Carolina Blue

Just the other day we were out driving about the Goose Creek, South Carolina area near the Cooper River when we came upon a curious sight. In front of a chemical manufactureing company on state road 503 there were two brick vats appearing simular to swimming pools. We brought the Toyota to a screeching halt.  Well, maybe not screeching, but quickly, to investigate. The historical marker stated: " Built 1750-1790 at Otranto Plantation and used to process dye from indigo, an important S.C. crop from 1747 to 1796. Moved here 1979." I knew that indigo dye had been a product produced in colonial South Carolina but did not know that there was any evidence of this industry surviving. We promptly took some photos and measurements of the brick structures which were stuccoed on the inside. The larger vat was elevated  higher than the smaller to which it was connected, and each had an opening  used to drain liquid from the larger into the smaller and to drain the smaller onto the ground.  Based on our measurements the vats would hold approximately 3456 gallons and 2992 gallons respectively. But how were they used?  I have long been involved in various manufacturing processes and was curious to learn how indigo dye was made. I asked Claudette if she knew anything about indigo, and she said,"Yes, a little, I was once a third grade teacher, you know."

"Well, tell me about indigo.  I know it was a blue dye made from a plant," I said.

She replied, " I know that they cut the stalks of the indigo plant down and put them in a big vat of water.  After about a day or so they had fermented with a rotten smell."

"Most anything smells bad when fermenting," I said.

"They then drained the fermented plants into another vat and picked out all the trash and stirred it with paddles. The pudding-like dye settled to the bottom of the vat  and they simply drained off the water," She added.

"So then they let it dry?"

"No, they scooped it up and put it into bags to drain overnight.  Then, they fashioned it into cakes to finish drying,"  she continued.  "It was then that it was usually shipped to England to be used as a textile dye."

"Do you know who started it growing around here?"

"As a matter of fact I do. Indigo dye production has been around a long time in Europe and Asia, as well as the Americas. But, in South Carolina indigo production was begun by Eliza Lucas Pickney.  She came to the Carolina lowcountry as a 16-year-old girl with her father, who was an officer in the British army. Soon, her father was ordered to return to duty in Antiqua, and Eliza was left to run the plantation, educate her younger sisters, and care for a sickly mother. But, she was a sharp young lady, and she managed. She had great difficulty developing a plant that she could grow and harvest successfully. When she finally developed such a plant she readily shared with her neighbor planters. In the years prior to the Revolutionary War, indigo dye was the third biggest export from the colony.  It was in such demand that England subsidized its production. Unfortunately, for the indigo planters, there was no demand for South Carolina indigo dye in England after the American Revolution.  India became the supplier for the British textile manufacturers."  

"While you were talking, I googled it and found out some more facts," I said.

"And I thought you were listening to me!"

"I was. I was!" I said somewhat defensively, " I did find out some more interesting stuff."

"Such as...," she queried.

"The dye isn't soluable in water, and cloth is dipped into it comes out green, but when exposed to the air it becomes dark blue.  Jeans are dyed with it.  It was in great demand for military uniforms.  It took about ten men to man the vats during production.  Indigo production did not interfere with rice production on the lowcountry plantations.  As a matter of fact, the same workers could do both jobs.  In 1775 South Carolina produced 1,107,660 lbs of indigo dye with a value of over $30 million." I said proudly.

"Learn anything else?" she asked.

"Oh yes!" said I.

"And what was that?"

"Eliza Pinckney was a very pretty girl." I said with a smile.

The conversation ended.