thedrifter
09-22-08, 11:51 AM
Parris Island welcomes biking tourists Saturday
Published Fri, Sep 19, 2008 12:00 AM
By PATRICK DONOHUE
pdonohue@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5531
Cyclists participating in a 15-mile tour of Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island today will get a firsthand look at the island's history -- from its 16th-century roots as a Spanish fort to its modern-day use as a Marine Corps training ground.
The Parris Island Historical and Museum Society is sponsoring the first Iron Mike Bike Tour from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. The tour is free and provides visitors a chance to see Parris Island in a new light, organizers say.
Named after the depot's Iron Mike statue, erected in 1924 in memory of Parris Island Marines who died in World War I, the tour will begin at the Parris Island Museum and take visitors on a 16-stop tour of the depot's colonial, plantation and later military histories. Cyclists are invited to include or exclude as many stops as they like, a museum techniciansaid.
"Visitors will get to see and hear a lot of things about the island that they usually don't get to see and hear," said Dave Smoot,museum technician at the Parris Island Museum.
To guide the way, cyclists will receive a map of the tour route, which also will be marked by signs, Smoot said.
"If that doesn't work, we've got about 5,000 Marines that will be able to track them down," he joked.
At eachstop along the way, Smoot said, a representative from the museum will be available to explain that stop's history and significance to Parris Island.
Smoot said he would be posted at Elliot's Beach, the site of the waterfront plantation home formerly owned by Confederate Gen. Stephen Elliot,whose family was one of the earliest planters of Sea Island cotton,a sought-after cotton that produced unusually long, silky fibers.
"The people who cultivated that cotton lived in wondrous luxury in these massive homes," he said. "We're talking conspicuous consumption-type stuff There's a lot of history out here that even our residents might not be aware of."
To get on the base, drivers must provide a driver's license, registration and proof of insurance. Cyclists must wear helmets at all times, according to base policy.
Ellie
Published Fri, Sep 19, 2008 12:00 AM
By PATRICK DONOHUE
pdonohue@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5531
Cyclists participating in a 15-mile tour of Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island today will get a firsthand look at the island's history -- from its 16th-century roots as a Spanish fort to its modern-day use as a Marine Corps training ground.
The Parris Island Historical and Museum Society is sponsoring the first Iron Mike Bike Tour from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. The tour is free and provides visitors a chance to see Parris Island in a new light, organizers say.
Named after the depot's Iron Mike statue, erected in 1924 in memory of Parris Island Marines who died in World War I, the tour will begin at the Parris Island Museum and take visitors on a 16-stop tour of the depot's colonial, plantation and later military histories. Cyclists are invited to include or exclude as many stops as they like, a museum techniciansaid.
"Visitors will get to see and hear a lot of things about the island that they usually don't get to see and hear," said Dave Smoot,museum technician at the Parris Island Museum.
To guide the way, cyclists will receive a map of the tour route, which also will be marked by signs, Smoot said.
"If that doesn't work, we've got about 5,000 Marines that will be able to track them down," he joked.
At eachstop along the way, Smoot said, a representative from the museum will be available to explain that stop's history and significance to Parris Island.
Smoot said he would be posted at Elliot's Beach, the site of the waterfront plantation home formerly owned by Confederate Gen. Stephen Elliot,whose family was one of the earliest planters of Sea Island cotton,a sought-after cotton that produced unusually long, silky fibers.
"The people who cultivated that cotton lived in wondrous luxury in these massive homes," he said. "We're talking conspicuous consumption-type stuff There's a lot of history out here that even our residents might not be aware of."
To get on the base, drivers must provide a driver's license, registration and proof of insurance. Cyclists must wear helmets at all times, according to base policy.
Ellie