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History of Hilton Head Island
H
ilton Head is an island with a past – a long history
dating back hundreds, even thousands of years.
Each island visitor has left their footprint for future generations to see.
In the beginning, the Island was home to the
Woodlands Indians, who lived here seasonally in the Fall
& Winter. Today, we are still able to see the two shell rings,
believed by many to be a common meeting area for the
Native Americans that were built by them in the Sea Pines
Forest Preserve and off Spanish Wells.
It was in 1663, when an English captain named William
Hilton spotted the headlands of the Island in the unchartered waters he was sailing. He names the Island for himself and those headlands – “Hilton Head”.
Captain Hilton was greeted by Spanish Indians, but
was not the first European to step foot on the Island. In
early written history, the Spaniards explored these coastal
waters as far south as Key West. They named the land
they found “La Florida”, but were driven out when Sir
Francis Drake was sent by England’s Elizabeth I in 1586.
Over the next two hundred years the Island grew, on
one time boasting 24 plantations whose crops of indigo,
sugar cane, rice and cotton supported the lavish lifestyles
of the plantation owners who preferred living on the
mainland, away from the heat and humidity of the island.
When the Civil War began in 1861, local families were
forced to evacuate the Island from the Federal Troops,
leaving few residents behind.
For years the Island was occupied primarily by the
descendants of former slaves who lived as farmers, hunters and fisherman. The culture know as Gullah, can still
be found on the Island. Many of the Gullah descendants
practice the art of basket weaving, and entertain guests
with traditional Gullah music and food. The Island was
‘rediscovered’ in the 1940’s by timber men who saw
great potential in the tall pine trees. These timber men
used the tall ‘sea pines’ of the Island for a variety of uses.
Hilton Head remained a quiet, undiscovered jewel until
the year 1956 when Charles Fraser saw the potential of
the Island as the planned resort community we know
today. Before this time, the Island was only accessible
by ferry, and it was in 1956 when a bridge was first built,
allowing many more people to come and enjoy the lush
green golf courses, tennis courts, shimmering lakes and
beautifully designed houses and villas.
Charles Fraser dreamed of a resort community that
preserved the natural beauty of the Island. Thanks to the
environmentally planned resort and residential communities, much of Hilton Head remains as Captain William
Hilton saw it in 1663.
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