Prince's Ferry/ One Hand Sanders

PRINCE’S FERRY In August of 1765, the state legislature granted Captain Clement Lempriere a petition to re-activate the old ferry, known as the Hobcaw Ferry, formerly occupied by William Watson. Captain Lempriere sporadically operated the ferry until his death in 1778. Following his death, the ferry remained dormant until Captain Lempriere’s grandson, Clement Lempriere Prince, assumed control in the early 1790s. The ferry became known as Prince’s Ferry and was located at Lempriere’s Point, just south of Molasses Creek and Hobcaw Point at the mouth of the Wando River. Prince’s Ferry remained a ferry service to Charleston until December 1821 when William Matthews obtained permission to operate what later became known as Mathis Ferry.

ONE HAND SANDERS Sometime between the 1790s and 1820s, a brownstone marker with an engraved hand was erected near the corner of McGrath Darby Boulevard and Johnnie Dodds Boulevard directing the way to Prince’s Ferry. The marker was originally located near the intersection of Mathis Ferry Road and Highway 17. A 1790s dispute between Hibben’s Ferry and Prince’s Ferry, settled by the state legislature, is possibly the reason the marker was moved to Remley’s Point, where it was used as a property corner marker for land owned by Roger Sanders. Referred to as the “One Hand Sanders” marker, it is engraved with the phrase, “Three & an half Miles to Prince’s Ferry.” A replica of the original marker is located at the park. The original marker is currently on display at The Charleston Museum.

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