In the 17th century, Murrells
Inlet was populated mainly by Native Americans and pirates, the most notorious being the pirate Blackbeard. In the next
century Murrells Inlet became a center of the salt industry. Sea water was hauled in from the inlet and left to evaporate
in large, shallow pans leaving the salt behind to be harvested. By 1825 records show that two salt works were located
on the inlet. Between 1850 and 1865, the Georgetown District, which included Murrells Inlet, harvested over half
the rice grown in the United States. The rice planters lived on large plantations near the area's rivers. Summers
on the plantation were unbearably hot and the threat of contracting malaria from the swarms of mosquitoes was quite
real. To escape the heat and dangers, the planters would move their familes to summer homes which sprang up along
the coast.
The original part of Oliver's was built around
1860 as the summer home of LT. Gov. Plowden C.J. WEston, the owner of Laurel Hill Plantation. Laurel Hill was a rice
plantation sitting on the Waccamaw River and was eventually incorporated into Brookgreen Gardens. The house was actually
constructed at Laurel Hill and moved to its present site in sections. The property
was later purchased by J. Homer Woodward who sold it to Emma Limehouse Oliver in 1901. Emma married W.L. (Capt.Bill)
Oliver around 1895. Capt. Bill was steamboat captain ferrying passengers between the Inlet and Conway on the Waccamaw
River. Capt. Bill also began the commercial and charter deep sea fishing industry now so important to the Inlet.
In 1910, Capt. Bill and Emma opened their home to fishermen and guest as a lodge and restaurant serving family~style meals
and Oliver's Lodge was born. They continued operating as a lodge and restaurant until Emma's death in 1939.
The second generation of Olivers to run the business was Capt. Mack Oliver
and his wife Tina (Teeny) Vereen Oliver. Capt. Mack continued the tradition started by his father and ran a fishing
boat named the "Anne~Howe" from Oliver's. They continued as a lodge until 1947 when Capt. Mack and Teeny began serving
cooked to order dishes from a menu. In the early 1940's, the U.S. military used areas around the Inlet as a target range
for planes from Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter. A crash boat operation was headquartered off the "government dock," a
large dock located approximately where Capt. Dick's Marina now sits. The servicemen stationed here used Oliver's Lodge,
not only to dock three PT boats, but the men themselves stayed and ate at the Lodge. It was around this time period
that Roosevelt Picket, affectionately known as "Rooster", came to live at Oliver's . Rooster was taken in by Capt. Mack
and Teeny. To this day he lives on the property and is an integral part of Oliver's, acting as its loving caretaker
for over sixty years.
Maxine Oliver Hawkins was the last generation of Oliver's to run the restaurant.
She grew up in the house. During her tenure here, she hosted the wedding of writer Mickey Spillane on October 30,
1983 in the dining room. Maxine was a talented artist and some of her work can be enjoyed on the walls of Oliver's today.
We purchased Oliver's Lodge on March 9, 2004 and immediately began renovations
to enhance, without destroying the integrity of the house. Our goal is to embrace the relaxed and gracious southern
way of life in Murrellls Inlet, and to share that experience with visitors and locals alike in a way reminiscent of the Oliver
Family !
