Richard T. Wilson Jr.'s home at Palmetto Bluff If you've recently been to the Bluffton, SC area, you might know about the Palmetto Bluff Development. This is a stunning, high-end property that combines classic lowcountry architecture with luxurious amenities. However, you might not be aware of its Gilded Age history. If that's the case, continue reading. The Marrying Wilsons and the Lost Grandeur of Palmetto Bluff On a bend of a sleepy Southern river, a palace once rose. Bui

Alfred Lee Loomis and his brother-in-law, Landon K. Thorne , owned 22,000 acres on Hilton Head Island, SC, in 1931, including the hunting lodge at Honey Horn. Alfred Lee Loomis (1887-1975) In 1931, Alfred Loomis and Landon K. Thorne, the wealthy husband of Loomis's sister Julia, purchased 22,000 acres of Hilton Head Island, which they established as a private preserve for riding, boating, fishing, and hunting. The centerpiece of the property was the old Honey Horn Plantation

Special thanks to Sydney Whiteside, Library Assistant, Beaufort District Collection, Beaufort County Library for her excellent assistance in accessing key resources for this article. Henrietta Pollitzer, born in Bluffton, SC, married Edward Hartford, an heir to the A&P Grocery fortune, and later she married an Italian Prince. So, in a sense, she was "Bluffton's Gilded Age Princess". Henrietta Pollitzer (January 1, 1881 - June 3, 1948) was born in Bluffton, South Carolina, to