By Donna Isbell Walker

Moncks Corner, which calls itself “The Lowcountry’s Hometown,” is a place of contrasts.

One end of the community is home to Cypress Gardens, with its lush greenery, murky blackwater swamp, and dozens of alligators slithering through the dark waters.

At the other end sits Mepkin Abbey, once a grand plantation shaded by mossy oaks, then the South Carolina residence of Time magazine founder Henry Luce. It’s now home base for a group of Trappist monks from the worldwide Order of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance.

Between the two is a quaint downtown area anchored by a century-old train depot and a modern park featuring a fountain and bronze sculptures of children at play. Small boutiques and restaurants line the Main Street thoroughfare, alongside Barron’s Department Store, a clothing shop that opened in 1923.

The railroad depot, built in the early years of the 20th century and renovated in 2000, began life as the place where farmers and lumberjacks could ship their products to market. As railroad shipping declined in the mid-20th century, the depot was used less and less. It closed in 1975.

Twenty-one years ago, the depot was reopened as the town’s Visitor and Cultural Center.

Moncks Corner has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, said Douglas Polen, community development director for the town. Census figures for 2020 are expected to reflect about a 60 percent increase in population since 2010, from 8,000 to around 13,000.

“The growth is amazing,” Polen said with a laugh. “I’ve worked in a lot of towns, and it’s fun being the planner and economic development director for a town where you can really see the change happen. It’s not just a matter of wishing you had things. It’s a matter of, people call you up and say, ‘I want to build this here,’ and a year later, it’s there.”

With the growth, however, comes the need to expand responsibly, Polen said, to bring in businesses that will benefit the area without sacrificing the hometown vibe.

“We try really hard to ensure that what comes to town is something we can all be proud of and something we’re going to want in town 10 years, 20 years, 50 years from now,” he said.

A town with a colorful history

The Berkeley County seat, Moncks Corner has a long history, beginning in the early 1700s when it was founded by landowner Thomas Monck, who opened a general store at a well-traveled crossroads.

Soon, residents and travelers began referring to the area as Moncks Corner.

While the town itself is gaining a more contemporary flavor, history is the drawing card for two of Moncks Corner’s most popular attractions, both of which operated as plantations in the 18th century.

Cypress Gardens, like so many places in the Lowcountry, fairly drips with atmosphere, ambiance that has been used to good effect in films such as “Cold Mountain” and “The Notebook.” An early springtime stroll along the 3.5 miles of trails and paths reveals an explosion of color, with tulip trees and azaleas and ferns, as well as a symphony of bird songs.

On the other side of the path sits the swamp, with tall cypress trees looming toward the sky, and stalagmite-like cypress knees rising from the earth in gnarled, sometimes animal-like shapes.

Flat-bottom boat tours of the swamp offer insights into the history, as well as flora and fauna of the area. Alligators sun themselves on small spits of land in the swamp, and their main source of food, yellow-bellied slider turtles, can also be glimpsed as the boats glide through. The bird population includes osprey and bald eagles.

The 80-acre swamp boasts about 200 gators as residents, but because there are no fences or other barriers, the reptiles come and go as they please.

You might also glimpse a gator lounging on the banks of the Cooper River at Mepkin Abbey. During the Covid-19 shutdown, the church and other buildings at Mepkin Abbey have been closed to visitors, but tours of the grounds and gardens are led twice a week by docents who share stories about the history of the region and the property itself.

While the name of the town might hint at the presence of the abbey, the monks of Mepkin Abbey have no connection to the town’s name, according to docent Paul Brustowicz. “Moncks Corner and the monks have nothing in common but a zip code,” he said.

Time magazine founder Henry Luce and his wife, writer and politician Clare Boothe Luce, bought the property, which sits on a peninsula, in the 1930s, turning it into a fall and winter recreational area.

The terraced gardens, with spreading oak trees, azaleas, and dainty lilies of the valley, are named for the Luces, who are buried there. The couple donated the land to the monastery in 1949.

Approximately 20 monks currently make their home at Mepkin Abbey, and they support themselves by growing shiitake and oyster mushrooms to sell to restaurants and supermarkets.

Growth surge in the Lowcountry

The Lowcountry in general is enjoying a growth surge, and Moncks Corner is one of the towns benefiting from the overflow, Polen said. Many people are moving to the area, primarily from the north, and some are settling in Moncks Corner because it’s less expensive than Charleston, Polen said.

“What we try to be is that down-home alternative. You have Goose Creek, Summerville, Hanahan, us. And to a certain extent, our residential growth has been due to the cost of living. We are a little less expensive. But we also promote ourselves as being a more homey, friendly place,” he said.