Image by Flickr user burrowingowl Image by 20090816-tabb.jpg

Fewer than 12 hours after I chatted someone up about the history of tabby, Charlotte Hutson-Wrenn just happened to publish a piece on the legendary local building material.

See, back in the 17th century concrete mix and bricks just weren't readily available in the coastal Lowcountry. And somehow the settlers heard that by slowly roasting oyster shells you could produce lime, the necessary ingredient to make concreete. 

And so if you happen to come across and old wall and wonder why all those oyster shells are in there, it's not just for filler.

But, for a more complete perspective on tabby and its key role in our region's founding hop on over to Charleston through an Artist's eye.