A musical history of Folly Beach Pier

by

Waves crash. The ocean roars. Seagulls scatter over the dunes. Families with little children scurry toward the water. Sunbathers lounge in ultimate sunbaked bliss as the faint smell of sunscreen tickles the air. A typical day at Charleston’s beloved Folly Beach. 

Endearingly referred to by locals as “The Edge of America,” this 18-square-mile barrier island is a community in transition as the Folly Beach Fishing Pier is being demolished to make way for the next and fourth iteration of the famed island landmark. As we await the Spring 2023 reopening of the pier, let’s pay homage to its storied, and musical, past.

Gershwin’s Folly

June 18, 1931. The country was still in the throes of the Great Depression and yet that did not stop a crowd of 800 spectators from gathering at Folly Beach, the site of what was the first pier of its kind. Located at the intersection of Center Street and East Arctic Avenue, the original wooden pier was 97 feet long and 120 feet wide, built of palmetto logs painted white and green. The neighboring Ocean Front Hotel and a boardwalk were also constructed during this time. 

Frequent concerts were held at the pavilion, and music filled the air as revelers danced the starry nights away to a treasure trove of visiting musicians and big bands. Legendary names such as Guy Lombardo, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw performed at Folly. As sweet melodies filled the pavilion, dancers twirled past, showcasing their skills of the jitterbug, the fox trot and the shag (now the official dance of South Carolina) on one of the largest dance floors in the state.

Three years after the pier was built, in the summer of 1934, a 35-year-old George Gershwin arrived in Charleston from New York City by train, on the recommendation of Charleston-based author DuBose Heyward. Coming for a summer sojourn on Folly Island, Gershwin stayed in a bungalow equipped with an upright piano (now on display at The Charleston Museum) at 708 West Arctic Avenue and was bound and determined to complete the score to his opera, Porgy & Bess, based off of Heyward’s novel, Porgy. Inspiration was all around, he found, not only at the beach but in surrounding Gullah cultural sites and gathering places. Enjoying his beach sabbatical maybe a little too much, Gershwin also took the liberty to judge a local beauty contest held at the pier that summer. It was, after all, summertime, and the living was indeed easy.

For more than two decades, the original Folly Pier and pavilion stood, welcoming beachgoers and revelers for dancing and entertainment. It was to become the social hub for Folly until tragedy struck in 1957, and the pier, pavilion, Ocean Front Hotel and Kokomo’s Lounge burned down.

The Ocean Plaza Years

There was little time to mourn the loss as the pier and pavilion were soon replaced in 1960 by Ocean Plaza. It was a new, modern construction that also included a skating rink, bowling alley, amusement park, roller coaster, Ferris wheel and merry-go-round.

Beach music reemerged as the new pier and pavilion welcomed such great musical acts as Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, The Coasters, The Dominoes, The Drifters, Tommy James and the Shondells, The Tams, Doug Clark and The Hot Nuts and the venerable Otis Redding. Partygoers were doing the mashed potato and the twist on the dance floor under the pavilion, and for those who could not get their hands on a ticket, under the pier itself. 

Marlene Estridge, a resident of Folly Beach for over 80 years, recalls evenings spent twirling away at the pier. 

“[We] used to go all the time and dance out there as teenagers. The old pier that is. It was where we all dated 70 years ago and danced the shag,” she recalls. “Lots of famous bands played: Jerry Lee Lewis, Pat Boone, The Ink Spots, Bob Crosby, who was Bing Crosby’s brother, Earnest Tub.” And the list goes on. 

One chilly January night in 1977, the second pier burned down as a result of suspected arson. The dance hall, the neighboring restaurant, and the bait and tackle shop were destroyed, and for 18 long years, the city of Folly Beach was pierless yet again. It seemed as if the music had stopped for good.

Edwin S. Taylor Folly Beach Fishing Pier

In 1992, Charleston County Parks purchased the 1.4 acres where the former piers once stood to construct the third, and perhaps most iconic, iteration. Christened the Edwin S. Taylor Folly Beach Fishing Pier in honor of the former owner of the Atlantic House restaurant, it opened to the public in July 1995.

For 25 glorious years, the Folly Beach Pier has been a central point for fishing, bird watching, and recreation, as well as for taking in the majestic ocean views. Over its lifespan, the pier welcomed 6.6 million visitors, according to Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission (CCPRC). 

Known more as a fishing destination than as an entertainment venue like its predecessors, the pier was still a gathering place for many. Paying homage to its musical legacy, CCPRC hosted deejayed Moonlight Mixers on an annual basis that were open to the public for a nominal ticket fee. 

The Next Chapter

The future pier, scheduled to open in the spring of 2023, will be built of concrete and wood, with reinforced pre-stressed concrete pilings that can withstand the test of time and Mother Nature.

Some of the design features of the latest pier will remain, including a classic diamond-shaped pier head. The new pier will also offer fishing stations, retail shops, public restrooms and shade stations. The beloved Moonlight Mixers dance series will also return. 

As for the beautiful beach music, it has stopped for now, but it will only be a matter of time before it strikes up again. 

___

Own a piece of history

For those wishing to take home a piece of pier nostalgia, salvaged wood from the current pier will be available for purchase as souvenirs with proceeds benefiting the Charleston County Parks Foundation. For additional information about the construction process, follow along at ccprc.com/pierprogress.