Why Everyone In South Carolina Should Visit This One Tiny Town (Part 2)

The next time you’re in the Lowcountry near Charleston or Beaufort hop on to Hwy 17 and navigate to Maybank Highway, a.k.a. SC700. Head to a little town called Rockville on the northbank of the Bohicket Creek, a tidal arm of the Edisto River. Please note that some of the places depicted in the images in this article are on private property. Please be respectful and don’t trespass.

Rockville Presbyterian Church - EPC/Facebook

Much of the drive will take you under oak canopies and past dirt roads also lined with trees that are plentiful with hanging spanish moss. These dirt side roads are so alluring you may find it difficult to stay on the highway and travel onto Rockville. But stay on task, the payoff is well worth it.

Wikimedia Commons/Efy96001

The community of Rockville, SC was established in 1784 along the banks of the Bohicket Creek.

This very early start helped to earn the entire community a well-deserved spot on the National Register of Historic Places as the "Rockville Historic District."

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South Carolina Department of Archives and History

The John LaRoche House was constructed here, circa 1834.

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Rockville Presbyterian Church Facebook

The majestic Rockville Presbyterian Church is worth a stop and a few minutes of silence. The photographer in you will love capturing the charm of this old church.

South Carolina Department of Archives and History

Another must-see church in Rockville is Grace Chapel. Its entrance is tucked among the old trees down a charming little dirt road appropriately named "Grace Church Road."

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Becky/Flickr

The town's population is estimated to be a mere 140 people. Yet they have a private yacht club that's not too uppity to open its doors once a year to anyone and everyone as they host the Annual Rockville Regatta. It's an event that just celebrated its 125th consecutive year.

Bearden/Flickr

Rockville Regatta at the Sea Island Yacht Club in Rockville.

Bearden/Flickr

The Rockville Regatta is the last race of the sailing season at the Sea Island Yacht Club. Usually about 50 sailboats participate in the race, but as many as three to five times that are on the water as spectators. The Rockville Regatta takes place each year in Bohicket Creek the first weekend of August.

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Bruce Tuten/Flickr

NationalRegister.sc.gov

On the National Record of Historic Places this home is called "Welches Lane House," shown here from 2 different eras and vantage points.

While you're in Rockville you'll want to feast your eyes on their everyday homes that just happen to be a living part of history.

The town of Rockville, South Carolina is a step back in time located just minutes south of Charleston, one of the most-visited cities in the country. She’s a testament to the notion of natural preservation – the kind that just happens. And even though she opens her doors to visitors each year for the annual Rockville Regatta, she’s a town that people have apparently decided to leave be. There are no high-rises. There are no huge marinas with small towns developing in the marina parking lots. There’s just….Rockville. And she’s beautiful.

Rockville, South Carolina is a town at the end of SC 700; some call the road Maybank Highway.

Do you know any towns like this one? Undeveloped and still as wonderful as they were decades and decades ago? We’d love to hear about them in our Facebook comments.