Beaufort Co. annexation could be good for out-of-the-way Yemassee, some locals say
From inside the small cabin that once peddled only antiques but is now a five-star dining attraction, the railroad tracks dividing Hampton and Beaufort counties are within a hush puppy’s toss.
The town of Yemassee includes parts of both counties in its 7 square miles, with the borders of Jasper and Colleton counties also nearby. Town officials are exploring whether to ask Beaufort County to annex it entirely.
At Fletcher’s Cafe and Catering just across the line in Hampton County, co-owner Paula Flowers talked about her support for the annexation proposal between trips beyond the curtain to the restaurant’s kitchen.
“I think Beaufort (County) has a lot to offer,” Flowers said. “And I think we have a lot to offer Beaufort.”
A steady stream of cars fills the parking lot at lunchtime, with Hampton County paramedics joining other locals and out-of-town visitors lured by sparking online reviews of the pulled pork and squash hush puppies.
Flowers helped head an effort to restore the town’s iconic train depot, where Amtrak trains make several stops a day and where Marine recruits for years received their introduction to the Lowcountry. The train station sits just on the Hampton County side of the tracks, “but you can spit to Beaufort County,” Flowers said.
She thinks the building could serve as an entryway to Beaufort County, with a visitors center to help direct travelers from Interstate 95 to various attractions. She says Yemassee could receive a boost in stature and vitality by becoming the county’s’ fifth municipality.
The town tends to go unnoticed on the outskirts of both counties, Flowers said.
It’s not yet noon Thursday around the corner at Harold’s Country Club, but a few people are already cradling longneck bottles around the horseshoe-shaped bar. The television plays “Price is Right.”
Deborah Joy is behind the bar preparing for the Thursday night buffet. Her Yemassee home is just beyond the trees on the other side of the two-lane highway.
On the phone she tells the inquisitive caller the short list of Yemassee’s lunch options: Fletcher’s, a Chinese takeout restaurant, Hardee’s.
Joy had heard about the annexation proposal and said lower taxes in Beaufort County are the only difference she can think of. Harold’s manager Ronald Murdaugh is a bit more direct when he enters a few minutes later.
Paying his Hampton County vehicle tax bill this week made him sick, he said.
“Taxes and everything is just high in Hampton County,” Murdaugh said.
Murdaugh is the nephew of Harold’s late owner Harold Peeples, whose wife, Mary Peeples, still owns the business. Murdaugh said he’s been part of the restaurant since its inception 40 years ago and that during that time, other businesses have moved the other side of the tracks to take advantage of Beaufort County taxes.
On Highway 17, the former Chevrolet dealership has for decades been a revered spot for home cooking with an unassuming atmosphere at bargain prices.
“In the middle of nowhere but close to everywhere,” its website crows.
And that seems to be Yemassee’s pitch as a place for industry to grow. The town stretches to I-95 at exit 38, and its interstate and rail access and convenience to ports in Charleston and Savannah make it attractive for distribution and manufacturing, economic development officials say.
Hampton County leaders have said the loss of that commerce hub would be devastating to the county and that they were caught off guard by talk of Beaufort County gobbling up their part of Yemassee.
Logistics of emergency response and other services would have to be worked out.
Fennell Elementary School is in Hampton County’s school district and faces Yemassee Highway in the town limits. Hampton County also operates a senior center in the town that offers meals and social, educational and health and wellness programs.
Flowers said she thought the proposal offered a chance for growing Beaufort County to better partner with Hampton. Beaufort County’s resources could help attract more people to the area, she said.
“I just think it’s great.”
