‘Dark Star’ and ‘Native Dancer’ street names to move from DI to Cainhoy

DI residents ensure 1953 Kentucky Derby champion and opponent will be part of new development

It’s been 65 years since “Dark Star” won the Kentucky Derby, but the legacy of the late Harry F. Guggenheim’s prized thoroughbred lives on - in a most unexpected place.

On a quiet Daniel Island alley known as Dark Star Lane, behind the homes on Bulline and Doldridge Streets, you won’t find race tracks, cheering crowds, or blankets of roses, but the acclaimed horse will always be a winner here.

Guggenheim once owned all of Daniel Island and much of the Cainhoy peninsula. When the Daniel Island Company began planning for development of the island more than two decades ago, they reserved names for all of the community’s streets, selecting two that were directly connected to Guggenheim – Dark Star Lane and Native Dancer Lane. The latter was named for the undefeated horse that Dark Star beat for the coveted derby crown.

“Every street name has some relevance to the island’s history,” said Daniel Island Company President Matt Sloan. “It could be back to Indian times, like Ithacaw or Etiwan, or it could be tied to the land, old hunting fields and things like that. Or it could be tied to the Guggenheim ownership, or anything in between.”

Dark Star raced in the blue and white colors of Guggenheim’s Cain Hoy Stables. The families who have raised children in the neighborhood have hosted gatherings and celebrations in the alley over the years. It has become a popular spot for kids to play…and just be kids. They call themselves the “Dark Star Gang.”

“We’ve been there for 13 years now,” said Kevin Brookes, one of the residents along the street. “A lot of our neighbors have been there as well. There hasn’t been much turnover…The alley kids have all grown up on Dark Star.”

So when Sloan recently came to Brookes with a far-reaching idea involving their beloved Dark Star Lane, they were immediately intrigued. When Guggenheim passed away in 1971, he left Cainhoy Plantation to his younger cousin, Peter Lawson-Johnston, Sr., who, along with his family, still owns the property today. The family is in the process of developing the 9,000 acre parcel into a new residential, mixed-use community that “celebrates the outdoors.” Knowing how much the names “Dark Star” and “Native Dancer” meant to Guggenheim, they wondered if it might be possible to use the horses’ names on main thoroughfares in the new development? But they were already in existence on Daniel Island and could not be reused.

“It’s hard to name streets,” noted Sloan, who is also president of the DI Development Company, the entity handling development of Cainhoy Plantation. “It seems simple, but a street name cannot be presently in use in Berkeley County, Charleston County or in the city of Charleston. It’s for EMS purposes for the most part. There’s a whole well thought out methodology behind it.”

They would need permission from those who live on the streets to relinquish the names. Sloan wanted to present the idea to the Lawson-Johnston family as a surprise, if the Daniel Island neighbors agreed (75 percent must consent to the change). The proposal was met with overwhelming approval.

“All the neighbors agreed this was really special for them,” said Brookes, who recognized the importance of the name to the Guggenheim heritage. “We thought it was just really cool.”

“Our family has so many amazing memories in that alley,” added Cori Smith, who lives in the neighborhood with her husband, Michael, and their three children. “This whole ‘change of name’ project allowed us a chance 14 years later to reflect back and reminisce. It was interesting to learn we lived on an alley with a name that held such importance and historical recognition. To us it was the alley for the ‘kids of Dark Star Lane’ and will be remembered as such for as long as we live there!”

The residents on Native Dancer Lane, also an alley, agreed to relinquish the name as well, so now both can be used in the new Cainhoy community.

“I don’t know exactly where the streets will be,” added Sloan, “but I would think that this would be two major streets and that they intersect…Then we would have this intersection of Dark Star and Native Dancer - and what a great story that is!”

The gesture of kindness extended by the impacted Daniel Island residents was not lost on the Lawson-Johnston family, who plan to gather at Cainhoy Plantation next week for Thanksgiving.

“I was absolutely ecstatic,” said Peter Lawson-Johnston II, when reached by phone on Tuesday. “…How incredibly nice and thoughtful are these two groups that did this? They’re just very, very special people…I can’t wait to meet them all to express my gratitude, my profound gratitude. I’ve been telling everybody the story. It’s really quite remarkable.”

“It was like returning a bit of heritage to Cainhoy Plantation,” added Sloan. “I was touched to be a part of it and I really enjoyed working in conjunction with a whole bunch of really nice property owners who were extremely benevolent about the whole thing.”

Back on the alley between Bulline and Doldridge Streets, a new name will soon appear in place of “Dark Star Lane.” But the neighbors here are no doubt doing a victory lap of their own, knowing they gave a special and meaningful gift to the Lawson-Johnston family, who still have Dark Star’s 1953 Kentucky Derby trophy on hand to remind them of that momentous day. As a special keepsake, Sloan had individual “Dark Star Lane” signs made for each family on the alley. Brookes says his sons, John and Wilson, have the sign prominently displayed in their room.

“Those signs, the kids will have those for a long time and when they drive through Cainhoy and see the road, they will know they were a part of it.”

Those involved in the project agree that bringing Dark Star and Native Dancer to Cainhoy was a good idea out of the gate, and with a little jockeying, all crossed the finish line as winners.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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