Future Park on Wallace Creek

Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission (CCPRC) recently acquired the Sea Island Small Famers Cooperative property, a 19-acre property in Hollywood on Wallace Creek. Because of its association with the 1739 Stono Rebellion and a 20th century African American farmers’ cooperative, this property will now be planned as a future public park able to highlight its historical and cultural significance. 

In the future, the site will go through a master planning process that will include community engagement opportunities via surveys and public meetings, to learn what residents want for the site. Possibilities include interpretation, water access for paddle sports, fishing, water views and access to the East Coast Greenway. As Wallace Creek is a tributary of the Stono River, the site could also be connected to other CCPRC facilities via a water trail for paddlers. 

If you have information about the history of the site, we encourage you to contact us at 843-795-4386 or customerservice@ccprc.com.

Overview of the grassy area, trees and creek at the Wallace Creek property.

View of the marsh at Wallace Creek.

Overview of the field, buildings and road near Wallace Creek property.

About the Site:

The property on Wallace Creek was originally acquired in 2022 by the Lacuna Corporation, which partnered with Lowcountry Land Trust to obtain funding from the Charleston County Greenbelt Program and place a conservation easement on the property. The Lacuna Corporation then donated the property to CCPRC. The conservation easement in place ensures that CCPRC can make improvements for future public access while respecting the site’s cultural and natural resources. 


Wallace Creek History

The property on Wallace Creek is anecdotally a site of the Stono Rebellion in 1739 – the largest insurrection by enslaved persons in British Colonial North America. Further research is required, but it is known that the rebellion occurred in a 10-mile stretch along this area near present day Highway 17. It is nearly certain that the enslaved people involved in this insurrection passed through the Wallace Creek property and nearby Caw Caw Interpretive Center, a documented location of the rebellion. 

The property is also adjacent to a former segregated “beach,” one of six in the area where African Americans could swim when South Carolina was segregated. CCPRC is honored to be able to share the important cultural story of the site, where African American residents spent many days recreating with their families. 

In addition, in the late 20th century, the Wallace Creek property was a farmers’ cooperative site for area African American farmers to sell their locally grown produce. The late Mr. Curtis Inabinett, Sr. was a chief advocate in preserving the site; throughout his life he worked to preserve the stories of the farmers’ cooperative as well as other important histories of the site, and its preservation would not have been possible without his leadership and vision.