Greenwood Communities

We have seen it all over the last 31 years.  Great real estate markets, slumping markets, tourism booms and busts, and everything in between. We have been rock solid through it all and we will continue to be here when our customers need us—whether that’s today or 30 years from now.

Over the years, our customers have come to appreciate our staying power and our unyielding commitment to doing the right thing. To not yielding to the short-term vagaries of the marketplace. 

Our staying power and strength comes not just from our experienced management team, but from the force of being a family-owned company. Greenwood was created in 1978 when the Self family, who was instrumental in developing Hilton Head Island, acquired Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort and the lands that would become Shelter Cove Harbour and Palmetto Hall Plantation and began developing them into world-class resort and residential communities. That first success was but the initial chapter of a continuing family saga marked by determination, creativity and endurance.  It has proved a powerful and winning combination of assets.

 

Our mission at Greenwood Communities and Resorts, as a leader in the creation and management of award-winning residential and resort communities is to create memorable places that foster meaningful and fulfilling lives. Our company’s philosophy has remained the same since its inception in 1978: Exceed the expectations of our homeowners and our resort guests.

Based in Greenwood, South Carolina, our SC real estate development company strives to achieve a sense of community, and respect for the natural beauty of the land in every development project. Among our numerous world-class developments, the Greenwood Communities and Resorts is proud to have developed the Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort on Hilton Head Island, which recently ranked number one in the world for family resorts by Travel & Leisure magazine.

Current projects include The Ponds in Summerville, South Carolina, The Reserve at Lake Keowee in Sunset, South Carolina, and Big Canoe in Big Canoe, Georgia. Our company’s expertise lies in selecting, acquiring, and planning real estate properties to be developed as private residential and resort-oriented communities.

Greenwood Communities and Resorts has a long standing track record of building amenities in new communities early in the development process. Such a stance avoids having to make a lot of promises and evokes trust from buyers who can see, touch, feel and use the real thing.

This pattern continues at the Ponds. Before the first buyer moved in a house, the first neighborhood pool and recreational complex were complete. This first resident also found Phase I sidewalks, street trees and parks in place. Furthermore, the amphitheatre was completed and in service and the Historic Farmhouse was restored and open for use like a welcomed old friend. We believe this is the way to reflect our deep, long term commitment to the community in a very tangible way.

Click here for The Ponds Historic photo gallery.

Summerville locals describe The Ponds as a hidden gem, a South Carolina community with a history as rich as the land is cherished. The name itself can be traced back to grants in 1682, when the land was first christened The Ponds.

The first owner on record was Andrew Percival, who built a plantation he called Weston Hall. The Donning family of Glouchester County, England operated the plantation from 1723 until 1765 when they sold it off for parts.

The land became primarily a rice plantation that was operated for more than a century by several families, most notably that of John Schulz, who purchased it in 1818. One of his heirs, Frederick Schulz, ran the estate during the Civil War and made his mark in history by enlisting in the First South Carolina Mounted Militia in 1861. He served in the Charleston area for much of the war and returned home to The Ponds in 1865. The Schulz family eventually sold the plantation in 1891 to Edward Lotz, who became a lumber dealer and "manufacturer of shingles" from the cypress trees on the site. Lotz's sons went on to be homebuilders in the Summerville area.

In 1911, the land was purchased by its most recent owners, the Simmons family. They farmed the land for decades, raising corn, cotton, and sweet potatoes, and kept livestock including sheep and goats. Ralph Simmons, Sr. even made his own brand of lump charcoal, which he sold to local grocery stores.

Eventually, The Ponds became a popular place for hunting and fishing, and this is how many of Summerville's residents still remember it today. They tell us the farmhouse that remains on the site today was used as a hunting lodge. And anytime a local wanted to fish, they simply deposited 25¢ at a box in front of the caretaker's cottage that once stood just beyond the farmhouse on the road to Schulz Lake.