Necessity is the mother of invention. That proverb was certainly true when it came to
the creation of tabby construction. Scarcity of clay for bricks and a humid climate which
exacerbated wood rot along with an abundance of sand and oyster shells found in
Native American trash middens gave birth to the labor intensive process of tabby.
Tabby is made from the mixture of lime (made by burning oyster shells), sand, water
and oyster shells. This process was back breaking work collecting shells, burning shells
to make lime and adding whole shells as aggregate.
Beaufort County is believed to have been the center of tabby construction, having the
largest collection of tabby ruins in the United States. Here are a few places where you
can catch a glimpse:
Sea Pines Plantation on the south end of Hilton Head Island is home to the ruins of the
early 19th-century home of the Stoney-Baynard cotton plantation.
Land’s End Road on St. Helena Island is the location for the ruins of an Episcopal
church, the Chapel of Ease. built between 1742 and 1747. The St. Helena Episcopal
Church now own the property.
1211 Bay Street, Beaufort, is the site of Tabby Manse. Built in 1786-1788, this home is
one of the oldest surviving homes in the city.
The Francis Saltus House is located at 802-806 Bay Street, Beaufort. The house was
built in 1774 using old English bricks and tabby.
Just east of Carteret Street in Beaufort, the seawall facing the Beaufort River on Bay
Street (believed to have been built sometime between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars)
is a remarkable example of how tabby has weathered the elements.
The Elizabeth Barnwell Gough House, 705 Washington Street, Beaufort is believed to
have been built in 1789. The exterior walls are made of tabby covered in stucco.
Enjoy a trip back in time by taking a stroll through historic Beaufort County, SC.
