On my latest visit to Mansfield, I arose at dawn and walked the rice-field dikes for an hour, admiring the restful stretches of light and shadow. Unseen ducks called to each other in the mist. A grove of small golden-leafed cypress glowed brightly on a foggy gray morning—well worth the modest price of admission.

Not surprisingly, Mansfield has its regulars. People come for freedom from stress. One businesswoman comes once a month on doctor’s orders. And of course, there are birders. Over two hundred species have been spotted here. Photographers love Mansfield; painters too, and moviemakers. The house was featured in The Patriot as the home of Mel Gibson’s sister-in-law.

According to Sallie, they’ve had only two unhappy customers. One woman said she was bored out of her mind and kept asking about the malls. The other was too frightened to get out of the car. She thought her husband had brought her to the end of the world.

It’s a compliment of sorts, this notion that Mansfield is that removed from the so-called safety of the modern world. But actually, although it feels remote, surrounded on all sides by hundreds of thousands of acres of private, state, and federally managed wildlife preserves, the historic port of Georgetown, with its fine restaurants, art galleries, and boutiques, is less than ten minutes away. Myrtle Beach, with its amusement parks and world-class golf courses, is about an hour to the north and the cobblestoned streets of Charleston an equal distance to the south. Still, Mansfield is in the “wilds” or as close as you can get in this century, a haven for people and animals alike.