77 Years of Hard Work and Family Island History
The Oak-n-Oyster brand is a heartfelt tribute to family; the love of our surrounding coastal waterways and oak-covered land. Our brand is a symbol of the respect and gratitude for the hard work of that era and generation now passed. No electricity, no running water…just the simple life among the oaks and the oysters.
Daufuskie Island has filled my heart with joy and happiness for my entire life. I am blessed and fortunate to have such a beautiful piece of this little island in our family for now over 77 years. My mother, Joann Dierks Yarbrough, passed her love and respect of “Her Daufuskie” to not only me, but also to my friend and business partner, Medea Hall, as well as countless other friends throughout the years. One couldn’t help but be captured by mother’s ability to entertain and educate through her stories. Every dirt road and structure on Daufuskie held a special place in Mother’s heart, and she loved to share and reminisce with anyone who visited.
Through our Oak-n-Oyster brand, Medea and I enjoy sharing our love of Daufuskie Island paying homage to my family’s hard work & history from 1945 onward. The photo of Otis and the Oak Tree was the inspiration for our t shirt design. The back of the original shirt is dedicated to “Otis”; the life-size wooden cut-out that was placed next to this centuries-old oak tree to attract attention of passing boats and encourage them to “slow down, no wake.” Hurricane Matthew destroyed my dock back in 2016, but Otis was still standing!
In 1944, my paternal grandparents, Mae & Fred Dierks had a delicatessen in Savannah, Georgia. My grandfather’s diabetes and subsequent heart attack was a result of the stress of running a business. His doctor told him he needed to get out of the restaurant business – so he did. Fred and Mae had been to Daufuskie Island with friends and fell in love with the island and when they sold the business, decided to move to move there. No running water and no electricity. My grandmother became the Post Mistress before Billie Burns and my grandfather became the Magistrate of Daufuskie. Together they ran the only general store on the island. My grandfather, along with Jake Washington would travel twice a week to Bluffton to pick up the mail and supplies for the general store.
My grandmother was the first person to operate the battery powered ship to shore radio on Daufuskie, the first line of communication to the mainland located at the post office inside the general store.
They served numerous roles while living on Daufuskie, such as providing wood for heat at the school, transporting the children to school in Grandfather’s “rattle trap” truck and entertaining people who arrive on the Waving Girl with their picnic baskets for a day on the Island.
Daufuskie is so special to me. It’s the feeling that I get when I step off the boat onto the land. A calming and nourishing feeling. I first visited Daufuskie when I was 8 days old, my parents put me in a styrofoam cooler – they didn’t make lifejackets for infants back then! We traveled to Daufuskie at least twice a month and still do.
Before retiring, three years ago, I wanted to do something to share my grandparents’ and my parents’ ties with Daufuskie and the hard work and history from this era. So many stories to tell. But it wasn’t enough so Medea and I talked about what we could do. After our first business meeting, cruising down the river in the boat for about 3 hours, Medea and I had a plan.
We came up with the name “Oak-n-Oyster,” derived from the oaks on our family property and its role in Daufuskie’s rich history. Large oaks canopy our property and overlook the New River, many of which are over 450 years old, and the last oyster factory on the island, that had been on my grandfather’s land. We decided on ‘Hard Work & History’ as our tagline. We wanted to offer our guests and visitors something to remind them of their trip to Daufuskie Island and all those special memories.
We have quality shirts, with specific designs dedicated to Daufuskie Island life. We put a lot of thought and detail into every design. So far, we have created 11 designer shirts in cotton and in SPF50+, moisture-wicking performance wear for men, ladies, and children. We have skinny tumblers, visors, hats, koozies, headbands, beanies, and baby outfits.
On Daufuskie, our products are available at the Haig Point Mercantile located in the Strachan Mansion, the Melrose Dock Shop, and the General Store at Freeport Marina.
– Cathy Lamas
daufuskieoaknoyster.com
