This Place is For The Birds

On Dec. 6, 1932 ground was broken on property along Wappoo Creek in The Crescent for the construction of Alexander Sprunt Jr.’s home. Sprunt would name his home Siskaya, a term that was an alteration of the Cherokee Indian term Tsiskwahi meaning “A Place of Birds.”
Sprunt’s love of nature drew him to the site and he recorded every detail of the building of his home in “Siskaya The Crescent, St. Andrew’s Parish, SC. A Book of the Place and its History Planned and Executed by Alexander Sprunt Jr. 1932.” Sprunt was an ornithologist, author, and the Southern representative for the National Audubon Society. His attention to detail shone in his recording of the building of Siskaya.
First the history — Jamestown or New Town was the second settlement of colonists. It was a short-lived settlement along Wappoo Creek and later this land became part of the Simons Plantation. Sprunt recorded: “Passing from them through successive obscure ownerships, it was acquired by the Wappoo Realty Co in 1926 and was developed by Charles S. Dwight.” His reference here is to Simons Plantation becoming the neighborhood known as “The Crescent.”
Sprunt purchased his 0.97 acres on the southern boundary of The Crescent on May 18, 1931. He and his wife had a vision for their home and contacted Helen Koues, the director of Good Housekeeping’s Studio of Architecture & Furnishings, about the plans for their home. A two-page response from Dwight James Baum, a consulting architect for Good Housekeeping, was dated Sept. 29, 1931.
The land as it changed during the process, every stage of construction, and the men who built the home, was photo documented and captioned. The wells were drilled in February of 1933, the telephone and power pole were erected in March of 1933. Seven interior photographs were “taken with 616 Kodak, stop 11, exp 6 min.”
The natural history was also recorded. 101 birds, both transient and resident by season, 45 vegetation types, six mammals, including a mink, zero reptiles, and four fish/crustacean were listed.
The visitors during construction were also noted. One-hundred-and-twenty-seven people stopped by and their names are a who’s who for the area: Means, Manigault, Mikell, Drayton, Heyward, Chamberlain, Thornhill, to name a few.
Besides this magnificent detailing of the construction of his home, Siskaya, Sprunt left a legacy of bird books. One of the most famous for locals is: South Carolina Bird Life, which he coauthored with E.B Chamberlain.
West Ashley Stories, memories, comments? Contact Donna Jacobs at westashleybook@gmail.com