The Ashley River Region, long regarded as the cradle of civilization of the South Carolina Lowcountry, extends along both sides of the Ashley River and part of Ashley River Road, linking the heritage of Native Americans, European Americans, and African Americans who have lived there for three centuries or more, as well as more recent newcomers from around the world. Ashley River Road, one of the oldest roads in South Carolina, began as a Native American trading path along a ridge between the Ashley River and the headwaters of Rantowles Creek and later served colonists at Charlestowne Landing. During the colonial and pre-Civil War eras, plantations lined the route, with main houses facing the river and fields on both sides of the road, and after the Civil War freed African Americans established churches grounded in their culture and faith traditions. Though relatively short, the Ashley River was a major transportation route connecting residents with the port of Charleston and the wider world, while also providing fish, crabs, and shrimp that contributed to traditional local dishes. The modern Ashley River Road closely follows its historic route, and efforts to preserve it have included a 1921 law protecting shade trees along both sides of the road, listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, designation as a State Scenic Byway in 1998 and a National Scenic Byway in 2000, and more recent local laws limiting development and establishing buffers along the road. The Ashley River, which flows 60 miles from swamps west of Lake Moultrie past north of Summerville to Charleston Harbor, includes blackwater stream, freshwater tidal river, and saltwater tidal river ecosystems and was named a State Scenic Place in 1999, while today unmanaged growth, traffic, litter, and pollution threaten the region's resources and legacy.
