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The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.

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Walterboro Drive-In

SC PICTURE PROJECT 3 Comments

SC Picture Project / Colleton County / Walterboro Drive-In

This old drive-in movie screen that for decades towered over Walterboro served as an iconic piece of American culture and history for 64 years. The movie screen’s celebrated silhouette was designed by renowned artist Carew Rice of nearby Green Pond and painted onto wood panels by Colleton County sign painter Foch Headden. The depiction of deer, ducks, water, and a tree was installed behind the screen by 1950. It remained a beloved landmark, even as the drive-in theater closed in 1990.

Walterboro Drive In

Steven Taylor of Walterboro, 2012 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

As the screen sat abandoned in the years following the closing of the theater, it began to deteriorate, and panels of the silhouette began to fall. A non-profit group called “Screen Savers” formed in an attempt to save and restore the famed mural, especially since the scene was created by a noted South Carolina artist.

Walterboro Drive In Ruins

Darrell Parker of North Charleston, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Despite efforts to save the screen, property owner Keith Kinard, descendant of the theater’s founder Dr. E.B. Funderburke, was unable to maintain it. In May of 2014 city officials ordered the screen demolished, and in June of 2014, a work crew disassembled the screen – including the painted panels – much to the dismay of locals.

Walterboro Drive-In Painting

Thomas Fulton of Walterboro, 2017 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Reflections on the Walterboro Drive-In


Contributor Bill Segars shares some history about the silhouette that graced the movie screen and its artist: “I can remember seeing it when the mural was full, no missing pieces. It is a painting of a silhouette that Carew Rice did. Carew lived in Green Pond, out from Walterboro, so he would see this drive-in theater every time he went to ‘Town’. Lowcountry, deer, ducks, moss in the trees, black & white; that is a typical Carew Rice silhouette. If you’ve ever seen one of his pieces, this is it. He obviously didn’t cut this out with a little pairs of scissors, it was copied and painted on 4X8 plywood. Carew was our cousin; his grandson Clay carries on the art of silhouette cutting today. I can remember Carew coming to visit us, and he would sit at the breakfast room table and tell us children Lowcountry stories while he cut black paper with tiny little scissors. Then all of a sudden he would unfold the paper and there was a beautiful scene depicting what he was talking about. He was quite the character.”

Plan Your Trip: Walterboro Drive-In

Where is Walterboro Drive-In located?
Address: South Jefferies Blvd near Oakland Drive, Walterboro, SC 29488
GPS Coordinates: 32.893237,-80.677421
What else should I see?
O.T. Canady House 1.3 miles
Paul Hamilton Fripp House 1.4 miles
Colleton County Courthouse 1.4 miles
Old Colleton County Jail 1.5 miles
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Bygone Landmarks
  • See other South Carolina SC Artists
  • Walterboro Historic Sites
    Walterboro Drive-In Map

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Christopher M. Littlejohn says

      September 17, 2020 at 9:40 PM

      Is the property for sale?

      Reply
    2. Allen King says

      June 1, 2015 at 12:26 AM

      Where are the panels now? Are they in Walterboro? And if so, where? I myself would take the time to restore them; they mean so much to us all.

      Reply
    3. Carter Architecture, Inc. says

      March 9, 2015 at 8:14 PM

      Interesting art and preservation history. Too often decay and or cost to maintain take their toll.
      I remember this well from travels in the area during the mid 70's

      Reply

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    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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