Hilton Head Island or Hilton Head is a town (located on an island of the same name) in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The island features 12 miles (19 km) of beachfront on the Atlantic Ocean and is a popular vacation destination. In 2004, an estimated 2.25 million visitors pumped more than $1.5 billion into the local economy.^[1] The year-round population was 33,862 at the 2000 census, although during the peak of summer vacation season the population can swell to 275,000.^[2] Over the past decade, the island's population growth rate was 32%.^[3]

Located 20 miles (32 km) north of Savannah, Georgia, and 95 miles (153 km) south of Charleston, South Carolina, the island was an important base of operations for the Union blockade of the Southern ports during the Civil War. Once the island fell to Union troops, hundreds of ex-slaves flocked to Hilton Head, which is still home to many 'native islanders', many of whom are descendants of freed slaves known as the Gullah (or Geechee) who have managed to hold onto much of their ethnic and cultural identity. Hilton Head Island is also home to the largest population of Hispanics of any municipality in the state.^[3]

The island is famous for its world class golf courses and hosts the Verizon Heritage Classic Tournament, which is played on the Harbour Town Golf Links in Sea Pines Resort.^[4]

History

An ancient Shell Ring can be seen near the east entrance to the Sea Pines Forest Preserve. The ring, one of only 20 in existence, is 150 feet in diameter and is believed to be over 4,000 years old. Archeologists believe that the ring was a refuse heap, created by Native Americans that lived in the interior of the ring, which was kept clear and used as a common area. Two other Shell Rings on Hilton Head were destroyed when the shells were removed and used to make tabby for roads and buildings. The Shell Ring is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is protected by law.^[5]

European Exploration 

Since the beginning of recorded history in the New World, the waters around Hilton Head Island have been known, occupied and fought for in turn by the English, Spanish, French, and Scots.^[6]

In 1663, Captain William Hilton sailed on the Adenture from Barbados to explore lands granted by King Charles II to the eight Lords Proprietors. In his travels, he identified a headland near the entrance to Port Royal Sound. He named it "Hilton's Head" after himself.^[7] He stayed for several days, making note of the trees, crops, "sweet water" and "clear sweet air".^[8]

Plantation Era

Fort Walker, Battle of Port Royal November 7, 1861.

William Elliott II of Myrtle Bank Plantation grew the first crop of Sea Island Cotton in South Carolina on Hilton Head Island in 1790.

Dock built by Union troops on Hilton Head Island. April 1862.

Fort Walker was a Confederate fort in what is now Port Royal Plantation. The fort was a station for Confederate troops and its guns helped protect the 2 mile wide entrance to Port Royal Sound, which is fed by two slow moving and navigable rivers, the Broad River and the Beaufort River. It was vital to the Sea Island Cotton trade and the southern economy.^[9] On October 29, 1861, the largest fleet ever assembled in North America moved South to seize it.^[10] In the Battle of Port Royal, the fort came under attack by the U.S. Navy, and on November 7, 1861, it fell to over 12,000 Union troops.^[11] The fort would be renamed Fort Welles, in honor of Gideon Welles, the Secretary of the Navy.^[12]

U.S. General Hospital, HHI. March 23, 1863.

Hilton Head Island would have tremendous significance in the Civil War, becoming an important base of operations for the Union blockade of the Southern ports, particularly Savannah and Charleston. The Union would also build a military hospital on Hilton Head Island with a 1,200 foot frontage and a floor area of 60,000 square feet.^[13]

Hundreds of ex-slaves flocked to Hilton Head Island, where they could buy land, go to school, live in government housing, and serve in what was called the First Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers (although in the beginning, many were "recruited" at the point of a bayonet).^[14] A community called Mitchelville (in honor of General Ormsby M. Mitchel) was constructed on the north end of the island to house them.^[15]

Reconstruction

^{The Leamington Lighthouse was built in the 1870s on the southern edge of what is now Palmetto Dunes.}

^{On August 27, 1893, the Sea Islands Hurricane made landfall near Savannah, Georgia with a storm surge of 16 feet and swept north across South Carolina, killing over a thousand and leaving tens of thousands homeless.[16]}

^{"The Beach Pounders" - U.S. Coast Guard Mounted Beach Patrol training on HHI during World War II.}

^{An experimental steam cannon guarding Port Royal Sound was built around 1900 in what is now Port Royal Plantation. The cannon was fixed but its propulsion system allowed for long range shots for the time.}

 ^{World War II}

^{On the Atlantic coast of the island are large concrete gun platforms that were built to defend against a possible invasion by the Axis powers of World War II. Platforms like these can be found all along the eastern seaboard. The Mounted Beach Patrol and Dog Training Center on Hilton Head Island trained U.S. Coast Guard Beach Patrol personnel to use horses and dogs to protect the southeastern coastline of the U.S.[17]}

 ^{Modern History}

^{The first bridge to the island was built in 1956; it was a two lane toll bridge. Later a swing bridge was constructed and operated until 1982 when it was replaced. The swing bridge was hit by a barge in 1974 which shutdown all vehicle traffic to the island until the Army Corps of Engineers built and manned a pontoon bridge while the bridge was being repaired.}

^{The beginning of Hilton Head as a resort started in 1956 with Charles Fraser developing Sea Pines Resort, with the center piece being Harbour Town. Fraser was a committed environmentalist who changed the whole configuration of the marina at Harbour Town to save an ancient live oak.[18] It came to be known as the Liberty Oak, known to generations of children who watched singer and song writer Gregg Russell perform under the tree for over 25 years.[19] Fraser was buried next to the tree when he passed away in 2002.[20]}

^{The Heritage Golf Classic (now the Verizon Heritage) was first played in Sea Pines Resort in 1969, and has been a regular stop on the PGA tour ever since.[4] The Land Management Ordinance was passed by the Town Council in 1987. The Cross Island Parkway opened in January 1997. An indoor smoking ban in bars, restaurants, and public places took effect on May 1, 2007.[21]}

^{Although threatened by the rapid increase in tourism,[22][23] Gullah culture can be seen at the annual Hilton Head Island Gullah Celebration,[24] tours offered by native islanders, and at craft shops around the Lowcountry.}

^Geography

Topography

Satellite image of Hilton Head Island. Accessed from NASA's World Wind project January 31, 2007.

Hilton Head Island is a shoe-shaped island that lies just north of Savannah, Georgia, and ninety miles south of Charleston, South Carolina. The exact coordinates are 32¡Æ10¡Ç44¡ÈN, 80¡Æ44¡Ç35¡ÈW (32.178828, -80.742947)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Town has a total area of 55.5 square miles (143.9 km©÷). Of that, 42.1 square miles(108.9 km©÷) of it is land, and 13.5 square miles (34.9 km©÷) or 24.28% is water.

Approximately 70% of the island, including most of the tourist areas, is located inside gated communities.[18] However, the Town maintains several public beach access points, including one for the exclusive use of town residents, who have approved several multi-million dollar land-buying bond referendums to control commercial growth.[29]

The Town's Natural Resources Division enforces the Land Management Ordinance which minimizes the impact of development and governs the style of buildings and how they are situated amongst existing trees.[30] As a result, Hilton Head Island enjoys an unusual amount of tree cover relative to the amount of developement.[31]

Barrier island

Hilton Head Island is often referred to as the second largest barrier island on the eastern seaboard. Technically, Hilton Head Island is only half barrier island. The north end of the island is a sea island dating to the Pleistocene epoch, and the south end is a barrier island that appeared as recently as the Holocene epoch. Broad Creek, which is actually a land-locked tidal marsh, separates the two halves of the island.[32]

The terrain of a barrier island is determined by a dynamic beach system with offshore bars, pounding surf, and shifting beaches; as well as grassy dunes behind the beach, maritime forests with wetlands in the interiors, and salt or tidal marshes on the lee side, facing the mainland. A typical barrier island has a headland, a beach and surf zone, and a sand spit.[33]

Climate

Wildlife

Baby Loggerhead Sea Turtle.

The Hilton Head Island area is home to a vast array of wildlife, including alligators, deer, Loggerhead Sea Turtles, hundreds of species of birds, and dolphins.

The Coastal Discovery Museum, in conjunction with the SC Department of Natural Resources, patrols the beaches from May through October as part of the Sea Turtle Protection Project.^[35] The purpose of the project is to inventory and monitor nesting locations, and if necessary, move them to more suitable locations. During the summer months, the museum sponsors the Turtle Talk & Walk, which is a special tour designed to educate the public about this endangered species.^[35] To protect Loggerhead Sea Turtles, a Town ordinance stipulates that artificial lighting must be shielded so that it cannot be seen from the beach, or it must be turned off by 10:00 p.m. from May 1 to October 31 each year.^[36]

Snowy egret with chicks.

The waters around Hilton Head Island are one of the few places on Earth where dolphins routinely use a technique called "strand feeding" whereby schools of fish are herded up onto mud banks, and the dolphins lie on their side while they feed before sliding back down into the water.^[37]

Popular sport fish in the Hilton Head Island area include the Red Drum (or Spot Tail Bass), Spotted Sea Trout, Sheepshead, Cobia, and Tarpon.

 

 

 

Looking out over the tidal marsh to the Folly.

Highways

• Interstate 95 - Exit 8 connects to U.S. 278 which leads to Hilton Head Island.
• U.S. 278 connects Hilton Head Island to the mainland. On the island, it splits into U.S. 278 business (William Hilton Parkway) and U.S. 278 (the Cross Island Parkway) which connects to Palmetto Bay Road and the south end of the Island.

Airports

• Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) in Savannah, Georgia
• Hilton Head Airport (HHH) located mid-island

Notable residents

• Arthur Blank, owner NFL Atlanta Falcons & Home Depot, has a house in Sea Pines Resort.
• John Jakes, author of historical fiction, resides in Hilton Head
• Duncan Sheik, singer-songwriter, was raised in Hilton Head
• Trevor Hall, singer-songwriter, was raised in Hilton Head
• Jayson Williams, former NBA Basketball player, resides in Hilton Head
• Bobby Cremins, NCAA men's basketball coach, resides in Hilton Head
• John Mellencamp, singer-songwriter, has a house in Hilton Head
• Michael Jordan, former NBA player, had a house in Hilton Head. He sold it when his father died.
• Edwin McCain, singer-songwriter, honed his craft in Hilton Head
• Angie Aparo, singer-songwriter, PT resident of Hilton Head
• John V. Lindsay, former mayor of New York City, died in Hilton Head on December 19, 2000.
• Patricia Cornwell, fiction author, resident of Hilton Head
• Mark Messier, NHL hockey player, part-time resident of Hilton Head

External links

• Official Town of Hilton Head Island Municipal Government website
• Hilton Head Island - Bluffton Chamber of Commerce
• The Island Packet - local newspaper
• Hilton Head Monthly Magazine - local lifestyle publication

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 32.178828° -80.742947°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

References