A Brief History Of The Ponds - Part 2

In our first essay, we followed the origins of The Ponds from the beginning in 1674 to 1723. Since then things settled down a bit, but still experienced local history until it's current development program. Let's pick up where we dropped off. 

William Donning arrived in the Carolinas by 1729 and lived at Weston Hall raising crops and cattle until his death in 1732. Thomas Donning, his oldest son, assumed ownership of the property until his death two years later. The property passed to his brother, William Donning Jr. On July 12, 1735, a notice was placed in the South Carolina Gazette that "125 slaves and all the oxen, sheep, horses, plates and household goods and plantation tools belonging to the estate of William Donning and Thomas Donning, Esq. deceased were to be sold at The Ponds Plantation in Berkeley County near Dorchester." 

William Donning Jr. and his wife Frances had two children, William Ill, and Frances. When William Donning Jr. died the property passed to his wife, who lived there for many years. Her will directed the property to be divided between her two children. Her son William received all the real property except for 1,000 acres of "The land commonly known and distinguished by the Ponds Plantation." 

William Donning Jr. (son of William and Frances Donning incurred substantial debt and sold his share of the property in 1765 to Daniel Doyley. He sold his portion of The Ponds known at "The Northwestern Tract" in 1769 to William Drayton. Drayton raced horses at the plantation, repeatedly mortgaging The Ponds to pay other debts. 

The daughter of William and Frances Donning, Frances owned the Northeast Tract of The Ponds. She married Adam Daniel. When she died in the mid 1760's, she left the Northeast Tract of The Ponds to her infant daughter, Frances Daniel. When she grew up, she married William Scott Jr. who, upon his wife's death, sold the Northeast Tract in 1794 to Colonel John Glaze. Colonel Glaze had already purchased the Northwest Tract from William Henry Drayton in 1785. Now both tracts were united again. 

To clear the title, Glaze applied for a re-grant of both tracts from the State of South Carolina. Glaze was planter in St. George Parish and served as a lieutenant in the Revolution where he was taken prisoner when Charles Town fell to the British in May 1780. He remained in the militia after the war becoming a Lieutenant Colonel. He married four times and continued acquiring property along the Ashley River. It became too much of a burden and in 1795 he placed 3,767 acres in a trust to be sold to satisfy unpaid debts. The Ponds tract was purchased by Glaze's sister, Mary Glaze, so that it could remain in the family and was still owned by John Glaze. Upon John Glaze' death in 1818 his executor sold the Tract A portion, now listed as the "1,203 acre Ponds Plantation" to John Christopher Gottfried Schulz. 

Schulz (pronounced “Shoots”) by locals came to the United States in 1790.  His father came years earlier and settled in Charleston. They were German Protestants who came to join some others from the homeland.  In 1829 he purchased a home in Summerville.  Schulz lived both at The Ponds Plantation and in the town of Summerville.  Summerville was now known as a retreat for coastal planters seeking escape from the heat and malaria of Carolina coastal summers. 

In 1830’s the current Farmhouse was built and was the third one to be constructed at The Ponds.   

Schulz died of a sudden heart attack on September 25, 1833.  His widow, Susan Cantey Schulz continued to manage the estate. Since Schulz died without a will, the probate court seized the property and Susan Cantey Schulz then bought the estate back from the estate. While she was able to buy back the main 1,203 acres, the rest of the properties were sold to other parties. She owned the property until her death with her son Frederik managing the property. 

Susan Schulz died in 1852. Her will left her estate to her children Maria Ann, John, Frederik nd Harriet.  The estate was divided in 1852 with the 600 acre “Northern part of the plantation” going to Frederik.  During the 1850’s Frederik reassembled most of the property sold off from the estate of his father. 

Frederik served in the Civil War and was stationed mostly in the Charleston area where he could continue to monitor the management of the Property.  Schulz and his unit surrendered near Smithfield, NC.  When his parole ended, he returned to The Ponds and continued his surveying and farming. 

Sometime before 1891, Schulz divided and sold off sections of The Ponds. Apparently, none of the deeds were recorded. 

Edward Lotz was born in Prussia in 1848 and emigrated to the United States after the Civil War.  In 1892 Lotz would reassemble the Schulz land and obtained quit claim deeds from F.C. Schulz to clear the titles.  

Lotz used the property for his timber industry. He used the massive cypress trees in the swamp for roof shingles and the pines and other hardwoods for building materials, all of which he marketed in Charleston and other areas. He also operated a corn-grinding operation, managed a small sawmill and ginned cotton for his neighbors. 

Lotz died in 1909 and in buried in the Boone Hill Cemetery down the road from the Ponds.  His wife Margaret, and their children continued to live at the Ponds with his wife heavily mortgaging the property.  In 1912 she died at the Ponds. 

James Stocker Simmons purchased the heavily mortgaged land and continued to rent it back to the Lotz family until they moved on in 1914. 

James oldest son Ralph B. Simmons, then managed the property. Ralph acquired the property from his father in 1921.  He worked the land as an active corn, cotton and sweet potato farm, and raised cattle into the 1950’s. 

He passed the property to his son, Ralph B. Simmons Jr. who established a trust for Richard S. Simmons in 1978.  The property was leased until 2005 to the Schulz Lake Hunt Club. 

The property was well known for hunting and fishing with the Farmhouse serving as the hunting lodge.  There used to be a small caretaker’s cottage just beyond the Farmhouse where locals could deposit a quarter to fish in the lake beyond the house, Schulz Lake. 

In 1989 Hurricane Hugo devastated the high bluff woods with the family contemplating what to do with the land.  In 2005 the Simmons family owned 1984 acre that had become known as The Ponds Plantation. 

Greenwood Development approached the Simmons family with a plan to develop the land. Greenwood entered into an agreement with the Simmons family to purchase The Ponds Plantation, 1,984 acres at a cost of $20,600,000. The Title Deed reads 1984 acres and the Quit Claim deed reads 1948 acres.  Greenwood also had to purchase 205 acres from the Estate of Mary Johnson for $175,000. The estate owned the land along Highway 17-A where the entrance now exists.  Previously the Simmons family used Schulz Lake Road as the entrance. 

Greenwood donated land plus $3 million for the on-site YMCA, as well as land plus $500,000 for the Dorchester County fire, sheriff, and emergency service substations.  Greenwood also set aside a site for a future elementary school for Dorchester District II.  By 2007 they were ready to sell lots and begin building. 

Greenwood was responsible for moving and restoring the Schulz-Lotz Farmhouse, building the Pavilion, the pool and the amphitheater. 

The original vision was to build the infrastructure, sell the lots and allow the buyers to bring in their own builder to build their customized home. 

When the housing market crashed Greenwood changed strategies an brought in builders like D.R.Horton to build the Carillon 55+ community.  They also brought in David Weekly Homes, Harbor Homes, HH Hunt Homes and Sabal Homes to build in the early sections. 

Kolter Homes has since become the primary developer, with others building in The Ponds and Kolter building the Cresswind 55+ development. 

The Ponds is now in the final years of its development, with increasing responsibilities being turned over to the HOA. 

Many of the family names in the Pond’s history continue to be prominent in the Charleston area. Other names are memorialized in street names in The Ponds. 

The land has been used and loved throughout its history and will continue to although in much smaller parcels going forward. 

If you would like to tour the Ponds or explore living here please contact Mark Wetherell, Realtor®, AgentOwned Realty at 914-400-7467 or Mark.Wetherell@AgentOwned.com. Mark is a resident of The Ponds and is proud to share all it has to offer with future residents.