The story of St. John's Colleton, made up of Kiawah, Seabrook, Edisto, John's, and Wadmalaw islands in present-day Charleston County, is traced from its settlement and incorporation as a parish in the colonial period through the development of the island's economy and the 'golden age' of the plantation culture, the devastation of the social and economic life of the parish during the Civil War and its aftermath, and the slow recovery of the region leading to the present-day promise of renewed prosperity. Special attention is given to the contributions of African-Americans--both slave and free--to the culture and agriculture of the islands." —jacket.