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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An African-American seaman waits patiently for the shrimp boat "Mary Pickford" to leave the Beaufort waterfront in the 1930s. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
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This is an excerpt from the University of South Carolina public series, Conversations on the Civil War - 1863. Dr. Walter Edgar speaks to Dr. Thavolia Gylmph, Duke University, about the Port Royal...
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“H” is for Hilton Head Island [Beaufort County; population 33,862]. Located in the southeast corner of the state, Hilton Head Island is the largest of the islands that flank South Carolina’s Atlantic...
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South Carolina became famous for the beauty of the avenues of live oak trees leading up to the mansion house. One of the most noted was the double avenue of oaks at Heyward Plantation, in Bluffton...
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This bungalow style building represents the adaptation of this style to the needs of the sea islands. The commandant's quarters at the U.S. Naval Station on Parris Island, it was photographed by...
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The Rhett House in Beaufort, in which secessionist supporters met at the beginning of the crisis to urge separation from the Union, is also Adam style. After federal occupation of Beaufort, it became...
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A fire truck and firemen pose in front of "Hospital #15," one of a number of Beaufort residences converted by Federal troops into a medical unit for the wounded, in this 1865 photograph. Courtesy of...
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“H” is for Hispanics. Hispanics are among South Carolina’s oldest and most recent immigrant groups. Long before English settlers landed at Jamestown, Spanish explorers laid claim to the territory in...
