Chasing Roy Hart

The untold story of how a community was discovered by chasing a soda shop proprietor.

You know the Charleston that history books celebrate: the peninsula, the plantations, the port city that shaped a nation. But what about the land west of the Ashley River, where British colonists first set foot in 1670? If you have ever wondered what life was really like as St. Andrew's Parish transformed from farmland into one of Charleston's most beloved suburban communities, you are not alone. That story has never been fully told, until now.

In Chasing Roy Hart: Discovering the People and Places of Early Suburban St. Andrew's Parish (1880-1960), local historian Donna F. Jacobs follows the trail of a beloved soda fountain proprietor whose name sparks instant nostalgia among longtime residents. Through years of interviews, oral histories, scrapbooks, and archival research, Jacobs pieces together the bridges, neighborhoods, schools, churches, and businesses that defined a community in transition. From truck farming and phosphate mining to the rise of Savannah Highway commerce; from the African American communities of Red Top and Maryville to the postwar suburban boom, this book reveals the layered, complex, and deeply human history that shaped West Ashley.

Inside you will discover:

• How bridges, roads, and water infrastructure transformed a rural parish into a thriving suburb

• The rich stories of families, entrepreneurs, and communities often left out of traditional Charleston histories

• A vivid portrait of everyday life, from drive-in restaurants and hunting clubs to school revues and church gatherings

A must-read for Charleston locals, newcomers, and history lovers alike. Whether you grew up eating at Bootle's, Roy Hart's, Dairy Royal, Sugar Bowl or The Cavallero, or are a student of Charleston's broader history, Chasing Roy Hart invites you to pull up a chair, sit on the porch, and discover the people, places, and spirit of a community that has been redefining itself with every generation since 1670.