The Ghost of the Folly Pier at Folly Beach, "Forever Folly"
by Madeline Carol

Located south of Charleston on a barrier island, Folly Beach grew in the 40's and 50's in preeminence as one of the fun beaches of the South. Having large white sand beaches, the island was equipped with wooden ramps which allowed visitors to drive their vehicles down onto the expanse of the beach and park or ride along, observing the sights. The sound and scene of the rolling surf was interrupted by the bathers frolicking in the gentle breakers. The chatter of sunbathers along the sloping beaches could also be heard. In the middle of the island stood the Folly Pavilion and the Folly Pier with an amusement park clustered near it. Here in this part of Folly Island one could experience dining, dancing, bowling, food, games, sunbathing, and just the plain company of fun-loving people enjoying the sights and sounds of Folly Beach. The air was permeated by the smell of hotdogs and was filled with the sound of pinball machines, the excitement of people, and the hum of the rides in the amusement area behind Folly Pier. The amusement park was midway at the Coastal Carolina Fair. There was the sound of rides going and voices of riders screaming with delight and fear as the lighted amusements livened up under the summer night sky. And then there was the distinct sound of the bands playing their memorable songs on the pier and the shuffle and chatter of people dancing and talking on the Pavilion that was so accustomed to this weekend ritual during the summer season. This was Folly Beach in its heyday, and this was the old Folly Pier and amusement area that created so many of the memories which now give us only that mental picture of the Folly that once was.

Sadly the years brought land erosion, and with the erosion came the disappearance of the beautiful beaches that once were. The Northeastern storms with their relentless assault on the beaches also contributed to the march inland of the Atlantic Ocean. Slowly, piece by piece these great memories of the past disappeared. Then on January 9, 1977, the old Folly Beach Pier was swept by fire, burning to the ground and leaving in ruins the structure that so symbolized the landscape of Folly Beach and the memories of those weekend visits to the summer playground. After 1977, little remained of what once was. The ramps had been swept away by the visits of hurricanes, and the Pavilion had been torn down to make way for the Plaza. In time, the Folly Plaza was to be replaced by a hotel. The amusements and the midway gone, not even the Folly Pier was to be rebuilt.

A visit out to that spot now still conjures up the memories of what once was. As the sun sets in the west, during the finality of another day, the continuous roll of the ocean up on the recently rebuilt beaches of Folly provides the perfect backdrop and beginning for a trip into the past and what used to be. It is as though in this serene yet active landscape that one can look out and almost visualize the pier that once stood there, with the couples shagging and dancing and talking in the rays of the lights, and the people on the landside behind the Pavilion crowded into the amusement parks with the glory of the lights and the splendor of the midway breaking through the falling darkness, creating the visual dream of what once was.

In "Forever Folly" Madeline Carol captures on canvas these memories, so that even as you look out on the present landscape of Folly Beach, you can not only imagine but can see in apparitions the sights of what will be forever Folly, and these will take you back to the days of the cars on the beach, the dancers on the pavilion, the excitement of the midway, and the festive surroundings that drew people there. Now, thispainting is your trip back in memory to the beach south of Charleston, that always will be "Forever Folly".

Madeline Carol, in her final print of the Spirits of Charleston Collection, takes you back in full color to where the series started with the loss of the Atlantic House. The face of Folly has been forever changed, but its memories, like those of other things are not extinguished by the march of time. These memories are lighted imprints in our inner memories as the bright mirage of the memories of our life coming shining back. Before us in a glorious watercolor is the aesthetic stimulation inspiring us to remember when. Like all Madeline Carol prints, this one takes you back to a beautiful setting and yet superimposes on it something more beautiful: The life and heritage of the lowcountry changed by time, but ours forever in the Spirits of Charleston Collection.

Madeline Carol, Capturing the Spirits
Art Gallery