Mount Pleasant, SC – A life-size bronze statue of the late Captain Wayne Magwood now stands tall along Shem Creek, honoring the longtime shrimper’s legacy. The town of Mount Pleasant unveiled the memorial on Thursday, with Magwood’s four daughters in attendance. Magwood, a beloved figure in the community, died in a 2020 auto-pedestrian accident on Coleman Boulevard, just months after retiring from shrimping.
His daughters collaborated with the town to erect the statue. “My sisters and I listened and heard many heartwarming stories and accolades during this process,” said one of Magwood’s daughters. “Some stories we knew and some were new to us, but the underlying theme was that our dad touched many lives in this community in many ways.”
The statue depicts Magwood holding a handful of shrimp, his eyes crinkling in a soft smile and a Greek fisherman’s hat atop his head, the kind he always wore.
Savannah-based artist Susie Chisholm spent months sculpting the hyper-realistic statue in her studio, using oil-based clay to capture the fisherman’s warm smile and kind eyes. Magwood served as president of the South Carolina Shrimpers Association and helped launch Mount Pleasant’s Blessing of the Fleet festival, an annual event celebrating the town’s shrimping and fishing industry. The Magwood family has been a pivotal part of bringing the shrimping trade to Mount Pleasant since the early 20th century.
Captain Wayne Magwood memorialized
Magwood’s nephew, Rocky, still operates out of Shem Creek on Magwood’s Pride and is the current president of the association. State Sen.
Chip Campsen spoke highly of Magwood at the unveiling, highlighting his leadership in the shrimping community. “Wayne was a great leader, a great fisherman, a great man who cared about the industry and other shrimpers,” Campsen said. Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie also praised Magwood’s dedication and hard work.
“Wayne had a tender spirit. You can’t be in shrimping and not be a hard worker, but one thing came through about Wayne – he loved this fleet and this creek and everything it stood for,” Haynie said. The unveiling ceremony was attended by much of Mount Pleasant’s remaining shrimping fleet, including Magwood’s brother, Scotty, who said the statue captured his brother well.
The distinctive bellowing laugh of fishermen in once-white boots and ball caps rounded out the afternoon, as family and friends celebrated the life and legacy of Captain Wayne Magwood.
