Beaufort History....continued.
Settlers from the British Isles, France, and other parts of Europe built plantations
throughout the coastal lowcountry. Beaufort, the second oldest town in South Carolina,
was founded in 1711. Both Beaufort County and its county seat of Beaufort were
named for Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort (1684-1714), one of the Lords Proprietors
of Carolina.African slaves were brought into the colony in large numbers to provide labor for the plantations, and by 1720 they formed the majority of the population. The ports of Georgetown, Charleston, and Beaufort became important centers of commerce and culture. In the years before the Civil War, rice, indigo, and sea island cotton plantations brought great wealth to the entire lowcountry region. Parris Island, (Santa Elena) was bought in 1715 by Alexander Parris, Public Treasurer of South Carolina. In 1717, For acts of bravery in quelling the rioting Yemassee Indians, Col. John Barnwell was granted a thousand acres on the NW corner of Hilton Head Island by the Lord Proprietors. He became the first white settler. By 1766, approximately 25 families lived on Hilton Head Island. Beaufort County was formed in 1769 from the parishes of Prince William, St. Luke, St. Helena, and St. Peter. Thomas Hayward, Jr., a local rice plantation owner, signed the Declaration of Independence. As talk of Revolution escalated in the Colonies, Hilton Head Island sided with the Colonists. Daufuskie Island, just 1 mile south, was occupied by the Tories and was a British stronghold. During the Revolution, the British frequently raided Hilton Head Island and burned plantations and captured slaves who were later sold in the West Indies. The raids continued even after Cornwallis surrendered. South Carolina lost more men, and gave more money to the Revolutionary cause than any other Colony. More Revolutionary War battles and skirmishes were fought in South Carolina than any other colony. England had provided the market for indigo, this vanished after the Revolution. The settlers turned to cotton. In 1790, Hilton Head Island was the first island to grow cotton. Sea island cotton became the finest cotton available in the world. Many of the sea island plantation owners built their summer homes on the banks of the Beaufort River to catch the cool prevailing breezes. Beaufort was referred to as the "Newport of the South." The majority of the houses on the out-lying plantations, though large, were not pillared mansions. During the War of 1812 the British again invaded Hilton Head Island and burned most of the houses located near navigable waters. .........(continued) |
