Hilton Head Island
The Hilton Head Island is a
beautiful destination. Located in the vicinity of nature amidst the sea
waters, this island has been the home of the Gullah community for three
centuries. Here, there is a rich culture and heritage of the Gullah
community. This island has the beauty of nature, the sea, and a rich
heritage and culture for people to learn about. It is the perfect
holiday destination for you, your family and friends.
About Hilton Head Island
The
Hilton Head Island is located off the coast of South Carolina. It is
one among the Sea Islands of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and
Florida; it is also known as the Low Country. The Low Country is
inhabited by African-Americans who are the descendants of the people who
were enslaved to work on the rice and cotton plantations in the Low
Country region. These descendants have strongly retained their rich
African culture.
The Gullah community has retained many important
aspects of the West African Culture; including music, languages, family
values and even land usage traditions.
History
In
1698, several islands along with some mainland in the Low Country, were
granted as part of a barony to John Bayley. This place was then
christened as Bayley's Barony. Hilton Head Island was then known as
Trench's County, named after Alexander Trench. Alexander Trench was the
faithful property agent and fee collector of John Bayley.
Years
later in 1717, John Barnwell became the first English settler there and
was granted land that measured 1,000 acres. Later, it came to be known
as the Hilton Head plantations.
However, the beautiful Island
failed to gain recognition until the arrival of another planter, William
Elliot in 1790. William Elliot raised the first staple cotton here,
along with his friend Will Seabrook. Will Seabrook introduced a new and
advanced fertilizer for the crop; this resulted in a high-quality cotton
crop which was widely acclaimed. In 1860, the island boasted of 24 such
plantations. The main crop cultivated was cotton but, there were other
crops like sugarcane, indigo and rice. In a bid to form a better
lifestyle, the landowners began residing in better places. This island
became the home of slaves and overseers who grew the crops.
After
the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, the patriarch lifestyle of
the plantation owners came to an end and the population plummeted to a
few thousand; these residents were primarily the descendants of the
slaves who worked there. The place returned to its state of rural
obscurity. People living there survived through maintaining small farms
and fishing. However, they retained their culture, values and rich
heritage.
Regaining Glory
It was in 1940 that the Island regained its glory thanks to the timber-men who found new potential in its tall pines.
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