The Road to Home
Nothing inspires the imagination of a romantic southern mind than a view of an old plantation avenue. The tree-lined road leads temptingly to an end that is usually hidden from sight; the inability to view the final destination making the journey toward it that much more intriguing.
The favorite image of a southern plantation avenue is a long dirt road lined with ancient oak trees, their limbs covered with Spanish Moss, their branches creating a cathedral-like ceiling which only allows the occasional sunlight through the leaves. A walk down one of these roads causes one to talk a little quieter and listen a little closer for whisperings from times gone by. The connection with the history of these places grows stronger when strolling down their paths.
However, Fuller Plantation on St. Helena Island had a unique feature. Unlike most oak-tree lined avenues, Fuller Plantation’s avenue was lined with magnolia trees. Robert Waight Fuller, grandson of Thomas Fuller who built Tabby Manse in Beaufort, owned Fuller Plantation (sometimes called Fuller Place) and took the idea for magnolia trees from his family’s country home in Sheldon:
"From the public road to the house, and all around it, was one of the noblest avenues of magnolias in all that land of stately forest-trees. The overhanging and interlacing branches formed a perfect archway; and when the trees were in bloom with large white flowers, it was a triumphal arch. As years added to their stateliness, they seemed to be the presiding genii of the place. As night came on, they were vocal with the wild concert of owls that flocked there from the surrounding swamps.”
The avenue to Fuller Plantation is now the road to Yard Farm, where the Bishops have lived for four generations. We call it “The Lane” and as soon as I make the turn off of Highway 21 I know I’m home. Not only has it served as a passageway to our house, but it evokes sweet memories of strolls with my grandmother where we discussed important world events such as what it’s like to live through a hurricane and whether or not my latest 7th grade crush would ever call me on the phone. (He never did.) At night it provided the perfect backdrop for Ghost Walks with my brother and our friends, a camera flash acting as our only source of light when someone heard a noise that needed investigation, which was often. “Flash it!” someone would yell, evidence that this person had become spooked enough to require a little light to make sure something of a supernatural source wasn’t about to grab us from the bushes.
In the 1940s, when O.H. Bishop, my great grandfather, acquired the Yard Farm from Ross MacDonald (MacDonald-Wilkins Company) he wanted to dress up the road to Yard Farm a little so he built a gate at its entrance. In its day, it was quite impressive. He even put statues of animals on the posts but someone else liked those animal statues too and it didn't take long for them to disappear.
A glance down the dirt road today wouldn’t tell anyone that it was a plantation avenue if they didn't already know it. While beautiful in its own way, it isn’t pretentious or striking. Someone passing by on their way to Hunting Island won’t put the brakes on and turn around to get a picture. But that’s why I love it so much. It’s a hidden treasure; one of many on the Sea Islands that are overlooked by the crowds but very much appreciated by those who take a moment to know its history and feel the spirit that resides there.
It is the road to home.
