Preservation two-step: Saving a home and its current ownership
Robert Behre Posted: Thursday, December 26, 2013 9:00 a.m. DAUFUSKIE ISLAND - David Helmuth steps between the hodgepodge of exposed floor joists and walls studs inside the early 20th-century cottage here at 188 School Road, as he finishes removing the last of its termite-damaged wood. Helmuth, a contractor, is working for the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation, a state preservation group working to save this remnant of the island's once-thriving Gullah culture. Photo Gallery Daufuskie Island This cottage is more historic than most because it once was home to Frances Jones, a revered community figure who taught black schoolchildren on this remote Sea Island and who also helped many of their illiterate parents. But the most significant aspect of this ongoing restoration is not Jones' story, nor the uniqueness of the structure itself. Instead, it's the innovative deal that the Palmetto Trust struck that not only aims to restore the home but also to