David's Blog from the Creative Coast

The Marshes at Cooper River, a Daufuskie Riverside Community

For those of you that love long views of the marsh and the intra-coastal of the Carolina Low Country, I have a hidden gem for you, The Marshes at Cooper River. There are five home sites that just became available. This is new cottage community that will have new homes ranging in size from 1,000 to 2,000 square feet. They will be Low Country Style Cottages.

An added bonus is a membership in the Daufuskie Island Resort & Breathe Spa at Melrose; benefits include golf, transportation to and from Daufuskie, ground transportation around the island and discounts at the Spa, Equestrian Center, and restaurants.

There are only five of these sites available; ranging in price from $140,000 to $260,000. The higher priced lots are just around 3/4 of acre and skirt the marsh. These lots are dotted with historic oaks, even the non tree hugger will be impressed by nature's work.

Another amenity that you cannot purchase is the sunset over the Cooper River, priceless. If you would like to tour The Marshes at Cooper River, call me and I can arrange transportation. Enjoy the pictures. Call 843-338-9087 for more information.

Daufuskie Island's Best Deal on a Second home, $349,000.

Recently, I had the opportunity to view the best deal on Daufuskie Island for a second home. It is a four bedroom and three bathroom cottage, located not too far from the county boat ramp at Marshside Mama's. It is a fully furnished cottage that is now priced to sell for $349,000. Square footage is just under 1,400 square feet, with porches located in the front and the back of the house.

From the back deck, one can sit back and relax with a picturesque view of the Carolina Intra-Coastal waterway. IT'S FULLY FURNISHED, limited moving items to this cottage on your part. Another great bonus, is that there are other cottages in Maryfield that are priced anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000 higher. Can you say instant equity. A fully furnished cottage for $349,000, you cannot beat this price.

The cottage was built in 2000 and was just inspected three weeks ago, it passed with flying colors. I know I paid for the inspection, I know it is a great deal.

This cottage is ideal for a buyer who is looking for a second home on mystical Daufuskie Island, people living in a five hour radius of Daufuskie should consider this rare opportunity.

If you would like to tour this home, please contact me. I can make arrangements for ferry transportation from both Hilton Head and Savannah. DO NOT LET THIS OPPORTUNITY PASS. A four seat golf court is negotiable as part of the deal.

     A limited membership to Melrose can be purchased for those who would rather use the ferries out of Savannah and Hilton Head, instead of using their own boat. This is a great home with value to enjoy island living the way it should be.

David D'Arcy 843-338-9087

daviddarcy@topproducer.com

Savannah bleeds at Gettysburg on the afternoon of July 2, 1863

The first three days in July this year, will mark the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, the pivotal battle of the American Civil War. By the Spring of 1863, the war was in it's third year. General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was fresh off of victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, but with irreplaceable losses in men and quality leaders; such as General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

In late May 1863, the Confederate high command decided to invade the North for a second time, it was thought that President Lincoln under severe pressure would be forced to attack the well entrenched Southern forces. Such a battle they believed would destroy the Union's Army of the Potomac, forcing a negotiated peace.

As the Confederates crossed into the North, many things went wrong; JEB Stuart's cavalry was absent, so Lee had no idea that the Union army was pursuing quickly. On July 1, advance elements of both armies collided just west of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Each side rushed in additional forces, until the South had a numerical superiority and cracked the Union defenses. Hesitation of the part of Confederate General Ewell allowed the retreating Union forces to anchor their defenses south of Gettysburg, an area of high ground.

During the night, both armies gathered strength. The 8th Georgia, with a company from Savannah, marched all night and arrived on the battlefield around 9:00 am on July 2. About eight hours later they would fight it out on the Union left, as the Confederates attacked The Wheat Field.

That morning Lee listened to General James Longstreet's Chief of Staff, Colonel Moxley Sorrel explain the Union defensive position. Sorrel was from Savannah, his family owned the large orange house that sits on the northwest corner of Madison Square. Lee then ordered Longstreet to roll up the Union left, will Ewell attacking the Union right in a coordinated assault. Longstreet's troops later captured The Peach Orchard, The Wheat Field and Devil's Den, but were unable to grab the strategic heights at Little Round Top. Ewell, never attacked until Longstreet's attacks had waned. This was the South's best opportunity at Gettysburg. Events of July 3rd, Pickett's Charge, were anti-climatic and only added to the carnage.

Shelby Foote, a noted Civil War historian, refers to Gettysburg as where the stars conspired against the South, his reasoning, was that everything that could go wrong for the South did go wrong for the South. For on the morning of July 2, the South was at it's zenith, but by nightfall her star had started to fall.

It was not until 1873, that Confederate dead was removed from the Gettysburg battlefield. Many of them of them were Savannahians that were buried with other Georgians in the Gettysburg plot at the Laurel Grove Cemetery in Savannah.

The removal of the dead to Savannah will be featured in an article I wrote for the upcoming September/October 2008 issue of the Savannah Magazine. Also, every July 2, I place Confederate battle flags and a rose at the base of the Gettysburg monument at Laurel Grove for remembrance.

Many of you know that I am working on a book about the Civil War in Charleston, which is due this month. Ben and I have another book that will also be in the publisher/s hand this summer, a book on Gettysburg. This is a different approach then our first three books, for we are going to tell the story of the Battle of Gettysburg through the monuments, photographs and personal accounts. I journey to Gettysburg in late July to start some of the photography. Ben Mammina and I will return in August to finish the project. Hopefully, both books will hit the shelves by the first of the year.

Beachfield On Daufauskie Island, Summer 2008 Update

It has been since late March, that I first wrote about Beachfield on Daufuskie Island. Since then there has been some great progress. First of all, it was projected that 30 home sites would be sold by the end of 2008, so far we have sold over 20. Those numbers help indicate that the Daufuskie Real Estate market is a strong buy. Daufuskie Island property is priced well below other islands along the Atlantic Ocean. To see the progress click the video below.

It late May, construction began on one of the models in Beachfield, a traditional Low Country Cottage. These cottages are the perfect second home, the square footage of these cottages will range from around 1,000 square feet to about 2,500 square feet. There are many designs to choose from, but all encompass the traditional Low Country Cottage. If you are interested in seeing the approved designs, please contact me. Two more models will start construction sometime in mid-July.

Are you wondering how to travel to Daufuskie? The developer has solved that problem, they are offering a membership to Melrose for those who purchase home sites. The Melrose ferries operates out of both Hilton Head Island and Savannah. For those who are ready to build, they are offering a $9,000 golf cart and some other extras.

Because these home sites are selling swiftly, the construction on the amenities is going to begin by late summer. The first of these will be the construction of two boardwalks from Beachfield to the beach, that faces the Atlantic Ocean. Later in the year, they will break ground on the Beachfield pool area. The amenities will be in place, so that they can be used in the near future. For more information on Beachfield, please visit;

http://www.beachfieldsouthcarolina.com

If you would like to tour Beachfield or Daufuskie Island, please contact David D'Arcy @ 843-338-9087 or daviddarcy@topproducer.com.

212 W. 36th Street: Episode 3 : The Plan

It has been about 6 weeks since I have given a progress report on the house at 212 West 36th Street. We finally were able to finally remove the partition walls, disassemble a chimney and clean the new work areas.

We had to order a 6th dumpster, which is still in the yard. A chimney was discovered that had no purpose in our plans, so we disassembled it, keeping the brick for future landscaping in the back yard. We then cleaned the entire house, so we could enter the next phase of our restoration process. Countless times, we walked through the house trying to figure the orientation of the house, after many discussions we sat back and digested some of the possibilities. At the same time, we brought in an architect to draw our plans, so they could be submitted to the Metropolitan Review Board.

Our idea is to keep the 3 bedrooms upstairs with 3 bathrooms, plus an office, a large walk-in closet and two exits for a future deck that will be constructed sometime this fall. For the downstairs, the kitchen will be wide open with a multi-functional island, with easy access to the dining room, the media room and the outside deck. We struck gold here, we are not limited to the traditional galley kitchen. This is one roughly measures 17' x  13'.

The dining room will open up to the media room and towards the foyer off the front door. It will be elegant with a chandelier, but will be multi-purpose for entertaining. In the media room, there will be surround sound with a large flat screen television over the fire place and an entrance to the front wrap around porch.

The bathroom downstairs will be fully restored in the Victorian decor. The front parlor, will be formal with a chandelier, but opens up to the media room.

Our plan is to have the duct work, the plumbing and the electrical completed by early July. While this is happening we will start to restore the windows throughout the house. I have been currently stripping paint in the first guest bedroom, peeling off eight layers of paint. I am using a in-fared paint remover, that we found from This Old House. It is hot and sweaty work, but instant gratification is when that natural wood pops out. 

In early July, we will bring a sheet rock crew to put up new dry wall and start to restore the upstairs floors. I then will commence to painting, the idea is to have the second floor livable by early August. So sometime in early to mid July I will give you an update.

Savannah Red Rice; it's roots date back 250 years.

It has been awhile since I have posted a recipe from the LowCountry and Creative Coast, forgive me. Today, I have a very simple recipe for a popular side dish that is served along the South Carolina and Georgia coasts, it is Savannah Red Rice. Rice was the South's primary cash crop until the invention of the cotton gin, which allowed cotton to overtake rice and produce a higher yield of profit.

These rice fields were located inland along the tidal fresh water creeks throughout the LowCountry and Creative Coast. Slave labor was used to construct damns and dikes, creating the highway that moved fresh water to the rice fields twice a day at high tide. Engineering wise, it was quite impressive, some of this construction is still visible today. Most notably, on South Carolina's Route 170 just before crossing into to Beaufort County from Jasper County, near the New River. They can be seen on both sides of the road. Another great location to see these dikes, is driving from Beaufort County into Colleton County on US Route 17 in South Carolina, again they are located on both sides of the road.

After the French and Indian War, rice exports soared throughout the Southeast. It would later fall second to cotton, but it was still an important staple that foreign markets needed.

So it is only obvious that rice would find it's place in the LowCountry Cuisine, it can be found throughout many of the restaurants in the area, as well as, generic versions in a grocery stores. So I hope enjoy this home cooked version of Savannah Red Rice.

Your Shopping List

1 cup of dried smoked sausage                        4 ounces of bacon

1 medium onion, chopped                               2 ribs of celery, chopped

1/2 bell pepper, chopped                                2 cups of uncooked rice

2 - 14.5 ounces of tomato, pureed                    2 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of pepper                                           1 tsp of sugar

4 drops of your favorite pepper sauce

In a large skillet, fry the bacon until crisp, remove from the pan to paper towels, Drain and crumble the bacon, then set aside. Saute onions, sausage, celery and green pepper in bacon grease until tender. Add rice, tomatoes, crumbled bacon and seasonings. Cook for 10 minutes. Put in large buttered baking dish, cover at bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serves 6 to 8. Enjoy.

A Savannahian visits Yankee Stadium in the Bronx

The 2008 baseball season will end with the closing of one of the world's most well known structures, Yankee Stadium. It is known as the 'House that Ruth Built' and the site of 26 World Series Champions were won here. Yankee Stadium was the home of many great players and events; perfect games, championship games, Papal masses and the reflection of the tragedy of September 11.

I decided that I was going to make one last trek before the stadium closes this September, a new Yankee Stadium is being constructed across the street. I decided to see a night and day game; the Seattle Mariners visiting New York over Memorial Day presented a window of opportunity.

On the subway, the number 4 train, the cars filled with fans heading to 161st Street in the Bronx, the final tally that evening was 52,000 people in attendance. We arrived just before game time, I quickly purchased a beer and a dog before heading to our seats in right field.

Andy Pettite was pitching, it was his best outing of the year. I had two cameras to capture the historic sports venue. I took stills, as well as video of the highlights of the two games that I attended. The Yankees' offense exploded and by the 7th inning, they had pushed 13 runs across the plate. This was my chance to get closer to the action, many fans vacated their seats, allowing us to get into some seats behind the box seats on the first base side. The fans ere electric, one fool entered our section wearing a Boston Red Sox jersey. He caught some verbal abuse.

After the game we walked out of gate 6, vendors were selling all types of Yankee clothing. I inquired about a Graig Nettles jersey, my idol growing up, they had the pinstripes with the number 9 on it. It was Christmas Day for me, so I shelled out the 90 dollars and immediately put the shirt on. Fans were in and out the local places outside of the stadium, that had dancing, bands and Yankee highlights.

The next day, the gates opened at 11 a.m., I was through the gate by 11:04 a.m. They opened Monument Park, the grounds were retired numbers were displayed, along with plaques for Yankee immortals. At our seats were in the left field upper deck, I realized how much baseball had grown internationally. There were fans behind us from Japan that came to see some of their former players playing in the Major Leagues. Both the Yankees and Mariners had Japanese players, a Japanese newspaper was advertised on the left field wall.

Yankee bats opened up just like they had the previous night and again by the 7th inning, we were making our way to the better seats. Lunch today was beer, a hot Italian sausage sandwich and a slice of New York Style pizza. 

Over the two days, I captured almost 500 images of the stadium and again we partied with other Yankee fans in the nearby watering holes. I had a tremendous time and hope to return in August. If you would like to know how I was able to put this together, drop me an e-mail.

A Savannahian attends Yankee Stadium before

Fort Jackson Celebrates it's 200th Birthday.

Last week, I and a few friends were able to attend Fort Jackson's 200th Birthday party, hosted by the Coastal Heritage Society. It was free admission; they offered period music, jazz, live cannon firings and fireworks to finish the evening.

I was able to walk up to the sentry post and see my old friend, the 'Stars and Bar's, fluttering in the breeze that was coming off the Savannah River. Closer to the river bank, a soldier from the 3rd Infantry Division was preparing a howitzer for the celebration.

We were greeted by the fort's guard, as we passed through the entrance into the parade ground. There interpretors representing the  22nd Georgia Heavy Artillery and the 55th Massachusetts Infantry, both units occupied the fort during the Civil War. Women and children were also dressed in period clothing.

Musicians from that time period were performing songs from the Civil War Period, later on a jazz band of young adults took the stage and kept the attention of all attendees, they even sang to a friend of mine who was celebrating his 70th birthday.

The actual site of Fort Jackson was manned by an artillery battery during the Revolutionary War. In 1808, Fort Jackson was constructed, as well as others throughout the country, protecting America's coastal cities. The fort did not see any action during the War of 1812, even though late in the war it was rumored that there was a British invasion fleet lurking around Tybee Island. Nothing came off it, because an agreement was made between Great Britain and the United States to cease hostilities at the Treaty of Ghent.

After the War of 1812, the fort was largely ignored until the late 1850's when the structure was totally enclosed. The fort was seized by the state of Georgia on January 10, 1861, a month later it was turned over to the Confederate States of America.

During the war, it was manned by a artillery unit and was the headquarters of the Savannah River Squadron. The fort never fired an angry shot and was evacuated in December 1864 . It was then occupied by Union forces, the 55th Massachusetts.

After the war, the fort lost its usefulness due to new innovations in military technology. It finally, came under the umbrella of the Coastal Heritage Society in 1976. Since then, they have been raising money to help restore the fort.

So last week, the CHS sold memberships, food and beverages in an effort to raise money for the site. Later in the evening, the big guns on the rampart fired in celebration; first they fired the Sea Coast Gun and then the Dahlgren gun. Next the skies opened up with fireworks, ending the festivities at Fort Jackson.

Credit Coaching will Improve your Credit Scores

All over the country, people are told it is great time to buy. The only problem is that financial institutions have made it difficult to lend to buyers. Credit scores need to be higher. I was coached a few years back after a business venture went sour. Debts piled up, along with my own bills, so I had to stop the bleeding.

I decided to contact a coach and they helped me clear things off my credit report that was negative or delinquint. You should look at your report every few months, regardless. Anybody, can put something on your report. I was instructed to write letters, show proof of debt payment and review the reports to see if anything came off. It did and my score went from 485 to 620 in a period of 4 months.

Recently, I had  a client that bought a house. We started looking in November, but there were some red flags on their report. He immediately went to a "credit coach" to repair the damage, so that he could get a loan. Over a period on three months of coaching, he was able to secure a loan in February and made an offer on a house, that closed in late March. The coach prompted him on everything he had to in order to get the score up, it worked and he owns a brand new home in Bluffton.

Presently, I have three coaches that I refer to clients. They can help you bring up scores. It's great for clients that want to buy property on the Creative Coast, Georgia and South Carolina

Everyone needs coaching, even gifted athletes, musicians and students. Just don't ignore it, or it will fester. If you would like to purchase a property and you need to bring your scores up, contact me. I will help you. It is worth doing, it helps quickly and dramatically.

David @ daviddarcy@topproducer.com