69 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com on the coast Two miles north of the Hammock Coast Shops at Pawleys Island there is a stretch of land on the south side of Ocean Highway where a decrepit old building lies in ruin. If its walls could talk, the abandoned structure, surrounded by a fence and “No Trespassing” signs, would tell the stories of the McKenzie family and the unique experiences they created for Blacks during the Jim Crow era and the decades of segregation that followed. Around 1934, local Elizabeth “Miss Liz” McKenzie inherited property that extended between the marsh and the road. At about the same time, Lillian Golden Pyatt inherited an adjacent oceanfront lot that stretched along the southern tip of what was then called “Magnolia Beach” and is known today as Litchfield Beach. Miss Liz and her husband Frank McKenzie partnered with Pyatt. Together they brought to life her vision of opening a 28acre resort where Blacks could stay overnight and enjoy direct access to the beach, rights that were nonexistent during that time. In 1936, Frank and his crew began construction on the Magnolia Beach project. A 4-acre tract on the mainland marsh and creekfront included several privately-owned homes, 17 rustic guest cabins, a bait and tackle shop and a hotel with a restaurant. On the 6-acre oceanfront and creek peninsula, he built a large pavilion with a restaurant and a performance stage area that overlooked the water, along with several beach cabins. He also added a causeway that led to the edge of 18 acres of marsh and a deepwater creek, which could be accessed by a 10-foot-wide pedestrian bridge. Behind the scenes, Miss Liz ran the catering division, serving visitors with fresh catch from local waterways. As the McKenzies and their children Donald and Dottie Jane lived as well as worked on the property, the land and its buildings were always well maintained. In the meantime, Pyatt took over reservations, BY SARAH ROSE Beachgoers on Magnolia Beach, South Carolina. Photo provided by Jake Lee Real Estate. Beaches of Their Own Magnolia & McKenzie Beach
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjcyNTM1