The Legacy of William Hilton
Lying on the Intracoastal Waterway, Hilton Head encompasses 42-square miles of semi-tropical Low Country geography off the Bluffton, South Carolina coast. The island, once studded with plantations, has maintained its vast sea marshes, quiet lagoons and 12 miles of fine-sand, hard-packed beaches on the Atlantic Ocean.
The seeds of Hilton Head's first successful plantations were sown after an English sea captain, William Hilton, landed on the island in 1663. A group of Barbados planters had commissioned him to find new land for planting sugar and indigo. Hilton subsequently claimed the island as his discovery in the name of the British Crown.
Little did Hilton know, other people had already explored his barrier paradise. Woodland Indians are said to have inhabited the island about 4,000 years ago. And in the decades before Hilton staked his claim, other Europeans visited; the Spanish came in 1521 and French Huguenot colonists landed in the 1560s, fleeing persecution in their Catholic homeland.
Hilton Head's plantation era
By 1860, 24 plantations were carrying on Hilton's legacy. Cotton was the primary crop, though indigo, sugar cane and rice were also cultivated. Union forces invaded Hilton Head during the Civil War, but the feared boll weevil actually took the greatest toll on the land, devastating the island's prosperous cotton industry.
With crop profitability wiped out, the island fell into isolation for decades. During this period, a small population -- the majority, descendants of slaves who worked on the once-great plantations -- remained and survived as hunters and fishermen. Their traditions and ancient Gullah speech were passed down and are still evident in Hilton Head's culture.
20th Century Hilton Head
In the 1940s, the timber industry rediscovered the island, finding enormous potential in its tall, straight pine trees, called "sea" pines.
It wasn't until the mid-50s that modern-day growth began under the guidance of Charles Fraser. Fraser -- whose family owned part of the island -- wisely realized that Hilton Head offered more than just timber, and he began plans for an expansive island community.
Fraser's development, which he named Sea Pines Plantation, was spurred by the simultaneous construction of a bridge connecting Hilton Head and mainland South Carolina. His design became the prototype of the modern resort community.
In the following decades,
giant hotel chains and prosperous homeowners swallowed up the island's expensive beachfront property. Extensive planned communities -- with names such as Port Royal, Shipyard and Palmetto Dunes -- were carved out along William Hilton Parkway, which winds down the heart of the isle. Luxury hotels, manicured golf courses, bike trails and clusters of rental villas are now hidden behind resort gates.
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McCall Wilder, a CNN Interactive staff writer, has penned numerous Destinations stories. She has also written and produced for CNN's weekend TravelGuide TV show.
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