE DOING THAT.
SO NATALIE, YOU WANT TO GIVE US A FINANCIAL REPORT? SURE.
UM, THIS QUARTER, UM, WE DO HAVE AN INCREASE IN REVENUES OF OVER 114%.
UM, THIS IS MAINLY DUE TO THE EXECUTIVE ORDERS AND THINGS THAT WERE OCCURRING LAST YEAR.
THE SAME TIME PERIOD WITH COVID IMPACTING OUR AREA.
UH, WE CURRENTLY HAVE 1 MILLION, $488,053 AVAILABLE FOR DISTRIBUTION.
UM, AND I APOLOGIZE THAT DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT INFORMATION ON IT, BUT, UM, WE DO HAVE TWO APPLICANTS THIS QUARTER.
UM, WE HAVE THE, UM, ARTS AND SEAFOOD FESTIVAL.
THEY ARE REQUESTING $70,000 AND WE HAVE THE HILTON HEAD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND THEY ARE REQUESTING $16,650.
AND ACTUALLY I PULLED UP THE WRONG, THE WRONG THING.
YOU FIND YOU AGAIN AND I'LL PULL UP THE CORRECT ONE.
ALL RIGHT, LET ME SHARE MY SCREEN AGAIN.
SO AGAIN, OUR REVENUES ARE, ARE A LOT HIGHER THAN WHAT THEY WERE LAST QUARTER AND WE HAVE OVER $1.7 MILLION,
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UM, AVAILABLE SPLIT BETWEEN STATE AND LOCAL ACCOMMODATIONS TAXES.AND THERE ARE THE CORRECT APPLICANTS WITH THE CORRECT AMOUNTS, UM, FOR THIS QUARTER.
I APOLOGIZE AGAIN, NOT A PROBLEM.
AND BY YOUR QUESTIONS, I DON'T HAVE IT.
IT DIDN'T COME UP ON MY SCREEN BEING SHARED.
I'VE LOOKED AT EVERYTHING THAT'S IN THIS PACKET AND EVERYTHING, SO I'M GOOD.
SO OUR, OUR FIRST APPLICANT PER THE AGENDA WOULD BE THE HILTON HEAD SYMPHONY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.
AND THIS WOULD BE THE POPS CONCERT, WHICH I BELIEVE IS HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ART AND SEAFOOD FESTIVAL.
ALLEN, DID EVERYBODY READ THE APPLICATION AND THE PROCESS? YES.
ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS FOR ALAN? FANTASTIC.
SO WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THIS, UM, I SEE THAT IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN MARTIN PARK, WHICH IS AWESOME.
UM, AND IT SAYS ALL THROUGHOUT HERE, THE SEAFOOD FESTIVAL, BUT WHEN I READ THE CALENDAR EVENTS FOR THE SEAFOOD FESTIVAL, IT'S NOT ON THERE AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT THANK YOU.
UH I'M I'M NOT SURE WHEN THEY PUT THEIR CALENDAR TOGETHER.
UM, BUT I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN TALKING WITH THE SEAFOOD FESTIVAL SINCE, OF COURSE, JUNE WHEN WE SUBMIT THE APPLICATION, I THINK, UM, MARY, I'M NOT SURE WHERE SHE IS ON HER CALENDAR LISTINGS.
I HAVEN'T REFERRED TO IT MORE RECENTLY.
I JUST WENT FROM THE ONE THAT WE GOT AND IT'S JUST NOT ON THIS LIST.
SO THAT'S, SO IS THAT IN HER, IN HER JUNE SUBMISSION? AND THE REASON WHY I WAS ASKING IS BECAUSE I READ THE SEAFOOD FIRST AND THEN I READ YOURS AND I WAS LIKE, OH MY GOSH, IT'S THE SAME TIME.
AND I WAS LIKE, OH, WAIT, THEY'RE A PART OF IT, BUT IT'S NOT IN HERE.
SO THAT WAS MY BIGGEST QUESTION, RIGHT? I MEAN, IN MY CONVERSATIONS WITH MARY, UH, MUCH OF WHAT SHE WAS, UH, UH, DOING WAS ALL DEPENDENT ON WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE FUNDING FROM, UH, THE ACCOMMODATIONS TAX.
UM, BUT WE CERTAINLY HAD CONVERSATIONS PRIOR TO OUR SUBMISSION.
AND THE, THE INTENT IS THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE AN AFFILIATED EVENT AS PART OF THE SEAFOOD FESTIVAL.
THAT WAS MY BIGGEST QUESTION ON THE WEBSITE, AS FAR AS THE DATES AND THE TIMES FOR THE SEAFOOD FESTIVAL.
CAN YOU, CAN YOU JUST TALK TO THE MEDIA ADVERTISING AS FAR AS THE $4,000? IS IT MAINLY PRINT? CAN YOU JUST EXPOUND ON THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT? SURE.
UM, WE HAVEN'T FINALIZED EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO, BUT IT WILL INCLUDE SOME, UH, TELEVISION ADVERTISING.
IT WILL INCLUDE SOME PRINT ADVERTISING.
WE'LL CERTAINLY INCLUDE SOME, UH, UM, ONLINE ADVERTISING, UH, UH, STUFF ON OUR WEBSITE, WHICH IS NOT UP YET.
UM, AND, UH, PROBABLY SOME RADIO TOO, BUT, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER WE'RE DOING, IT'S IN CONJUNCTION WITH MERRIAM THE SEAFOOD FESTIVAL, SO THAT WE'RE KIND OF OVERLAPPING.
AND I IMAGINE THEY WILL BE PROMOTING OUR CONCERT AND WE'LL BE WORKING TO PROMOTE THE OVERALL SEAFOOD FESTIVAL.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'LL GET DONE IN TIME, BUT I'M A LITTLE DISTRACTED BECAUSE I'M WATCHING THE WEATHER AS WE HAVE AN EIGHT O'CLOCK CONCERT THAT LOW COUNTRY CELEBRATION PARK, WHICH IS GOING TO BE OUTSIDE.
SO IF YOU GET DONE EARLY ENOUGH, HOP ON OVER AND COME ENJOY SOME FREE JAZZ.
AND THE NEXT ON OUR AGENDA WOULD BE THE, UH, CONVERSATION WITH THE HISTORIC BLUFFTON ARTS AND SEAFOOD FESTIVAL.
UM, MARY, ARE YOU UN-MUTED IF WE NEED YOU, HOW ABOUT NOW? CAN YOU, CAN YOU HEAR US, MARY? I CAN, I CAN HEAR YOU.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE QUESTIONS FOR MARY FOR HER EVENT? AM I ALLOWED TO JUST ADDRESS THE QUESTION ABOUT THE SYMPHONY THINGS? AND, UM, THE REALITY OF IT IS THAT UNLESS THOSE FUNDS ARE GIVEN TO THE SYMPHONY THIS EVENING, I MEAN, ALAN TOLD ME HE DIDN'T, HE WOULD NOT HAVE THE FUNDS AND THE SEAFOOD FESTIVAL DOESN'T HAVE ANY EXTRA FUNDS, YOU KNOW, TO PAY FOR THEIR RENTALS AND
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THAT, SO THEREFORE THAT'S WHY THE JUNE 30TH CALENDAR DOES NOT HAVE THAT INCLUDED.IT IS DEFINITELY INCLUDED IF YOU ALL, YOU KNOW, HELP FUND THAT.
UM, THE SYMPHONY, BECAUSE SINCE, I MEAN, ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO, I STARTED WORKING ON THE SYMPHONY THAT I WANTED THEM TO BE PART OF THE SEAFOOD FESTIVAL.
CAUSE AGAIN, IF WE WANT THIS TO BE TOP RATED CULTURAL EVENT FOR BLUFFTON, SO SYMPHONY SHOULD BE INCLUDED.
SO WHEN ALAN APPROACHED US AND WE WERE DOING THIS SUPPOSEDLY LAST YEAR UNTIL LOVELY COVID CAME, AND SO WE JUST PUSHED IT OFF BECAUSE AT THAT TIME WE COULD HARDLY HAVE A CONCERT, UM, WITH, YOU KNOW, OVER, I THINK WHEN WE STARTED, IT WAS OVER 50 PEOPLE OR WHATEVER.
SO ANYWAY, YES, THEY ARE PART OF THE SEAFOOD FESTIVAL IN MY MARKETING BUDGET.
I WILL DEFINITELY BE MARKETING THAT EVENT ALSO, YOU KNOW, IN CONJUNCTION WITH ALL THE OTHER EVENTS THAT ARE PART OF THE FESTIVAL.
BUT I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT, BUT THE REALITY OF IT IS UNLESS THEY'RE FUNDED, I, I DON'T THINK THEY CAN SUPPORT THAT EVENT.
SO ANYWAY, THAT'S, THAT'S MY TAKE ON THAT.
ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR MARY OUTSIDE OF THAT EXPLANATION, CHRISTIE? YEAH, ACTUALLY I DO.
SO, UM, I WAS GOING THROUGH, UM, ALL YOUR, UM, NUMBERS AND EVERYTHING.
AND THEN IN 2019, UM, YOU HAVE THAT YOU DID $2,000 IN DONATIONS AND UNLESS I WAS READING THIS WRONG, AND THEN IN 2020, WE DID $11,000 IN DONATIONS.
AND THEN IN 2021, YOU WERE ONLY SCHEDULED A THOUSAND.
AND I JUST DIDN'T, IF THERE WAS A, A REASON THERE'S SUCH A FARCE DIFFERENCE, IT'S JUST THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN.
THAT IS WHERE WE GET MOST OF OUR DONATION MONEY.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE BUDGET, I ONLY BUDGETED AS INCOME AT $25 A PERSON, WE REALLY ARE CHARGING PEOPLE $125, A PERSON, AND A HUNDRED DOLLARS OF EVERY TICKET IS DIVIDED BETWEEN DONATING TO BLUFFTON ROTARY.
AND 5,000 GOES TO, I'M GOING TO SAY, HEY, WORD HOUSE, BUT IT'S NOT THE HEYWARD HOUSE.
AND SORRY, I FORGOT THEY'VE CHANGED.
IT'S NO LONGER THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY IT'S CALLED SOMETHING ELSE, BUT THEY ARE OUR TWO CHOSEN CHARITIES.
SO THAT'S WHERE THAT 10,000 GOES, THE ADDITIONAL THOUSAND GOES TO A WADDELL.
AND THAT COMES FROM THE INCOME FROM AUTHOR NIGHT.
AND, UM, MONDAY EVENING THE TOUR OF WADDELL.
I MEAN, THAT'S THAT THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE ARE DEFINITELY STILL HAVING, UM, THE DINNER AT THE TUMOR'S, UH, SEAFOOD HOUSE.
AND WE HAVE LIKE, KIM JONES IS ATTENDING AL STOKES IS ATTENDING AND THEY WILL BE TALKING ABOUT CHERISHING OUR WATERWAYS AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, WATCH OUR RESOURCES IN THE AREA.
SO JUST SO YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, RE-IMAGINED LITTLE SEAFOOD FESTIVAL, WE STILL HAD, WE DIDN'T CALL IT THE SUPPER SOIREE BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANT PEOPLE TO THINK IT WAS GOING TO BE DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF CALHOUN STREET.
SO WE CALLED IT DINNER ON THE GROUNDS.
WE HAD IT AT THE HAYWARD HOUSE.
WE ONLY ENDED UP RAISING $7,200 INSTEAD OF 10,000, BUT WE STILL GAVE THEREFORE 3,600 TO THE HAYWARD HOUSE, 3,600 TO BLUFFTON ROTARY.
SO DEPENDING UPON HOW MUCH MONEY, UM, IS BROUGHT IN WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON, THAT DONATION AMOUNT MIGHT CHANGE.
WITH WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD BE GIVING THIS PRESENTATION ONE MORE TIME, THINKING THAT IT MIGHT NOT HAPPEN.
AND, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR WE CANCELED IT JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE EARLY ON.
OBVIOUSLY WE'VE ALREADY STARTED THE BIG TIME ADVERTISING.
SO RIGHT NOW I'M REALLY SCARED.
SO ANYWAY, I MEAN LAST YEAR WE REALLY, OUR TOWN NEEDED REALLY, REALLY NEEDED THAT LITTLE BOOST IN THE ECONOMY, JUST IN AN UPLIFTING THING.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS PRETTY THINKY OUR RE-IMAGINED FESTIVAL, BUT WE KEPT IT GOING.
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WE DEFINITELY HAD TOURISTS COME.UM, JUST HOPE THEY WEREN'T TOO DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE YOU KNOW, IT WAS PRETTY SMALL.
UM, BUT THE BUSINESSES, YOU KNOW, WE DID BENEFIT FROM IT AND THAT IS STILL PART OF THE MISSION OF THE SEAFOOD FESTIVAL TO BOOST THE ECONOMY IN OUR TOWN, TO HIGHLIGHT OUR RESOURCES, NATURAL RESOURCES, TO HIGHLIGHT OUR CULTURE, OUR HISTORY, OUR ARTISTS, COMMUNITY, OUR GREAT SEAFOOD.
SO WE'VE ALWAYS KEPT, YOU KNOW, PRETTY STRAIGHT TO THAT, UM, MISSION.
AND WE'RE EVEN LAST YEAR WITH THE SMALLEST LITTLE EVENT IN THE WORLD, WE STILL KEPT IT GOING.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'M HOPEFUL THAT PERHAPS WE WILL HAVE A REAL SEAFOOD FESTIVAL THIS YEAR.
ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? UM, I JUST HAVE ONE MORE AND IT'S JUST A LOGISTIC QUESTION IS, UM, IN YOUR, UM, MINUTES OR FROM YOUR MEETING, IT SAYS THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT THE USE OF MARTIN PARK, AND I KNOW THAT, UM, THE SYMPHONY WANTS TO USE IT.
ARE YOU USING IT FOR ANYTHING ELSE? YES, WE'RE USING MARTIN PARK.
SO KICKOFF SUNDAY IS IN MARTIN PARK.
THAT'S WHERE WE'RE PUTTING THE ARTISTS INSTEAD OF CLOSING THE LITTLE PORTION OF THE STREET.
CAUSE ONE THING WE DID LEARN LAST YEAR WHEN WE HAD THAT SUNDAY, I THINK WE CALLED IT THE OYSTER STROLL.
PEOPLE CAME OUT, THEY WENT TO OUR SHOPS, THEY WENT TO THE GALLERIES, THEY WENT TO THE RESTAURANTS.
SO WE DON'T WANT TO DIMINISH THAT.
I MEAN, IT'S HARD ENOUGH DURING THE BIG SEAFOOD FESTIVAL.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD, YOU CLOSE THE STREET AND YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, CAN'T FIND YOUR SHOP OR WHATEVER, BUT, UM, SO WITH THAT IN MIND, WE MOVED IT OVER TO MARTIN PARK AND MARTIN PARK IS BEAUTIFUL.
UM, AND THE FARMER'S MARKET SEEMS TO BE FLOURISHING OVER THERE.
SO THAT'S KICKOFF SUNDAY, WE'RE USING MARTIN PARK THEN FOR, UM, THE SYMPHONY.
AND AGAIN, IN ORDER TO SPREAD OUT, THE BOOTH BOOTH HAVE ALWAYS BEEN, YOU KNOW, THE TENTS ARE 10 BY 10.
WE'VE ALWAYS ALLOWED 12 FEET WHEN WE MEASURED IT OUT.
SO THERE WAS SOME DISTANCE BETWEEN THIS YEAR WE'VE, WE'VE GIVEN THEM 15 FEET, SO WE'VE SPREAD.
SO ARTISTS WILL JUST BE STRAIGHT DOWN CALHOUN STREET.
UM, FOOD VENDORS WILL BE OVER IN MARTIN PARK, UM, ALONG WITH A BAR AND ALONG WITH THE MAIN STAGE.
SO WE'VE KEPT LIKE THE STREET IS JUST ART AND WE'VE SPREAD THEM OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
UM, BECAUSE AGAIN, YOU KNOW, EVEN COVID HADN'T RETURNED WITH ITS VENGEANCE, I STILL THINK PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE A LANDSCAPE NOT SO JAMMED UP.
SO ANYWAY, THAT WAS OUR THOUGHT.
AND NOW THAT WE HAVE MARTIN PARK, IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
AND SO WE HAVE THE FLOW KIND OF COMING DOWN, CALHOUN STREET, GOING ACROSS LAWRENCE OR LAWTON BECAUSE WE HAVE THE CHILDREN'S ART IN THE PARK.
SO YOU WALK DOWN LAWTON AND GET TO DUBOIS PARK FOR THE CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES.
OR YOU CAN WALK DOWN LAWRENCE AND AGAIN, GO LEFT TO DUBOIS PARK OR GO RIGHT INTO MARTIN PARK FOR, UM, MAINSTAGE SOME FOOD VENDORS.
AND THEN THE OTHER FOOD VENDORS ARE DOWN ON BRIDGE BECAUSE THE OTHER STAGE IS IN CHRIS SHOEMAKER'S LOT.
SO THAT'S THE BIG SEATING AREA.
MARTIN PARK IS A SEATING AREA AND THOSE ARE THE TWO AREAS OF THE FOOD.
UM, SO WITH THAT SAID, WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND VOTE ON BOTH OF THE APPLICANTS AND WE'LL START WITH THE HILTON HEAD, SOMETHING ORCHESTRA POPS, CONCERT.
UM, CAN I GET A MOTION? I MOTION.
WE APPROVE THE ARTS CONCERT FOR THE $16,650 AS PRESENTED ANY DISCUSSION.
SO CAN I GET A SECOND ON THAT MOTION? I SECOND THE MOTION.
HOW ABOUT A VOTE? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, SAY AYE.
ANYBODY OPPOSED? SAY THAT'S UNANIMOUS.
UM, THE SECOND VOTE WOULD BE FOR THE
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HISTORIC WAR OF BLUFFTON ART AND SEAFOOD FESTIVAL.CAN I GET A MOTION PLEASE? MOTION.
YOU HAVE TO GIVE US THE MOTION.
I MOTION TO ACCEPT THE, THEIR, UM, THEIR PROPOSAL, THEIR APPLICATION FOR $70,000 FOR FUNDING THEIR APPLICATION FOR $70,000 FOR FUNDING.
CAN I GET A SECOND, ANY DISCUSSION WITH THAT SAID EVERYBODY WHO IS IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE $70,000 REQUESTED, PLEASE STAY BY AND RAISE YOUR HAND.
ANYBODY OPPOSED, PLEASE TODAY WITH THAT SAID IT'S UNANIMOUS AND SO MOVED.
AND I BELIEVE THAT WOULD TAKE US TO THE PART OF THE AGENDA THAT SAYS THE ADJOURNMENT.
AND I GET A MOTION TO ADJOURN.
I'LL SECOND THAT ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.
THANKS EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE, CONGRATULATION ETHICS.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU GUYS AT THE, UH, AT THE, AT THE FESTIVAL.
THE COUNTY CHANNEL IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON VIDEO ON DEMAND.
GO TO BUFORD COUNTY, SC.GOV, SCROLL DOWN TO PUBLIC MEETINGS, CLICK WATCH NOW, AND THEN CLICK THE VIDEO ON DEMAND BUTTON AND SELECT YOUR PROGRAM FROM BLISS CALL TO ORDER IF YOU'D LIKE A DVD OF THIS PROGRAM, CLICK ON THE LINK ON THE RIGHT AND FILL OUT THE ORDER FORM.
AND THANK YOU FOR WATCHING THE COUNTY CHANNEL.
THIS IS THE BUFORD COUNTY MOMENT.
THE SUBJECT OF THIS MOMENT IS THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY LOST TO FOLKS TODAY, BUT THE ARTIFACTS, THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY ARE AROUND US.
IF WE LOOK FOR THEM, PHOSPHATES WERE KNOWN IN SOUTH CAROLINA BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR.
THEY WERE FIRST DISCOVERED UP AROUND SOMERVILLE AND NORTH OF CHARLESTON.
IT'S KNOWN AS MORAL AND BENEATH THE MORAL WAS THE PHOSPHATE ROCK GEOLOGISTS AND SCIENTISTS KNEW ABOUT IT.
PHOSPHATE WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE AGRICULTURAL OF THE SOUTH BECAUSE IT IS THE BASIS OF MOST FERTILIZER AND MANY OF THE COTTON LANDS OF THE OLD SOUTH WERE MUCH EXHAUSTED BY THE COTTON INDUSTRY BEFORE THE WAR.
SO AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY WAS INTRODUCED FIRST IN CHARLESTON IN 1867, AND THEN LOOKING FOR BEDS OF HIGH CONTENT PHOSPHATE ROCK.
THESE PHOSPHATE EXPLORES AND ENTREPRENEURS DISCOVERED BUFORD COUNTY.
THE NEXT 30 YEARS, BUFORD COUNTY BECAME THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF PHOSPHATE IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND ONE OF THE RICHEST SOURCES OF PHOSPHATES KNOWN IN THE WORLD BETWEEN 1870 AND 1900.
THIS BECAME THE CENTER OF THE MINING.
PART OF THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY.
MANY OF THE FERTILIZER FACTORIES WERE IN CHARLESTON, BUT THE MINING AND THE PHOSPHATE WORKS AS THEY CALL THEM WHERE THEY BROKE THE ROCK DOWN INTO POWDER AND THE PURE PHOSPHATE AND SHIPPED IT OUT.
THOSE INDUSTRIAL CENTERS WERE MOSTLY IN BUFORD COUNTY AT THE HEIGHT OF THIS INDUSTRY IN THE 1880S, 3000 BUFORD TONES WERE EMPLOYED IN THE PHOSPHATE BUSINESS.
IN MANY CASES WAS A RULE OF THUMB WHEN THE PHOSPHATE BUSINESS BEGAN IN THE 1870S, THAT THE RICHEST VEINS OF PHOSPHATE WERE UNDERWATER UNDER THE COOSAW RIVER UNDER THE BUFORD RIVER UNDER BATTERY CREEK.
SO INITIALLY LOCAL SEA ISLANDERS WOULD DIVE DOWN FOR THE ROCK AND FILL UP BASKETS AND THEN GET PULLED UP IN A ROPE, NOT ONLY LIMITING THE DEPTH TO WHICH THEY COULD MINE AT, BUT LIMITING THEIR HEALTH AS WELL, GOING UP AND
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DOWN, BUT VERY QUICKLY IN THE 1870S ENGINEERS DISCOVERED THAT THEY COULD BUILD VERY LARGE UNDERWATER STEAM POWERED DREDGES ON FLOATING BARGES.AND SO THEY BEGAN TO MECHANIZE THE INDUSTRY AND RATHER THAN EMPLOYING FEWER PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY EMPLOYED MORE, MORE THAN HALF OF THE PHOSPHATE PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES AND 80% OF THE PHOSPHATE PRODUCED IN SOUTH CAROLINA CAME FROM BUFORD COUNTY.
THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY BETWEEN 1870 AND 1900 WAS THE LARGEST INDUSTRY IN THE HISTORY OF BUFORD COUNTY AND THE LARGEST MINING INDUSTRY IN THE HISTORY OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
AND PEOPLE HAVE PRETTY MUCH FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT, BUT IT WAS THE SOURCE OF GREAT PROSPERITY IN BUFORD COUNTY, BETWEEN 1870 AND 1890.
THE POPULATION OF BUFORD COUNTY GREW BAY STREET BECAME A FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL CENTER.
PHOSPHATE WORKS IN OTHER WORDS, FACTORIES WHERE THEY BURNED THE PHOSPHATE ROCK AND BROKE IT DOWN INTO POWDER.
WE'RE LOCATED ON SPANISH POINT.
WE'RE LOCATED, UM, LUCY CREEK AND THE LARGEST WAS LOCATED FIRST ON COOSAW PLANTATION.
AND THEN OUT AT THE END OF CHISHOLM HIGHLAND ON SUMMERHOUSE POINT ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE COOSAW RIVER, SMALLER PHOSPHATE COMPANIES AND PHOSPHATE RIDGES AND THE TUGBOATS AND THE SUPPORT SYSTEMS THAT HAD TO, UH, SUPPORT THIS INDUSTRY FOR 30 YEARS WERE AN ENORMOUS BOOM TO BUFORD COUNTY.
EVENTUALLY THE SMALLER PHOSPHATE COMPANIES WERE CONSOLIDATED INTO ONE VERY LARGE COMPANY CALLED THE COOSAW MINING COMPANY.
THE COOSAW MINING COMPANY BY 1892 WAS THE LARGEST PHOSPHATE MINING COMPANY IN THE UNITED STATES.
BUT IN THOSE SAME YEARS IN 1888, RICHARD VEINS AND PHOSPHATE WERE DISCOVERED DEAR TAMPA, FLORIDA.
AND DURING THE 1890S, THE PERCENTAGE OF PHOSPHATE EXTRACTED FROM BUFORD COUNTY DECLINED AND THE PERCENTAGE OF PHOSPHATE DISCOVERED AND EXTRACTED FROM FLORIDA AND OTHER PLACES LIKE NEAR NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE WAS RICHER PHOSPHATE.
AND EVENTUALLY IT PUT THESE PHOSPHATE MINES OUT OF BUSINESS PHOSPHATE IN BUFORD COUNTY.
THE RIVER ROCK AS IT WAS CALLED IN THOSE DAYS WAS 60% PURE PHOSPHATE, WHICH IN 1870 WAS THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY.
BY 1888, THE FLORIDA ROCK WAS 80% PURE PHOSPHATE.
AND THE ECONOMICS OF THAT SIMPLY PUT THE RIVER COUNTY PHOSPHATE BUSINESS OUT OF BUSINESS.
COOSAW MINING COMPANY STOPPED MINING IN 1905.
THE VIRGINIA CAROLINA COMPANY TRIED TO CONSOLIDATE SOME OF THE OLD WORKS AND FINALLY WENT BANKRUPT IN 1914.
AND THAT WAS THE BITTER END OF THE PHOSPHATE BUSINESS CONSEQUENCE OF THE END OF THE PHOSPHATE BUSINESS WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE GREAT EXODUS OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION OF THE SEA ISLANDS WITHOUT GOOD WAGE JOBS BEGAN TO MOVE NORTH AND DEPOPULATED MUCH IN BUFORD COUNTY.
BUT THE OTHER EVENT WHICH PASTED THE DEMISE OF THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY IN BEAVER COUNTY WAS OF COURSE THE GREAT HURRICANE OF 1893, WHICH WAS ONE OF THE 10 LARGEST HURRICANES AND MOST DESTRUCTIVE HURRICANES EVER TO HIT THE UNITED STATES KILLED AS MANY AS 2000 PEOPLE ON THE SEA ISLANDS AND WRECKED THE PHOSPHATE FLEET.
SO THE INVESTORS IN PHOSPHATE FLEET MOVED THEIR CAPITAL TO FLORIDA AND THE PHOSPHATE BUSINESS DECLINED B FOR COUNTY.
THIS HAS BEEN A BUFORD COUNTY MOMENT TO SEE MORE BEAVER COUNTY MOMENTS GO TO THE BUFORD COUNTY LIBRARY HOMEPAGE AND CLICK ON THE LOCAL HISTORY TAB.