Beaufort

Beaufort is a city in Beaufort County, S.C., situated on the Beaufort River. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,950 in the 2000 census (46,227 total pop. of Beaufort Urban Cluster). It is the county seat of Beaufort County and part of the Hilton Head Island Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Most of the city of Beaufort (pronounced "byew-furt", unlike its counterpart in North Carolina) is located on Port Royal Island, in the heart of the Sea Islands and South Carolina Lowcountry. The city is renowned for its impressive harbor along the Port Royal Sound and for maintaining a historic character through its antebellum architecture and streetscapes, which have helped it attract tourists and new residents alike.

Beaufort has been featured in the New York Times, named "Best Small Southern Town" by Southern Living, named a "Top 25 Small City Arts Destination" by American Style, named a "Top 20 Fishing Town" by Field and Stream, and a "Top 50 Adventure Town" by National Geographic Adventure.

HISTORY

Exploration and early colonization

Before the arrival of European explorers, the Lowcountry region was inhabited by small Native American tribes that have since yielded their names to geography, including the Yemasee, the Coosawhatchie, the Coosaw, the Datha (Dataw), the Edisto, the Ashepoo, the Kiawah and Combahee. Several of these tribes were rivals and intertribal alliances and attacks occurred frequently before and during European colonization.

The Spanish were the first Europeans to explore the Port Royal Sound and were the first to attempt to establish a colony. Landing on St. Helena's day (Santa Elena), the colony of the same name did not survive long, as disease, starvation, weather, and attacks from tribes dissuaded the settlers and their efforts. Upon the explorations of Giovanni di Verrazano, France became the next European power to establish a presence. Nearby Parris Island was the location of Charlesfort, France's first colony in the New World, founded by Jean Ribault in 1562. Alarmed by its rivals intentions, the Spanish established St. Augustine in modern-day Florida in 1565 as a counter to French aspirations. As with Santa Elena, the French colony disappeared quickly due to similar circumstances.

The Carolana (Carolina) colony was chartered by King Charles II of England in 1670 to the eight Lord Proprietors, who began the first major attempt to settle modern day South Carolina. Observations of the Port Royal Sound and immediate area had many on the initial expedition call for the first English settlement and capital of the colony to be located in Beaufort. However, tribes in the area suggested an area further up the coast, and the settlers later chose the area what became Charleston to become their capital and principal city.

The Port Royal Sound, however, was too enticing not to be settled however, and continuous efforts were made. Upon the demise of the French efforts, the first Scottish settlement in what is now the United States, known as Stuart Town, was founded at modern-day Spanish Point in 1682, only to be destroyed by Spanish forces from St. Augustine in 1684. Continuous concerns about Spanish incursions into the new colony led to calls to create a town and port that would serve as a buffer against Spain and provide a closer harbor to area planters, who were becoming successful in their efforts to produce cash crops, especially rice.

Early settlement and the American Revolution

Beaufort was chartered in 1711 as the second major settlement in South Carolina and named after Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort. The settlement grew very slowly, due to a major attack by the Yemassee in 1717 and the threat of Spanish invasion. It was not until 1733 and the founding of Georgia as a buffer colony did Beaufort truly grow in population and prestige. Though most administrative powers during the early Carolina colony was focused in Charleston, the city gained a reputation for its excellent harbor and the establishment of several church congregations, most notable being St. Helena's Episcopal Church. By 1776, the city became well known for its shipbuilding enterprises, its rice and indigo trade, and was home to a new circuit court for the colony.

The American Revolution split loyalties in the community, with several families supporting the Tories while others favored independence. Many men fought in battles elsewhere in the state, though little warfare was conducted in and around Beaufort. The young republic was unable to provide adequate naval defense of the city, and it fell under British occupation in 1780 without much resistance or damage. It was not until hostilities flared in Virginia did British occupation end in 1782, a year before the Treaty of Paris was signed. The Treaty of Beaufort fixing the boundary between South Carolina and Georgia was signed in the city in 1787.

Antebellum period

In the antebellum period, the rise of Sea Island Cotton brought enormous wealth to Beaufort and the surrounding plantations. By some historians' accounts, Beaufort was arguably the wealthiest city in the United States prior to the Civil War and was often considered to be the "Newport" of the South. Although Charleston and Columbia were the leading cities in the state, much economic and political influence was reared by Beaufort. Lowcountry planters in the city and the surrounding islands were among the most ardent supporters of state secession, first during the Nullification Crisis in the 1830s and then in the 1850s. At the eve of secession, Beaufort was arguably at its cultural, economic, and political zenith, with a population of about 4,000, excluding slaves. Like modern-day Beaufort, the city attracted many residents from beyond the state, with many Northerners and Europeans residing in town and operating successful businesses.

Civil War and Reconstruction

The American Civil War had a dramatic effect on Beaufort, as an amphibious attack and subsequent occupation of the city made it one of the first communities in the Deep South to be held in Union hands, as early as November 1861. Though much of the town was spared from physical destruction, there were many incidents of arson and looting as a result of Union occupation and the early liberation of the substantial slave population. In a historic effort that pre-dawned American Reconstruction, the Port Royal Experiment provided a test case for the education of freedmen. It included the creation of what today is known as Penn Center. In addition to educational advancements, the city made some political ones as well. Robert Smalls, a native son and leading figure in post-war Beaufort would later become one of South Carolina's first elected African-Americans to the United States Congress and remained a prominent civic leader in the state and in Beaufort until his death in 1915. Due in part to the large African-American population and also Small's leading role, Beaufort remained one of the last outposts of Republican Party power in the Solid South.

Several of Beaufort's most prominent families returned to the area but never regained the enormous wealth that slave-based agriculture provided. As the influence of cotton declined, the lure of aqua phosphate mining increased. By 1890, Beaufort had regained some of its wealth and prosperity from phosphate. It had also retained its position as county seat during that time. However, a series of events would bring Beaufort into a steady economic decline for over half-century.

Decline

On August 27, 1893, a Category 3 hurricane slammed into the Lowcountry, killing more than 2,000 area residents and causing immeasurable damage. Although only four individuals died in the city itself, Beaufort was heavily damaged and its phosphate industry was ruined. A fire that damaged much of the downtown area in 1907 continued to inflict economic and psychological harm to the city. A final blow to the area was gradual; the boll weevil decimated most of the cotton crop, which had for over a century been the major commodity of the community. By 1910, Beaufort had lost almost 40 percent of its population in a 10-year period. Though the city retained its political status as county seat, Beaufort became one of the poorest communities in the state through the 1940s. The growth of lettuce and tomato farming, in addition to shrimping, became the major facets of the economy during this time.

Recovery

Beaufort's economic recovery in the latter half of the 20th century can be contributed to three major influences: military investment, resort development, and downtown revitalization. Although Parris Island was continuously occupied after the Civil War, it retained a limited role in military affairs until 1917, when it was selected as a permanent home for the U.S. Marine Corps. The onslaught of World War I, World War II and especially the Cold War brought new people and income to the area. A naval air station was established during World War II and transferred to the Marine Corps in the 1950s, thus cementing a major military legacy for the region. A U.S. Naval Hospital located in neighboring Port Royal was also constructed during the war.

New investment in the form of resort and lifestyle development on nearby Hilton Head Island and Fripp Island also had some economic contribution to Beaufort and the Lowcountry starting in the 1960s. However, significant economic improvement came upon the completion of a downtown waterfront park in place of abandoned docks, championed by then-mayor Henry Chambers. The park (now named after Chambers) spurred the redevelopment and reinvestment of adjacent Bay Street and downtown Beaufort, propelling land values and garnishing the attention of real estate investors, national media and Hollywood, through the form of successful and well-known films. In recent years, renovations to the park, countless renovations to private homes and businesses and several streetscape projects have continued to improve the overall quality of life in Beaufort.

Unlike most communities of its size in the south, Beaufort escaped much of the turbulence of the Civil Rights era. Jim Crow laws were gradually eased during the 1960s. Schools began the process of desegregation in 1964 and were fully by the early 1970s. Beaufort also elected its first African-American to city council (since 1910) in 1967. The city has experienced other demographic shifts, thanks in part to the city's military presence, its status as a retirement destination for residents from the northern United States and Canada, and a demand for migrant workers, primarily from Latin American nations and mostly for seasonal agriculture.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city is amid a marshy estuary, and has a total area of 23.4 square miles, of which, 18.6 square miles is land and 4.8 square miles (20.57%) is water.