Edisto Realty News
Edisto Realty Salutes the Edisto Island National Scenic Byway
Oct 16th, 2009For six years the Edisto Island Community - led by the Edisto Island Open Land Trust –
has labored to create a plan to protect and enhance SC Scenic Highway 174 as a national treasure. Scenic 174 is the backbone of the island which leads to Edisto Beach.
Edisto Realty, as the Premier Corporate Sponsor of the Edisto Island Open Land Trust, played an important role in providing financial support to make this effort possible. Today we salute the road, the people who love the road and its scenic views, and the organizations that work diligently to protect its historic sites.
On Oct. 16, 2009 all of the hard work paid off. US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced in Washington, DC that SC Scenic Highway 174 would hereafter be known as the Edisto Island National Scenic Byway. The announcement touched off a wave of celebration on Edisto.
This announcement acknowledges that the scenic vistas and historic sites that locals have long known, protected and loved are worthy of national and even international acclaim. The resulting publicity and prestige cements Edisto’s place as a year round national tourism destination.
Importantly it also means that the vistas will be jealously guarded and protected insuring that future generations will enjoy the incredible sunsets across pristine marshes that are a signature of Edisto.
As you cross the McKinley Washington Bridge over the Dahoo River realize that this highway stands alongside such places as the Mt. Hood Scenic Byway; the Selma to Montgomery March Byway; the Blue Ridge Parkway; Route 66; the Santa Fe Trail; and the Ohio and Erie Canalway.
It is fast company for a road best known for leaving the stress and chaos of modern life behind.
Our lovely wading birds will still be unaware or at least uncaring as we wander the 17 miles from the bridge to Palmetto Blvd. We’ll continue to pass marshes, fields, and small locally owned businesses. We’ll stop as we always have for fresh vegetables or seafood, watch children playing at the community center, slow to acknowledge a wedding or funeral at the local churches, and glide under the live oak canopy as our grandparents did before us. The slow paced life refreshes us and brings us home.
Edisto Realty is proud to call Edisto our home.
