A New Marker Celebrates the Story of Folly Beach’s Porgy House

Folly Beach has always been a place where stories take root.

On Friday, September 25, members of the Folly Beach community gathered along West Ashley Avenue to celebrate one of the island’s most remarkable stories with the unveiling of a new historical marker at the Porgy House.

The City of Folly Beach, Folly Beach Historical Society, and Folly Beach Tourism and Promotion Committee joined community members, special guests, and relatives of figures connected to the home’s history for the occasion. Together, they recognized a place that helped connect Folly Beach with one of the most celebrated works in American music and theater.

A Creative Retreat on Folly Beach

Built in 1933, the Porgy House served as the summer retreat of author DuBose Heyward and his wife, playwright Dorothy Heyward. The following summer, composer George Gershwin came to Folly Beach, where he worked with DuBose Heyward on what would become the opera Porgy and Bess, based on Heyward’s 1925 novel Porgy.

During his time on the island, Gershwin immersed himself in the sounds and culture of the Lowcountry. Folly Beach offered a setting where the collaborators could work, listen, observe, and create.

The home itself became part of that creative process. Its writer’s booth, added later, provided a place for the Heywards and Gershwin to work. Today, the house still features its original wood interiors and stands as a tangible connection to a defining chapter in the cultural history of Folly Beach and the Lowcountry.

A Morning of History and Community

Friday’s unveiling brought that history into the present.

A crowd gathered outside the home as speakers shared the story of the Porgy House and reflected on the people, places, and culture connected to it. The morning was made especially meaningful by the presence of relatives of individuals whose stories are intertwined with this history, including family connected to Samuel Smalls, the Charleston man who inspired the character of Porgy.

When the covering came away and the new marker was revealed, another piece of Folly’s past became more visible for generations to come.

The marker now tells visitors about the Heywards’ connection to the property, Gershwin’s summer on Folly Beach, and the creation of Porgy and Bess. It also recognizes the home affectionately known today as the Porgy House.

Keeping Folly’s Stories Alive

There is plenty about Folly Beach that immediately catches your attention. The ocean. The pier. The surf. The colorful businesses along Center Street. The live music floating through town.

But some of the island’s most fascinating stories are found a little farther from the shoreline.

Places like the Porgy House remind us that Folly Beach has long attracted writers, artists, musicians, families, and people searching for inspiration. Preserving those places helps connect the Folly of today with the generations who came before.

For those interested in learning more, the Folly Beach Historical Society’s exhibit, The Porgy House: A Cottage on an Island in a Culture, can be viewed at the Folly Beach Community Center and Library.

The next time you explore Charleston’s Beach Town, take a moment to look beyond the sand and surf. Folly’s history is all around you, and thanks to the people working to preserve and share it, more of those stories are waiting to be discovered.