Honoring our past and protecting our future

Betty, John and Marguerite didn’t set out to save the Lowcountry.

Not at first.

When John Trask, Jr., Betty Waskiewicz, and Marguerite Broz were born in the 1930’s and 1940’s, Highway 21 coming into Beaufort was a road made of oyster shells. Beaufort County could be described as an undiscovered, sea-island paradise.

But in 1971, after seeing a for-sale sign on an iconic waterfront lot along the eastern edge of Bay Street in downtown Beaufort, the three knew something had to be done. Unfortunately, haphazard development was coming, and it was coming fast. The beautiful, open views from the Bay Street Bluff were in danger of being lost forever.

Betty, John and Marguerite joined forces and did something incredible when they purchased the property to conserve the remarkable views of the Beaufort River. The three weren’t sure how they were going to pay for it, or what they were going to do with the property when they put it under contract. But they knew they had to protect the view to the river and the town’s sense of place, and they knew they couldn’t do it alone.

The trio’s mantra, “something has to be done,” would galvanize the community. Bay Street Bluff was where it began, and from there it was Bellamy Curve. A movement had started.

Betty, John and Marguerite reached out to the heart of Beaufort—families and friends—to host gatherings and luncheons. “Chicken Salad Luncheons,” hosted by ordinary people of Beaufort with extraordinary vision, raised the funds to help buy some of our most iconic properties, setting them aside for generations to come.
Without realizing it, they created a Beaufort tradition of saving the world.

Bay Street Bluff was not just the first property protected by the land trust.  It was proof that ordinary people can shape the future of a community.

And fifty-five years later, that same belief still guides this work today.