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	Beaufort History
		Traces of the area’s first inhabitants, the Archaic Indians, date back 4,000 years. Europeans made their first appearance with Spanish galleons around 1521. In the early 1500s, Spain found a Port Royal anchorage ideal for explorations. When France’s Captain Jean Ribaut arrived in 1562, he felt he would find “no faurer or fytter place” than “Porte Royal.” Adventurers from England, Spain and Scotland all attempted to claim the area for their crowns during the next two centuries. In the 1715 Yemassee War, Native Americans -- Yemassee and Tuscarora Indians -- also fought to regain the land. Pirates joined the fray, too. Beaufort entered its golden era about 1800, when Sea Island cotton debuted, and many of Beaufort’s loveliest mansions were built by the wealthy owners of cotton, indigo, and rice plantations. By the 1800s, Port Royal -- the Town incorporated in 1874 -- also had found peace and prosperity. It even boasted a Navy yard, but an 1893 hurricane and economic calamities later brought hard times. Today, reminders of the area’s colorful history abound in architecture preserved with loving care and folkways honored across generations. The entire downtown Beaufort area is designated a historic district. Architecture from many grand cultures and eras includes French, Colonial, Spanish-American, and Revolutionary origins. At least 90 significant homes, forts, churches, cemeteries, inns, and other buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Port Royal showcases 40 historic homes and sites. The Beaufort area history also recognizes the Reconstruction era when significant strides were made in originating the nation’s education of newly freed slaves. African American heritage is carefully preserved throughout the area and especially celebrated at Penn Center where a museum exhibits rare artifacts and crafts. Museums are a beginning for an educational and interesting look at the history of the area. Beaufort's entire downtown is designated a national historical district. John Mark Verdier House - (843) 379-6335 801 Bay St. Built circa 1805 for a wealthy merchant-planter, beautifully restored by the Historic Beaufort Foundation. The Beaufort Museum - (843) 379-3331 713 Craven St. Housed in the 1795 Beaufort Arsenal. Exhibits tell the story of cotton, rice and indigo creating plantation life, then the wars which changed the character of the area along with that of the country. Parris Island Museum - (843) 228-2951 Marine Corps Recruit Depot No admission fee Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day and Easter. A museum at the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot traces military history and island settlements from the 1500s. Penn Center - York W. Bailey Museum 843-838-2432 St. Helena Island Campus of the first African American school when freed slaves were educated after the Civil War, designated as a national historical landmark. Rare artifacts and an overview of Reconstruction. Old Sheldon Church Ruins - U.S. 21 Remains of Prince William's Parish Church, 1745-55 Burned by the British during the Revolutionary War Reconstructed in 1825 and burned by Sherman's troops in 1865 Cole-Heyward House - 843-757-6293 52 Boundary St., Bluffton Museum typical of the West Indies style home, circa 1840, partially restored and managed by the Bluffton Historical Preservation Society. Seven additional homes are in Bluffton's national historic district.