To Preserve
the rural quality of life on Edisto by protecting lands, waterways,
scenic vistas, and heritage through conservation and education.
The Edisto Island Open Land Trust’s main goal is to preserve and protect the land that makes Edisto Island special. We do this by primarily accepting conservation easement donations from concerned landowners or purchasing fee ownership of land. EIOLT currently protects 4,243 acres of land. Most of that land is protected through conservation easements on private property. Of the land we own outright, much is accessible to the public. Read about each of our protected properties below or explore them on our interactive map.
The Hutchinson House, constructed around 1885, is one of the oldest surviving houses built by African Americans during the Reconstruction Era on Edisto Island. In a time when many freed people struggled to thrive economically, the Hutchinsons prospered as farmers who operated one of the African American-owned cotton gins on the island. James Hutchinson was born into slavery and escaped bondage in 1863 during the Civil War.
