Community Details

Fundraiser and Renovation of Sol Legare Seashore Farmer’s Lodge

On JANUARY 31, 2009 from 1:00 PM until 4:00 PM in conjunction with many other businesses, Trademark Properties and The Concerned Citizens of Sol Legare will be hosting a fundraiser/silent auction at the site on Sol Legare Road (Just off Folly Road behind the Piggly Wiggly) in order to raise funds for a much needed renovation of the property. The rehab will be documented on Trademark’s reality show about Trademark Properties’ real deals, real lives and real relationships in their community. There will be an oyster roast provided by Charleston Crab House and food provided by The Kickin’ Chicken, James Island. Irvin House Vineyards Wine and Beer will also be included in the $20 price per person. “The Plainfield Project” headed up by local celebrity Ben Fagan will perform old and new favorites.

The lodge at Sol Legare is significant to the area b/c it is one of the last remaining of its kind in Charleston – and most of the South. Built in 1915 through the efforts of the community, it is a pillar of African American post Civil War historical significance. The Seashore Farmers Lodge No. 767 served as the heart of the Sol Legare community for many years. It has hosted meetings, educational sessions, celebrations and wakes in its nearly one hundred-year history. Thelma Gilliard of Sol Legare Island describes the Lodge: “This speaks to the culture, the way of life, of how people supported each other. Laughed together. Cried together. Felt each other’s pain. This was a focal point.”(Quoted in Robert Behre, “James Island’s historic lodges slipping away,” The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC), 25 August 2006.) In 2006, Trademark Properties commissioned Karen Nickless, formerly of the Edisto Historical Society, to draft a nomination to have the structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 2007 it was granted. Now, the most important part is to reconstruct the building to its original stature without compromising the historical significance of its architectural style, all the while staying within the requirements of the Registry – a very intricate, labor intensive job.

The Lodge at Sol Legare is not only of importance to the neighborhood but to safeguard the importance of African American Historical Contributions throughout the years. Its a matter of preserving the past to educate the future.

Close to $70,000 is needed to complete the project in a timely manner. Those unable to attend the event can still help out! Volunteers are needed to aid in the restoration and additional help can be given by donating funds directly to the cause: The Concerned Citizens of Sol Legare Foundation c/o Trademark Properties, Corie Hipp - 1175 C Folly Road Charleston, SC 29412.