Sea Island Yankee - Paperback

by Clyde Bresee (Author)

An adventurous boyhood, a remarkable Southern community, and one jewel of a memoir

Clyde Bresee was just five years old in 1921 when his family moved from a tiny Pennsylvania farm to the Lawton Plantation near Charleston, South Carolina. While his father labored for the next decade to revitalize the sprawling sea island plantation's dairy operation, Clyde reveled in a world utterly foreign to the community of his birth. On James Island he encountered a society of mannered gentility, a climate where winter passed in the twinkling of an eye, a place of wandering tidal streams and vast expanses of salt marshes, and a people--African-American people--whom he had never met. In Sea Island Yankee, Bresee revisits the time and place that endowed his childhood with great happiness and that have held a powerful grip on his musings throughout adulthood.

With the observant eyes of youth and the distanced perspective on an outsider, Bresee re-creates his boyhood world of water, live oaks, and Spanish moss. He vividly describes the Confederated memorial observances at which he heard white-haired veterans recount Civil War battles, and he recalls seemingly endless opportunities for swimming, crabbing, boating, and exploring. Bresee also pays tribute to the African-Americans who shaped his sea island experience, from Jamsie, his multi-talented playmate, to Ned, the indispensable plantation employee who once saved the life of Clyde's brother.

Back Jacket

Clyde Bresee was just five years old in 1921 when his family moved from a tiny Pennsylvania farm to the Lawton Plantation near Charleston, South Carolina. While his father labored for the next decade to revitalize the sprawling sea island plantation's dairy operation, Clyde reveled in a world utterly foreign from the community of his birth; he encountered a society of mannered gentility, a climate in which winter passed in a twinkling of an eye, a place of wandering tidal streams and vast expanses of salt marshes, and a people - African-American people - he had never met. In Sea Island Yankee, Bresee revisits the time and place that endowed his childhood with great happiness and have held a powerful grip on his adult musings. With the observant eyes of a youngster and the distanced perspective of an outsider, Bresee re-creates his boyhood world of water, live oaks, and Spanish moss. He recalls Confederate memorial observances at which he heard white-haired veterans recount Civil War battles, and he chronicles seemingly endless opportunities for swimming, crabbing, boating, and exploring. Bresee also pays tribute to the unforgettable African Americans who shaped his sea island experience, from Jamsie, his multi-talented playmate, to Ned, the indispensable plantation employee who once saved the life of Clyde's brother. Enhanced by charming illustrations, Bresee's beautifully crafted account captures the adventures of a wondrous boyhood and the character of a remarkable sea island community.

Author Biography

Born in Ulster, Pennsylvanis, Clyde Bresee is the author of How Grand a Flame: A Chronicle of a Plantation Family, 1813-1947. A former visiting lecturer at Cornell University, Bresee lives in Athens, Pennsylvania.