Early History

Human history in the Noisette area stretches back 12,000 years before the arrival of the first European colonists. The first settlements appeared along the Cooper River, established by tribes like the Wando, Etiwan, Kiawah, Sewee, Stono and Kussoe. Some of these tribes developed friendly relations with the European newcomers, and others rebelled. But all met the same fate - evidence of their civilizations disappeared by the early years of the 20th century.

Arriving in the late 1600s, the first European colonists were mostly traders, ship builders and farmers. Through periods marked by colonial battles, the Revolutionary War, Civil War and two world wars, the area saw repeated boom-and-bust cycles in which land-use evolved from agrarian to military/industrial. Changes were spurred by development of roads and rail lines that connected the then-remote area to the bustling port of Charleston.

The area also saw use as a tourist destination for well-heeled Charlestonians. With land prices depressed in the decades following the Civil War, a large part of two local plantations, Retreat and Oak Grove, was purchased in the waning years of the 19th century. The park board hired the Olmsted Brothers to design a garden layout and by 1898, stylish day-visitors from Charleston were strolling the network of paths and flowers of Chicora Park.

The park was soon sacrificed to make way for a major navy base and shipyard that became the dominant features of the 20th century. These provided an economic engine for the area that sputtered when the facility was closed in 1995. That left 1,400 acres of riverfront property in the middle of one of America's fastest growing metropolitan regions, a unique opportunity that helped launch the concept of Noisette.


Today

Noisette has evolved from a home for hunter-gathering peoples to a home-base for those who believe in a sustainable future. The land traces its history from the virtually weightless impact of early Native Americans to the far less sensitive management of industry and military ownership.

The earliest inhabitants left no traces of their passing, and the early colonial farmers left only a little more – a few buildings, some foundations and artifacts from Oak Grove, Retreat and other large riverside plantations.

Sustained development has been present for only about 130 years. The earliest neighborhood still in evidence is Liberty Hill, a village created by freed slaves in 1871. The Navy base facilities are barely 100 years old, and many of the surrounding neighborhoods were built in the years surrounding World War II.

The City of North Charleston was incorporated in 1972, and its footprint is roughly the same as that of the Noisette project today. In the decades since then, North Charleston has expanded mainly by annexation to become South Carolina’s third largest city.