McClellanville Living
McClellanville Christmas Wreaths
December 24th, 2007 All Articles, McClellanville Living Daniel Bates No Comments
Looking for a great last minute Christmas gift idea or a way to add a splash of beauty to your own front door? How about an all natural, homemade wreath?
Take a walk around your yard or the Francis Marion National Forest and collect anything that you think is pretty (I’d leave the poison ivy behind though). Search the ground for nuts and cones or use fresh green branches of pine magnolia, or holly with red berries for color. 
I made this all natural wreath (yes, I’m a man of many talents) from various sized pine cones, pecan, gum balls, acorns, and magnolia seed pods. I started with a pre-made straw wreath and used a hot glue gun to attach the items. You can spray the whole thing with a clear acrylic spray for added protection and to prevent the pine cones from closing up on you.
My wife made this wreath that features pine cones painted silver as well as Christmas ornaments and ribbon for a more modern and festive look. She started with a small vine wreath that I spray painted silver.
The wreath below was made by Susan Bates. It’s made almost entirely of pine cones, but the berries and bow add a nice splash of color.
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
You Know That Thing Everyone Is Trying to Imitate? We’re It!
November 2nd, 2007 All Articles, McClellanville Living Daniel Bates 7 Comments
Travel magazine Conde Nast recently published it’s 20th Annual Reader’s Survey results in which Charleston, our neighbor to the south, ranked 3rd best US city. I’m sure “The Holy City” holds many other trophies in her case. It is a beautiful city, but it’s also expensive, crowded, and has a high crime rate. I think buyers looking for the quaint southern experience they hear that Charleston offers, end up buying into the lies of many developers and find themselves living in an area that wasn’t what they had envisioned, because they are led to believe that that place doesn’t exist. South Carolina is a great place to live! Like our slogan “Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places”, says we have a warm tropical climate, friendly people, and also a lower cost of living. Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and Summerville are expanding at an alarming rate though. Developers are all racing for new home buyers dollars, but nobody is thinking about infrastructure, education, and what effect this all has on the environment. The pristine coastal waterways and forests which used to be the areas strongest asset are being stressed and exploited.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I must admit that I do get a little tired of ad after ad for developments in Lowcountry with eye catching pictures and poetic descriptions of pristine waterfront views of beaches and marshes, quaint examples of Southern hospitality, breathtaking glimpses down an oak-lined roads, graceful historic homes, and friends and family joined together on the ends of docks in candid poses. I get tired of it all because it rarely matches the advertised product. Most of the pictures used aren’t even taken at or near the developments but are suppose to match “the type of lifestyle that people living here could experience”.
I’m proud to say that the pictures used on this website were taken in McClellanville (probably by myself or my uncle, Billy Baldwin, who contributed many including the one of the sunset used here). I try to paint an accurate portrait of McClellanville living and give people an honest view of the town. I don’t want people to read my posts and then come here and be disappointed, I want them to say, “Wow, why didn’t he mention how great ___ was too”. I do include beautiful pictures and poetic speech in my ads, but I hope you find it to be true.
Do You Recycle?
October 15th, 2007 All Articles, Community Info, McClellanville Living Daniel Bates 4 Comments
Happy Blog Action Day!
Today is the first ever “Blog Action Day”, in which 15,000 bloggers (website owners) have agreed to post an article on the same subject with the aim of changing the world. This years topic is the environment. That’s it, no complicated rules, just try to change the world. Some of the sites involved have tens of thousands of readers and they have agreed to donate this days proceeds to a charity. My reach isn’t as large and I don’t make any money here, but I would like to share my thoughts and hopefully change my little corner of the world.
The Life of William Baldwin
Growing up my biggest hero was my grandfather, who also founded the real estate company I work for today. He was a biologist for the US Fish and Wildlife and was one of natures greatest proponents. He could give you the scientific name of every plant and animal in the lowcountry and name every bird just by hearing their call. His loggerhead sea turtle research done in the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge was ahead of its time and is still being used today. He found his “in” in the real estate business because he managed a plantation and became known among all the wealthy plantation owners as an expert.
Therefore, when it came to selling them, they naturally trusted him. My grandfather’s death when I was twelve was a life changing event and I have tried to live a life that would make him proud ever since. Becoming a father has made me want to protect our natural resources even more so that I can share the same enjoyment I have for nature with my son. I think you can’t help but to feel a special connection with nature when you grow up in a place like McClellanville.
Who Wants to Recycle?
I would like to gauge the interest in town for adding recycling pick-up to the regular trash pick-up. It seem that in an area that is so rich in environmental beauty and socially conscience people that we should be setting a better example. I save my bottles and cans and take them to the dump every couple of weeks, but I wonder how many other people do too. I think that many more would recycle if they simply had to put set them out at the side of the road. I don’t blame the town because I don’t think enough people have voiced their opinion in the past. The town enters into yearly contracts for trash pickup. Currently, we have trash pick-up twice a week. If there is enough interest in a recycling pick-up day, the could include the service in next years bid for the contract. The town budget is pretty tight and this may result in a slight tax increase. I don’t want to see taxes go up any more than you do, but we only get one planet so lets try to protect it as best we can.
Help Make a Difference
In the next week I will be looking into the costs associated with the recycling pick-up. If you would like to see the town take a proactive step toward saving the planet and encouraging people to recycle by providing regular recycling pickup, please leave your comments below (if there isn’t a place to leave comment, click on the title of this article and scroll down) or contact me directly with your thoughts. I spoke with a council member and was told that a petition is a very good way to show that there is a strong interest for a cause. If you would like to help get signatures, please contact me. Otherwise, keep your eyes open around town for the petitions and help support mother earth.
6 Reasons McClellanville Won’t Change
July 18th, 2007 All Articles, McClellanville Living Daniel Bates No Comments
One of the hardest things to explain to people about McClellanville is that we are not going to be “discovered” one day and change over night. I can’t blame their cynicism, because we’ve all known a sleepy little town that we loved to visit or pass through and then one day the town has become a city and it’s lost all it’s charm. The people that came to enjoy the “quaintness” ruined it in the process, because they didn’t see what harm a few Starbucks and a Super Wal-mart could do.
First of all, to claim that we are undiscovered is simply a myth. McClellanville is frequently featured in local and national magazines and Hurricane Hugo certainly put us in the nation’s spotlight. McClellanville doesn’t want to be famous though. The people here are warm and friendly, but that doesn’t mean they are welcome to change. I certainly don’t blame the people that visit here and tell everyone they know how wonderful McClellanville is. This article is to enlighten all the nay-sayers that respond “It’s going to be sad when it all changes” or “what will it be like in 10 years”. I can’t promise that McClellanville will never change, I’ve witnessed gradual change over the years, but here are a few reasons why McClellanville is better off than most towns.
6) To start with, McClellanville is ideally located between two massive federally 
protected wildlife area. These protected lands act as a buffer between the town and other growing areas and their urban sprawl. The Francis Marion National Forest’s 250,000 acres of land wrap around McClellanville to the North, South and West. There are literally miles and miles of protected forest between McClellanville and all of its nearest neighbors. The Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge contains over 66,000 acres of protected creeks, marshes, and islands to 
the East of McClellanville. Our beaches are pristine and only accessible by boat. You won’t find any beach houses, causeways, or parking lots popping up on these small islands as long as this area remains a Federally protected sanctuary. Both areas are home to many endangered species and are breeding grounds for hundreds of species.
5) Privately granted land trusts, like the nearby Santee Coastal Reserve which contains 24,000 acres of protected land, are growing in number each year through the hard work of organizations like The Nature Conservancy and Lowcountry Open Land Trust. Some donations may be only a few acres here and there, but once granted they can never be developed. Private organizations such as the Coastal Conservation League also contribute greatly toward protecting our natural resources and preserving our rural way of life.
4) At the core of McClellanville is it’s community. Town members, many of which are lifetime residents, appreciate the simple life we have here and don’t want to change it. We react strongly and oppose any possibilities of change and raise our children to appreciate these same things while hoping that new town members will feel the same way.
3) The Town of McClellanville is an incorporated town in Charleston County. This gives us a communal voice in the political arena. Incorporation also gives McClellanville the power to annex new lands into the city limits and prevents other cities from annexing us. Incorporation allows McClellanville to elect a mayor and town council members to govern. We elect members who share the common concerns of the community and will fight to preserve it.
2) The mayor and town council members are granted the power to pass ordinances and other regulations to provide structure for the town. We have many important ordinances which maintain the look and feel of McClellanville and ensure that growth is regulated. There are ordinances which prohibit mobile homes, timeshares, and multi-family residences. As a part of Tree City USA, McClellanville also has a Tree Ordinance which limits the amount of tree clearing that can be done and maintains that “grand trees” such as the live oaks will be protected. There are building codes limiting the maximum size of homes to 3500 sq. ft. and 2 1/2 stories. There are zoning restrictions limiting the minimum size of new lots to 3/4 acre inside the Historic District and 1 acre for the rest of McClellanville. There is an Architectural Review Board (ARB) that governs changes within the Historic Districts.
1) Perhaps the greatest barrier against growth that McClellanville has is actually something that it lacks – public water and sewage. McClellanville is still completely on well and septic systems and is strongly opposed to changing from this. Septic tanks are regulated by the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and greatly limit the type and size of homes and businesses that are allowed in McClellanville. This reduces the appeal for developers to move into the area and reinforces the ordinances that we have also set in place that regulate the use of the land.
So the next time someone says “It’ll be a shame when this is all gone” to you, let them know why it won’t be gone any time soon.
A Paddle Down Otter Creek and Memory Lane
July 2nd, 2007 All Articles, McClellanville Living Daniel Bates 3 Comments
In McClellanville just across Jeremy Creek from the town boat landing is a small tidal creek named Otter Creek. On a recent kayak trip, I didn’t encounter any otter, but I did see nature at its best while paddling through this area now known as Mouzon’s Bluff.
I start my trek as I entered Otter Creek, only 10 feet wide at its mouth. Snails work their way up blades of marsh grass slowly cleaning them as they slide. Small minnows and shrimp jump and splash as I quietly wisp through the water. In the marsh grass near the shore, I catch a glimpse of a tail, of what I am sure is a good sized spot-tail bass, swoosh off into the cloudy depth below. I continue my journey as the creek widens to about 30 to 40 feet and bends to the right and then the left.
I curiously wonder if I might encounter an alligator, which prefer brackish water but will travel in the creeks on rare occasions. Bounded by marsh grass on both sides; palmettos, cedars, oaks, poplars and gums extend upward from the mainland and often jut out over the quiet waters of the creek.
The last of the honeysuckle blooms speckle the hilly eastern shore. As a child I once slid down this hill only to find myself face-to-face with a green snake, his head as big as my tightly clenched fist. Knowing that the snake wasn’t poisonous did little to ease my mind at the time, but as it was just as frightened by the experience as I, we both left each other as quick as we could react.
Paddling along further, I see a rope tied to a cedar tree marking where childhood friends and I used to try to cross (before the area had begun to be developed and there was a bridge) on homemade floating rafts. Tiny fiddler crabs burrow holes in the steep mud bank reminding me of the cliff-dwelling Anasazi Indians. The crabs retreat to their caves and then run back out raising their one over-sized claw in a threatening manner as I safely pass by.
The marsh grass thickens on both sides leaving only a path as wide as my kayak where I breeze through and continue. Under large overhanging trees and over craggy underwater branches of fallen ones, I pass in the shady filtered light of the creek.
This is life undisturbed; an area that rarely sees a human being and is untouched by civilization except for a few pieces of trash that have floated up the creek. A chuck will’s widow proudly sings out it’s own name while a bobwhite calls back “toot-sweet-bob-white”. A kingfisher flutters back and forth over the creek as I disturb his evening hunt, and a green heron flaps up to a perch a safe distance away to wait for my departure.
My journey ends as the marsh grass claims the entire pass of the creek and I am forced to turn around. I slowly paddle back home, quietly observing nature at it’s best and reminiscing a childhood full of experiences with my best friend along this tranquil creek.
A Tribute to Robert Bruce Baldwin - Rest in Peace
It Takes a Village
June 28th, 2007 All Articles, McClellanville Living Daniel Bates No Comments
You’ve all heard the saying “It takes a village to raise a child”, but do you actually buy into that theory? Well this sounds-to-good-to-be-true way of living actually exist in McClellanville.
Growing up in a small town like McClellanville (under 500 people) and then working as a police officer in Rock Hill (a suburb of Charlotte, NC with a population of +65,000) has given me an interesting perspective on law enforcement. When I returned to McClellanville, I was sort of elected without contest to be the new deputy town marshal. The town marshal’s authority is limited to the enforcement of town ordinances and my duties include things such as illegal parking, barking dogs, and helping neighbors work out a problem.
The thing that astonishes me though is how, excluding these few interactions that I have with the public, and the little bit of patrolling that the Charleston County Sheriff’s Deputy’s do, McClellanville exists on a nearly utopian level. If someone sees someone they don’t recognize acting suspicious, they call a neighbor or maybe the Sheriff’s Office. If a child is getting into trouble, you call his or her parents. Wecome together as a town and watch out for each other and guide each other to behave in an acceptable and moral way.
The most amazing thing however is what I have witnessed over the past few months. The town was having trouble with young unlicensed children driving golf carts in the village. The kids, not knowing the rules of the road, were involved in a few near misses with vehicles and the problem seemed to be getting worse. The issue was brought up in a town hall meeting. The council members discussed the matter with the public and it was decided that a note would sent out in the next town newsletter (which goes to all the town members) telling parents that the problem needed to be addressed. With nothing else said the problem all but ceased to exist within a month.
I can only image what type of response you would receive sending out a letter like this in any other town. I’m sure that most would ignore the warning, some would even laugh at it, and without concentrated efforts from the police department you would have zero compliance, yet in McClellanville, we experienced nearly 100%. What a great place to live…
Adjusting to McClellanville Life
May 13th, 2007 All Articles, McClellanville Living Daniel Bates No Comments
Bob Bestler wrote a great short article in the Myrtle Beach Sun News on how he’s adjusting to life in McClellanville that everyone should read. The article really reverberates what I have heard from so many McClellanville transplants. It’s a different sort of life in McClellanville and it’s an adjustment getting used to it. You will miss certain parts of your “old life”, but overall you wouldn’t change a thing about it.
Even though I was born and raised here, I still shared these same feelings when I returned after eight years of absence. I, of course, knew exactly what I was getting into. I’ve experienced it first hand watching my wife, who has always lived in larger towns, adjust to small town life. In the beginning we both experienced fast-food and shopping mall withdrawals, but they were quickly replaced with an abundance of nature and true community.
It’s sad that there are so many people who have never looked up from their own backyard and seen the thousands of stars that light the night’s sky. Or had dozens of strangers wave to you just to be friendly and then welcome you into their conversation at the lunch time. McClellanville is calling to you, will you answer it?
Top 10 Things to Do in McClellanville
May 3rd, 2007 All Articles, McClellanville Living, Things to See and Do Daniel Bates 4 Comments
Thinking about moving to McClellanville, but worried that there’s just nothing to do? Well we may not be the entertainment capitol of the world, but we make up for that with our natural and historic beauty. Spending time with friends and family is what McClellanville is all about, but here are the top ten things that you can do by yourself or with a group in or near McClellanville.
10. Take a Day Trip– There’s plenty of places to visit close to McClellanville: Hampton and Hopsawee Plantation, Buck Hall Recreation Area, and Seewee Visitors Center, for starters.
9. Join the Festivities – McClellanville’s Annual Blockbuster is the Lowcountry Shrimp Festival (held the 1st Saturday in May), but there lots of other community events if you want to make some new friends.
8. Hunting – If it’s hunting season and you’re looking to bag a trophy buck, turkey, boar, or duck than McClellanville is the place for you.
7. Enjoy Nature – Whether it’s a hike through the National Forest, A bike ride on the Palmetto Trail, or a stroll on Skipper’s Point, nature is all around us and is always a nice, relaxing way to spend your time.
6. Go Fishing – Is there anything more relaxing than an afternoon on the boat reeling in spot-tail bass or waist-deep in the surf with a trout on your hook?
5. Shop – Check out our businesses for arts and crafts, books by local authors, fresh seafood, strawberries, and last minute gifts.
4. Eat – It’s America’s favorite pastime and we’ve got the best restaurants around serving up lots of local seafood in Southern dishes. Don’t forget oyster roasts when it gets colder too.
3. The Village Museum – There’s something for everyone at the Village Museum. Displays and exhibits provide the history of McClellanville dating back to the Indians.
2. Tour the Village – In a car, on a bike, or on your own two feet, the Historic District of McClellanville offers great views of homes, flowering plants, live oaks, and the water.
1. Go to the Beach – You’ll need a boat if you plan to go to the pristine beaches of Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge because there are no roads. Take a picnic lunch to the beach, cruise the Intracoastal Waterway, or take a sunset cruise up Jeremy Creek.
Disagree with my choices? Think I forgot one? Add your thoughts to the comments section below
Just Say No To Imported Shrimp
April 30th, 2007 All Articles, McClellanville Living Daniel Bates No Comments
If ask about peoples opinions on the war, they would probably tell you why we should or shouldn’t be in Iraq, but there is another war going on, one within our very borders; The War on Imported Shrimp. In recent years foreign, farm-raised shrimp have been dumped onto the American marketplace at such a low price that local shrimpers are having a hard time surviving. Most of us don’t put much thought into where our steamed shrimp in the restaurant are coming from, unless of course you are from McClellanville, and then you might find yourself walking out of a restaurant that has chosen to save a few bucks by buying these imported beasts. McClellanville has long been dependant on the sea for it’s vast riches, but the tireless efforts of the shrimpers have been burdened once again buy the importation of low cost, farm-raised shrimp.
The May issue of South Carolina Wildlife Magazine published by South Carolina Department of Natural Recourses features a great article titled “Living for Shrimping, Shrimping for a Living”. The article features McClellanville locals Gardner McClellan, Georgia Tisdale, and David Donnelly talking about the trials and tribulations of shrimping as a life-long career. Author Billy Baldwin also offers his experience from his times spent running a shrimp boat. The article discusses the impact of imported shrimp on the marketplace as well as the diminishing dockage space needed for the boats as waterfront property values rise.
For more information on the what you can do to support local shrimpers and maintain their way of life and your tasty seafood delight, visit The South Carolina Shrimpers Association.
P.S. - Don’t forget that Shrimp Festival is May 5th!
McClellanville Rocks, But Don’t Take My Word for It
April 24th, 2007 All Articles, Community Info, McClellanville Living Daniel Bates 2 Comments
McClellanville is a great town, but with a population of 500, you won’t find it winning any awards, because most people don’t even know it exists. In fact, the attention of a national award like “Best Retirement Town” or “Top Ten Vacation Spots” would bring about massive change to our quiet little town and negatively impact our way of life. Despite my best efforts, my opinion of McClellanville is admittedly biased because I grew up here and am a real estate agent. I have included the following links to articles written about McClellanville in an effort to give you a second opinion of McClellanville. As you can see, these are local and national sources and reading each you will learn that most people have come to the same conclusion that I have…McClellanville is heaven on earth.
Southern Living (South Carolina Readers Insert) - A Village Victorious - July ‘07
Hot Retirement Towns Magazine - McClellanville, SC - January ‘07
Charleston Magazine - Village Life - November ‘06
Coastal Living - So You Want to Live in…McClellanville, SC - October ‘06
Coastal Living - Inside McClellanville - October ‘06
If you would like to share your opinion of McClellanville (locals and visitors) please enter your comments in the box below.
