Givhans Ferry

Givhans Ferry State Park

Coast

• Programs and Guided Tours: Programs and guided tours are available by request. Paddling programs are held at the park each summer and a nature walk in January. Each October, the park hosts the Edisto Blackwater Boogie, a music festival celebrating the Edisto River. For more information, be sure to check our programs and events listings.
  
  
• Burial Sites and Cemeteries: Mary Ford's grave, the granddaughter of Phillip Givhan, whom the park was named after, is located on the park.
  
  
• Historical Significance: The park is named for Phillip Givhan, the area ferry master in the late 1700's. His ferry was the point where you would cross the Edisto River, connecting Charleston to Augusta. It was called the Charleston to Augusta/Savannah pass. The original ferry site remains protected within the park grounds.
  
  
• Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC): Yes
• Designation: Givhans Ferry State Park was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a New Deal Program created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The program was designed to provide employment during the Great Depression while addressing national needs in conservation and recreation.
  
  The CCC was instrumental in the development of many of South Carolina's state parks. A number of buildings built by the CCC in the 1930's are still in use at this park, including the River House and several cabins
  
  The limestone bluffs along the river are protected as a Heritage Trust Site.
  
  
• When & How PRT Acquired: The land was donated in 1934 by the City of Charleston and the park opened in 1937.