A Story Is Unfolding

In the 1500s, Native American tribes including the Etiwan, Wando, Coosaw and Sewee Indians lived near Cainhoy. They used the rich resources of the Lowcountry to build homes, make tools, and feed their families.

By the late-17th century, the English established the first permanent settlement on the Ashley River, and in 1680, they moved their settlement to the present-day location of Charleston. The Lords Proprietors were granted lands throughout the region, including John Padgett and James Taggert who received land that would later become part of Harry Frank Guggenheim’s “Cain Hoy Plantation” in the 20th century.

During the Colonial era, Cainhoy was well-known for its brick kilns. In 1740, a devastating fire swept across Charleston and a new law was implemented that all buildings had to be made from bricks. With ample sand, clay, and firewood available and a prime location on both the Wando and Cooper Rivers, numerous brick kilns were constructed on the property. Cainhoy’s brick kilns contributed significantly to Charleston’s reconstruction.

Although no fighting happened here, the American Civil War brought an end to slavery and changed the Cainhoy peninsula forever. Freed people established their own communities and bought or rented land to farm for themselves. Wealthy northerners also began purchasing land across the South as hunting retreats.

Harry Frank Guggenheim began purchasing what would eventually total 16,000 acres in the Charleston Lowcountry, including Daniel Island and Cainhoy. Born into a large family that placed a high value on character, integrity, hard work and giving back for the betterment of mankind, Guggenheim was considered one of the most influential men of his time. He used his Cainhoy property for farming, cattle ranching, and as a family hunting and fishing retreat.

Upon Harry Frank Guggenheim’s death, his property passed to his family heirs, including the 11,000+ acres of land that was home to his “Cain Hoy Plantation” in Charleston.

Charleston’s “beltway”, the Mark Clark Expressway (I-526), opened in 1993, making Cainhoy and Point Hope much more easily accessible to the greater Charleston region.

The land that is now Point Hope, along with other portions of the Cainhoy peninsula, are annexed into the City of Charleston.

Philip Simmons Elementary and Middle schools open for classes. Philip Simmons High School followed, opening in 2017.

Residents begin to move into First Light, the first residential neighborhood at Point Hope.

650 acres of the most ecologically sensitive portions of the Point Hope property are placed into a Conservation Easement, ensuring that it will be remain in perpetuity as a professionally-managed Nature Sanctuary. This is the largest Conservation Easement within the City of Charleston.