Mount Pleasant

History

The site of Mount Pleasant was originally occupied by the Sewee people, an Algonquian language–speaking tribe. The first European settlers arrived from England on July 6, 1680, under the leadership of Captain Florentia O'Sullivan. Captain O'Sullivan had been granted , which included not only the island later named for him, but also the future site of Mount Pleasant. On the earliest map of the time, this area was called "North Point". In 1696, 51 new settlers arrived. Each family was allotted several hundred acres in the area that became known as Christ Church parish. In 1706, the Province of Carolina withstood several attacks by the Spanish and the French from their settlements to the south and defeated French invaders in an area known as "Abcaw". The area of "Abcaw" was Hobcaw Plantation, located between Shem Creek and the Wando River. Later, it was also known as Shipyard Plantation. Its access to deep water and abundant good timber made it ideal for developing a prosperous shipbuilding enterprise. Lands adjacent to Hobcaw Point were owned at different times by several English families, many of which maintained ferries that served Mount Pleasant. By 1721, 107 families were living in Christ Church parish, including 400 whites and 637 enslaved Africans or African Americans. As the area was developed for large plantations, enslaved Africans and African Americans made up the chief labor force of the slave society. Based on this history, the majority of the population in the town was African American through the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1754, Charles Pinckney acquired a 715-acre plantation, cultivating the commodity crops of rice and indigo. It became known as Snee Farm near here. His son Charles retained the plantation until 1817. It was operated as a…

Geography

Mount Pleasant is located in central Charleston County on the east side of Charleston Harbor and the tidal Wando River. It is bordered to the south by the city of Sullivan's Island and to the west and northwest, across the harbor and river, by the city of Charleston. Over time, the town limits have pushed northeastward from the Old Village area along U.S. Route 17, nearly as far as Awendaw. Mount Pleasant is separated from Charleston by the Cooper River. For many years, the town was populated largely on a seasonal basis by Charleston residents wealthy enough to afford summer homes across the river from the Charleston peninsula, where they would go believing they could escape the regular summer "fevers". The population of Mount Pleasant was centered in "Old Village". According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (15.53%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  28,954
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  24,139
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  18,918
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  18,889
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  17,129
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  16,882
• Laughing Gull

  Leucophaeus atricilla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,091
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  15,077

Largest nearby schools

• Wando High
  High · Mount Pleasant · 2,596 students · 17.1:1 ratio
• Lucy Garrett Beckham High
  High · Mt. Pleasant · 1,673 students · 18:1 ratio
• James Island Charter High
  High · Charleston · 1,589 students · 15:1 ratio
• Orange Grove Charter School
  Elementary · Charleston · 1,167 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Meeting Street Elementary
  Elementary · North Charleston · 1,133 students · 8.1:1 ratio
• Thomas C. Cario Middle
  Middle · Mt. Pleasant · 1,125 students · 17.9:1 ratio
• Moultrie Middle
  Middle · Mount Pleasant · 1,119 students · 18:1 ratio
• Charleston School of the Arts
  High · North Charleston · 1,061 students · 14.9:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.91 — 2026-02-08
  6 km SW of Ladson, South Carolina
• M 3.27 — 2021-09-27
  South Carolina
• M 2.82 — 2021-09-27
  3 km NNE of Summerville, South Carolina
• M 3 — 2014-03-19
  0 km WNW of Centerville, South Carolina
• M 2.5 — 2013-09-19
  8 km WSW of Summerville, South Carolina
• M 2.8 — 2012-07-31
  5 km S of Centerville, South Carolina