Our Legacy - Our Story

In 1930, O.H. “Boss” Bishop came to St. Helena Island to work as a crop manager for the MacDonald-Wilkins Company, cotton growers who had followed the path of many Northerners in finding opportunities for success after the Civil War. But when the Boll Weevil ruined crops all over the South, they sold what was left of the old Fuller Plantation on Wallace Creek to Boss, who intuitively understood that the Sea Island climate and soil were perfect for growing vegetables. He could see that year-round truck (vegetable) crops were going to be the new opportunity for farming success on the South Carolina Sea Islands, and he was right.

Farming what was left of the old plantation, and leasing land all over Beaufort County (including Dataw Island), he raised livestock, planted and harvested seasonal vegetables, and helped other farmers in the area by helping them build their own packing houses and advising them on how to take full advantage of the Sea Island climate.

Located on a tidal creek at the end of a long dirt road off of Highway 21 (the old Fuller Plantation avenue), the Gullah people named the area “de Ya’d”, which was derived from being a loading yard for cotton in the early 1900s. They would say they were “going to de Ya’d” - to catch rides on the boats going to Beaufort. When the area became a farm, the name evolved to be “Yard Farm” - which was not only a farm, but also home to Boss and his family.

Boss, his four sons, and his grandsons farmed as O.H. Bishop and Sons until 1970 when the farm could no longer survive the changes in economy. But the farm, its history, and the South Carolina Sea Island culture has remained permanently in our family’s heart, soul, and culture. Farming was never easy, but Boss’s legacy has been an enduring testament to us of the importance of home as an anchor during life’s most trying times.

While there is no longer an active farming operation, many of the Bishops still live on Yard Farm, continuing the legacy of family, hard work, and cherishing the land we have been blessed to live on.

The only enduring symbol of the farm is the old packing house, just off of Highway 21. To learn more about its history, click here.