Carnes Crossroads

Front inscription

Carnes Crossroads was part of a 3,000 acre royal grant to Joseph Thorowgood in 1682. Later, the Etiwan, Native Americans who had lived on Daniel Island, moved here after European settlement pushed them from the Ashley-Cooper drainage basin. The Etiwan, part of the Cusabo group, had fewer members and were less powerful than the Westo and Cherokee to the west. They formed strategic alliances with British colonists and sided with the Carolina colony in the Yemassee War.

Reverse inscription

By the early 20th century Dallas Carn, for whom the intersection is named, had acquired substantial land surrounding the crossroads. Carn had a homestead, farm, and business interests that he operated near this spot. As automobile traffic grew by mid-century, Carnes Crossroads remained a hub for rural commerce. Smith’s Store, located just south of here, sold fuel and dry goods to locals and also operated as a dance hall that catered to military personnel stationed nearby.