Learn all about the history of Hilton Head Island, SC in one of our special history tours. Did you know that Hilton Head has a human habitation history dating back to at least 10,000 BC?
Colonization began in the late 17th century when threats began to recede from Spaniards and Indians. During the colonial period, the island was used as a plantation and hunting site, with indigo and rice as the principal crops.
In November 1861, following the Battle of Port Royal Sound, the planters abandoned their gracious homes and prolific crops and fled inland, and the island was occupied by Union troops.
After the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the war, former slaves and their descendants took possession of much of the land, beginning a life of isolated subsistence farming and seafood harvesting that permitted their traditional Gullah community to be preserved.
Only about 500 people lived on Hilton Head as recently as 1950 but all that was changed when the “modern” history of the island began. Charles Fraser had the inspiration during the 1950s to create a resort community that would preserve the natural beauty of the island and the result was Sea Pines, the first planned island community and the model for what would follow.
The next time you stay at one of our amazing Hilton Head Island resorts, please join us on one of these tours. Immerse yourself in your vacation destination’s local culture and history. To get a sneak peak of your tour just watch this short video:
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