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 4,547 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 c. 1885 Hutchinson House, is one of the oldest surviving homes built by an African American family during the Reconstruction Era on Edisto Island and the Edisto Island Open Land Trust is working to bring it back to life.
Jim Hutchinson and a consortium of friends and family purchased 404 acres of the old Clark Plantation in 1875 and began the African American settlement community, referred to as the Clark Community, on Point of Pines Road. His son Henry Hutchinson built his home there, the c. 1885 Hutchinson House, and today it stands as the last remaining home of the original Clark Community.
