Bluffton Traveler

08/27/2026

In search of a time and a place? Give us a call 😊

08/16/2026

08/07/2026

Snapshots of Chandler Cottage

07/27/2026

Whether you are here for the season, or here just for the weekend, Bluffton Traveler makes sure you can focus on enjoying your stay.

Thank you Jeffrey for a wonderful review of Happy Days in Bluffton!

07/25/2026

Say farewell to July at one of our available vacation rentals in Bluffton, SC. 🌤

Visit our website to book direct today! Same-day reservations are not permitted.

The Bluffton Traveler Welcome to BlufftonTraveler™, a guide to beautiful Bluffton, South Carolina. Sitting high atop the bluff overlooking the May River, Old Town Bluffton is quirky, charming, and rich in Southern history. Explore Rentals in Bluffton, SC today!

07/16/2026

Sneak peak of the Chandler Cottage, a three-bedroom golf cottage in Hampton Hall ⛳️🤩

07/06/2026

Cancelling Monday while we re-live the weekend festivities 🤩

07/04/2026

Views last night 🌟🇺🇸🎆

06/25/2026

Mary Margaret Fuessel Riley (1841-1912) immigrated from Germany to New York in 1842. Being organized and headstrong, her mother found her a position as the governess with the Black Swamp Plantation near Robertsville, SC.

While there, she acquired provisions and became acquainted with Thomas Jefferson Riley, who worked at a local mercantile store. The two married in 1856 and set up their own general store and sawmill near Brighton, SC.

When the War of Northern Aggression broke out in 1861, Thomas Jefferson Riley enlisted and was assigned to Fort McAlister (near South NewPort, GA). When Sherman’s army came down the peninsula to access Fort Pulaski, Riley’s picket was overtaken and he was wounded and captured, the only survivor of his picket. As Savannah was delivered to Lincoln as a Christmas present, Riley was taken to the cold island prison at Fort Delaware.

At the age of 24, Mary Margaret Riley was running the store, the sawmill and raising two young daughters when she learned of her husband’s capture. She surmised that the Union troops would travel north to Columbia, destroying everything along the way, so she hid the sawmill blade in the Black Swamp. When the Union troops came to burn her house, she informed them that she had two brothers fighting for the North; they put out the fire and she made them lunch. She then packed up her daughters and gained passage from Hilton Head Island to Washington, DC.

In those days, anyone could gain access to the president by waiting in the lobby of the White House, (hence the term, lobbyists). In her meeting with Lincoln, her youngest daughter, Catherine, sat on Lincoln’s knee while she presented her case. She pledged that, if released, he would not raise a hand against the Union. Lincoln granted a release.

As the South rebuilt, Riley’s store and sawmill prospered, and Mr. Riley had recovered from his wounds well enough to father another daughter and a son. After he passed, Mary Margaret continued to run the business, and even was arrested for attempting to repossess her own logging steamer (women could not own such property at the time).

An amazing life, and an amazing woman! Thomas Jefferson Riley (1825-1877) and his devoted, brave, and determined wife, Mary Margaret Fuessel Riley (1841 - 1912) are buried with their daughters in the Black Swamp Cemetery.