Hilton Head History

Hilton Head Island enjoys a rich history. Thousands of years before the first Spaniards set foot on the shores of the New World, this Sea Island was home to Native Americans dating back to at least 2000 B.C. Yemassee Indians hunted and farmed in this area until the early 18th century.

Today, the Island bears the name of the English explorer Captain William Hilton. In 1663, he was sent to prospect the Carolina region and while exploring the Port Royal Sound sighted the high bluffs of the Island, and named it for himself, "Hilton Head." The word "Head" refers to the headlands visible to them as they sailed the uncharted waters. He lingered several days, making note of the trees, crops, and also the sweet water and clear sweet air. The first English development in the Low Country began in 1698. Indian attacks, sponsored by the Spanish, continued to harass the settlers in the area.

In 1717, 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, 25 families lived on Hilton Head Island. Subsequent colonization of the area brought an era of cultivation where cotton, rice and indigo were harvested by slave labor on vast plantations. After the Civil War, the Island's land was divided and bestowed to former slaves who would live quietly on Hilton head for the better part of the next century.

After the Civil War, Hilton Head Island was a very peaceful and isolated place. Since most plantation owners were not able to produce crops without slave labor, some of the land was sold to plantation workers. Most of those who remained on the island made a living by farming and fishing. They had little contact with the mainland because the only way to travel off the island was by boat. Given this geographic isolation, native islanders were able to maintain their folkways and language. The Gullah have survived unchanged and have held on to their past.

The modern development of Hilton Head Island began when a young, visionary landscape architect named Charles Fraser laid out the master plan for the Island's south end community. The vision was to "lay lightly on the land" by building unobtrusive homes to blend into the landscape. Roads would wind around, not through, sensitive areas, and land would be set aside in its pristine state for the enjoyment of generations to come. The rest of the Island followed suit, creating a resort community like no other.