The post-Civil War period on Edisto Island produced two heros for the African-American community there: James Hutchinson and John Thorne. Both men entered into cooperative agreements with the formerly-enslaved residents of Edisto Island to pool their funds in order to purchase former plantations. The land was then subdivided with the subdivisions then sold back to the investors/residents based on their contributions to the "pool." Both Hutchinson and Thorne retained some land for themselves and their families as well. Almost a century later, the two men were still remembered. Sam Gadsden identified them to Nick Lindsay as "The Two Black Kings of Edisto Island." (I blogged about John Thorne earlier, starting here.)
So what remains of the Hutchinson and Thorne "kingdoms"? Certainly there is a lasting legacy of continued land ownership on Edisto Island. An example would be our friend (and a friend of this blog) Deborah Robinson, whom we initially met through her search for more information about John Thorne. She wanted to know more about the man who had enabled her family to purchase the land on Edisto that they still call home.
But are there personal remnants of Hutchinson and Thorne? The answer is "Yes!", but it's a qualified "Yes."
