Beaufort and the Sea Islands
National Historic Landmark District · Beaufort, South Carolina
South Carolina's second-oldest town, founded in 1711, with a three-hundred-block historic district that survives because Union forces took it in November 1861 and held it for the rest of the war — so nobody burned it. What happened next is why this place matters more than its prettiness suggests: on these islands the federal government ran the Port Royal Experiment, the first serious attempt at Reconstruction, three years before the war ended. St. Helena Island next door is one of the strongholds of Gullah Geechee culture.
Bay Street, Beaufort, South Carolina, 29902, United States
A town, accessible at all times; the Bay Street waterfront and Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park are free and always open. Shops and restaurants keep daytime and evening hours, with some closing Sundays and Mondays. ⚠ PENN CENTER ON ST. HELENA ISLAND AND THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK SITES KEEP LIMITED HOURS ON A REDUCED WEEK — verify before travelling, because they are the reason to come. Parris Island's museum is free and open to the public, as are the Friday morning recruit graduation ceremonies.
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