Folly Island, S.C. in the Civil War-- Part 5: One or Two Islands?

Folly Island is sometimes two islands called Big Folly and Little Folly (today it is just one island).  Even when it is two islands, you could cross between them on foot at low tide.

The name Folly might come from an old English word for clump of trees.

During the 1700s and 1800s, ships passing the northern tip of Folly Island would drop off their sick and dying there to avoid quarantine.  As such, it was sometimes referred to as Coffin Island.

A photo accompanies the article of the remains of the blockade-runner Ruby which ran aground at Folly Island June 10-11, 1863.

--Old Secesh