The Lowcountry’s Goat Island is a tiny barrier atoll separated from the Isle of Palms by just 200 yards of Intracoastal Waterway—but located a world apart. Featured in the current issue of Charleston Home + Design, the legendary island is a secluded getaway accessible only by boat, a beach and nature lover’s paradise perched on the sun-kissed Atlantic.

According to the article, the island was first settled in 1931 by Henry and Blanche Halloway, who moved there to escape the hustle and bustle of Charleston. At first, the couple’s only neighbors were a herd of native goats. The Halloways—who soon became widely known as the Goat People—lived like eccentric hermits, sheltering in a wobbly lean-to, foraging for their meals, collecting beach debris, and generally avoiding humanity. Henry and Blanche remained there in self-imposed exile until his death in 1962 and hers the following year.

Goat Island is in many ways still the same as it was in the Halloways’ day: rustic, sea-sprayed, and untamed, though today’s residents enjoy more comfortable surroundings and all the modern conveniences. Nonetheless, Goat Islanders still prefer to live by the currents and tides, with the ocean and marshland at their front door, and the hustle and bustle of Charleston just a short boat ride away.

Find your own secluded paradise: See Carriage Properties Goat Island home listings here.

Photo courtesy of Charleston Home + Design.

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