Pinckney Retreat

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Resting peacefully on the banks of Battery Creek, where it has been for more than 250 years, Pinckney Retreat boasts a past as rich and enchanting as the land it rests on.

The nearly mile-long entrance is covered by a canopy of giant 400 year-old live oaks, draped in Spanish moss and gives a picturesque "Welcome Home" to visitors and homeowners alike. The canopy opens onto breath taking views of the great salt marsh where Blue Herons, Snowy Egrits and Ospreys patrol the waters looking for their next meal.

Past meets present at Pinckney Retreat, a peaceful new waterfront community evolving at the site of an historic Lowcountry plantation. Nestled on the banks of Battery Creek, this lush acreage - once known as Retreat Plantation - has a story that's centuries old, a past as rich and fertile as the landscape itself. .. as enduring as the majestic, moss-heavy oaks that flank its mile-long entrance.
 

Near the bank sits the old Retreat Plantation Home, a living monument to that story - one of love, war, survival and perseverance. Intended to "last forever," the tabby home was built in 1736 by dashing young French Huguenot, Jean de la Gaye, for his young bride Catherine Gautier. For the next 20 years the happy couple enjoyed their home, entertaining each other nightly - she with her harp and he with tales of his homeland.

After that, Retreat Plantation was owned by a series of legendary Lowcountry figures, with names like Bull, Barnwell, and the Reverend Edward Tabb Walker, who built the famed Chapel of Ease, on St. Helena Island. When the Civil War broke out, Reverend Walker fled with his wife and nine children to an area near Walterboro. One of Sherman's soldiers discovered the Walker family bible hidden beneath the floorboards of the Retreat. Because it was the property of a minister, the hardened general decided not to burn the house, and it remained unharmed.

At the conclusion of the Civil War, the property was returned to the Walker family, in whose hands it remained until 1938, when Mr. and Mrs. James Sturdevant purchased it and restored the house and grounds. From 1949 to 1965, the home was owned and loved by Bronson Lamb and then by Antonio Ponvert, who designed the formal gardens on the east side of the house. From 1965 until recently, the plantation was the home of B.G. Pinckney and his family.
 

Today the house remains in splendid condition, with its 22-inch thick tabby walls, original fireplaces, and rich hardwood planked floors. Built out of love by Jean de la Gaye to "last forever," it's hard to imagine the Lowcountry without this wonderful old house, a living testament to strength, endurance and southern tradition.

And now this extraordinary home is the heart of a new community that promises to flourish for years to come. Located just minutes from historic downtown Beaufort, Pinckney Retreat (named for its most recent owners) is a refuge from the bustle of modern life, a haven of tranquility and beauty on a remarkable stretch of waterfront property. Homesites are currently available, starting in the upper $90s and ranging through the mid-$500s.

Ever mindful of its unique legacy, the developers of Pinckney Retreat have taken great care to save its trees, doing much of the painstaking work by hand to preserve the root system of live oaks that have stood, in some cases, for 400 years. This very special place is a timeless treasure indeed.

Waterfront Dockable Lots ~ Water / Marsh View Lots ~ Interior Lots

Pinckney Retreat Listings

Contact

Thad Lane

Phone: 843-525-1100
 Cell: 843-252-8423
 

View Pinckney Retreat Community Map

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