On November 14, 1782, Tadeusz Kościuszko, Colonel of the Continental Army, led the last known armed action of the Revolutionary War against the British and was nearly killed on James Island.

Long settled as a semi-rural area, this island has been affected by increasing urbanization and the expansion of the city of Charleston.

A lawsuit was filed by the City of Charleston claiming that the parts of the new Town were not contiguous, being separated by salt marsh that it had already incorporated.

The City of Charleston challenged the Town again, this time arguing that the new incorporation law was unconstitutional special legislation.

The City of Charleston prevailed in Circuit Court and the Town of James Island appealed.

The day after the vote, Charleston mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. filed a lawsuit against the town for the third time, saying that it was unconstitutional.

On November 7, 2008, the City of Charleston lost its lawsuit against the Town of James Island in Circuit Court.

In an election on August 3, 2010, incumbent Clark lost to Bill Woolsey, an economics professor at The Citadel and member of the James Island Town Council from 2002 to 2004.

Former Mayor Bill Woolsey led the incorporation effort and was unopposed in the election held on July 31, 2012.

Recent renovations of historical places include the Seashore Farmer's Lodge on Sol Legare Road.