Beaufort County lies in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Tourism is important to the county, as many visitors flock to the area to enjoy coastal waters, barrier islands, wildlife, and historic small towns. A number of notable people have called Beaufort County home, including author Pat Conroy and boxer Joe Frazier. The presence of Gullah culture also characterizes the region. Beaufort, one of the state’s oldest towns, serves as the county seat.
Frenchmen, Englishmen, and Spaniards all attempted to settle in Beaufort County. Comprised of the St. Peter, St. Helena, St. Luke, and Prince William parishes, Beaufort District was created in 1769 and “named for Henry Somserset, Duke of Beaufort.” Points of historical interest in Beaufort County include a number of plantations, the Penn Center, and Parris Island.
About Beaufort County, SC. Accessed June 01, 2016.
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Native Americans called it "tree hair." French colonists changed it to "Barbe espagnole," or "Spanish Beard," to ridicule the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Spanish moss survives as its common name...
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The Gullah community of St. Helena struggles to promote the island's cultural and natural resources while preserving the environment for future generations. Livelihoods based on fishing, farming and...
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Live oaks with broad, lumbering branches and beards of Spanish moss are a common sight in South Carolina’s coastal area. The tree’s resistance to wind and sea spray buffer the coast from seasonal...
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Several generations of the St. Helena community attended the historic Penn School, established as one of the first schools for freed slaves. In the 1950s and 1960s, the site served as a safe retreat...
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In the video, St. Helena resident Frank Brown weaves a net while singing a song rich in the Gullah dialect. This clip was extracted from Palmetto Places - St. Helena Island. After the Civil War and...
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Stephen Brown is a Swing Bridge Operator working in Beaufort, S.C. He was the first African American to work for Beaufort County as a firefighter... a post he held for 35 years. After retirement, he...
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Life on Daufuskie Island, a small place off of Hilton Head, is simple, quiet and full of history.
