Present-day Hilton Head owes its prosperity to the area’s beautiful climate, breathtaking scenery and world-class golf. Yet it has not always been that way on this Lowcountry barrier island.

Present-day Hilton Head Island owes its prosperity to the area’s beautiful climate, breathtaking scenery and world-class golf. Yet it has not always been that way on this Lowcountry barrier island.

The history of Hilton Head Island and the Lowcountry area began with the first island settlers, the Native Americans. They planted crops in the fertile soil and harvested the bounty of rich coastal waters. They also created some of the oldest fired pottery in the world, remnants of which still remain.

In the mid-1660s, English sea captain William Hilton surveyed the coastal waters between present-day Savannah and Charleston. Mapmakers at the time named the area’s most prominent feature, “Hilton’s Headlands,” in his honor.

During the Civil War, the Battle of Port Royal, at that time the largest amphibious assault in American history, led to the establishment of a base with 30,000 Union sailors and soldiers. The “liberation” of Hilton Head in 1865 meant freedom for thousands of slaves on the island and in the region. The African-American society that grew from these beginnings, known as the “Gullah” culture, has survived ever since with proud traditions rich in language and art.

The modern Hilton Head era began with the development of the first planned residential and resort communities in the mid-1950s. Today these pioneering developments, noted for their commitment to environmental preservation, are historic models for contemporary land-use planning.

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Experiencing Hilton Head Island’s world-renowned golf courses might be the reason for your trip to the Lowcountry, but it’s not the only activity to entertain you.