The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) along with the Kershaw County legislative delegation and the Kershaw County Council formally dedicated a refurbished boat ramp on the Wateree River at U.S. Hwy. 1, on Sept. 28. The project, now dedicated as Patriots Landing, was a partnership between Kershaw County DNR and the federal Sports Fish Restoration Fund.
“This improvement to the boat ramp at Hwy. 1, will greatly improve access to the Wateree River, which helps promote recreation and ultimately boosts the local economy,” said S.C. House Rep. Laurie Funderburk (D-Dist. 52). “I am pleased that a combination of local, state and federal funding was used for this important project. It’s a terrific example of why partnerships are essential in moving forward projects.”
The new ramp was resurfaced with a new V-groove traction to reduce slippage and it even self cleans as the grooves are angled downstream. The ramp also includes the addition of a new ground out floating courtesy dock to provide a soft landing area at all water levels. The dock cost was approximately $200,000, which was provided by the Kershaw County legislative delegation’s allocation from the Kershaw County Water Recreation Resource Fund, which was used to match funding from the Sports Fish Restoration Fund.
The DNR assisted in the permitting, design, project plans and the construction phase of both the ramp and the courtesy dock.
The dock was named Patriots Landing for the historical significance of the site. American troops commanded by Colonel Thomas Sumter, captured a small earthen fort controlling the ferry over the Wateree River from Loyalists in August of 1780 among other Revolutionary military engagements. More recently, American troops practicing for the invasion of Italy conducted the first American regimental size parachute drop in the fields west of the Wateree River in March 1943. Three soldiers died in those maneuvers.
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