The complex, colorful history of South Carolina's southeastern corner In the first volume of The History of Beaufort County, South Carolina, three distinguished historians of the Palmetto State recount more than three centuries of Spanish and French exploration, English and Huguenot agriculture, and African slave labor as they trace the history of one of North America's oldest European settlements. From the sixteenth-century forays of the Spaniards to the invasion of Union forces in 1861, Lawrence S. Rowland, Alexander Moore, and George C. Rogers, Jr., chronicle the settlement and development of the geographical region comprised of what is now Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton, and part of Allendale counties. The authors describe the ill-fated attempts of the Spanish and French to settle the Port Royal Sound area and the arrival of the British in 1663, which established the Beaufort District as the southern frontier of English North America. They tell of the region's bloody Indian Wars, participation in the American Revolution, and golden age of prosperity and influence following the introduction of Sea Island cotton. In charting the approach of civil war, Rowland, Moore, and Rogers relate Beaufort District's decisive role in the Nullification Crisis and in the cultivation, by some of the district's native sons, of South Carolina's secessionist movement. Of particular interest, they profile the local African American, or Gullah, population - a community that has become well known for the retention of its African cultural and linguistic heritage.

As one of the oldest settlements in North America, Beaufort, South Carolina, can trace its roots deep into the rich history of the New World. This charming city beneath moss-draped oaks has a heritage that is as diverse as it is sweeping. This comprehensive look into Beaufort s past reveals a wide-ranging set of influences that helped to shape the island city s development. From the landing of Spanish sailors in 1514 to the influx of present-day sun seekers, Beaufort has played host to a variety of inhabitants that have each added a distinct element to its captivating milieu. Author Alexia Jones Helsley calls upon a lifetime of experience as one of South Carolina s premier archivists and historians to illuminate all aspects of Beaufort s history. Herself a native of old Beaufort and an accomplished genealogist, Helsley uses elegant, thoughtful prose to convey the duality of this Lowcountry jewel, from sparkling tides and majestic homes to hurricanes and hidden slave quarters. It is through the prism of this intriguing dual nature, present in many forms throughout Beaufort s past, that Helsley shows readers the ways in which the city fits into the history of the region, the nation and the continent. This vital text is unmatched in its ability to bring to life the fascinating story of a city nearly five hundred years in the making."

A 2018 Spring Okra Pick USA TODAY Happy Ever After’s Best Women’s Fiction Southern Living’s Most Anticipated Beach Reads of 2018 Deep South Magazine’s Summer Reading List Raleigh News & Observer's “The Best Reads of Summer” Charlotte Observer’s “Summer’s Best Books” New York Live’s “Ashley’s A-List” Pick Leaving fans “practically [begging] for a sequel” (Bookpage), critically acclaimed author Kristy Woodson Harvey returns with the second novel in her beloved Peachtree Bluff series, featuring a trio of sisters and their mother who discover a truth that will change not only the way they see themselves, but also how they fit together as a family. After finding out her military husband is missing in action, middle sister Sloane’s world crumbles as her worst nightmare comes true. She can barely climb out of bed, much less summon the strength to be the parent her children deserve. Her mother, Ansley, provides a much-needed respite as she puts her personal life on hold to help Sloane and her grandchildren wade through their new grief-stricken lives. But between caring for her own aging mother, her daughters, and her grandchildren, Ansley’s private worry is that secrets from her past will come to light. But when Sloane’s sisters, Caroline and Emerson, remind Sloane that no matter what, she promised her husband she would carry on for their young sons, Sloane finds the support and courage she needs to chase her biggest dreams—and face her deepest fears. Taking a cue from her middle daughter, Ansley takes her own leap of faith and realizes that, after all this time, she might finally be able to have it all. Harvey’s signature warmth and wit make this a charming and poignant story of first loves, missed opportunities, and second chances and proves that she is "the next major voice in Southern fiction” (Elin Hilderbrand, New York Times bestselling author).

For more than forty years, Gerhard Spieler has been collecting and preserving documents and artifacts of Beaufort s history. Not content with the life of a private scholar, beginning in the 1970s he began sharing is work and his enthusiasm for Beaufort s rich history in a weekly column in the Beaufort Gazette. The articles presented here are an excellent introduction to the history of one of the nation s most historic towns, from the Spanish explorers and early settlers to Revolutionary War battles and the area s unique architecture. Residents and visitors alike are sure to enjoy these delightful pages from Beaufort s past."

Definitive guidebook to one of the most beautiful waterfront towns in America.

With nearly five hundred years of history, Beaufort teems with intriguing tales from the past. In this engaging book, historian and Beaufort native Alexia Helsley brings that past to life and provides a useful guide to the city's most historic streets, buildings and neighborhoods.

The continued history of Beaufort County, South Carolina, during and following the Civil War In Rebellion, Reconstruction, and Redemption, 1861-1893, the second of three volumes on the history of Beaufort County, Stephen R. Wise and Lawrence S. Rowland offer details about the district from 1861 to 1893, which influenced the development of the South Carolina and the nation. During a span of thirty years the region was transformed by the crucible of war from a wealthy, slave-based white oligarchy to a county where former slaves dominated a new, radically democratic political economy. This volume begins where volume I concluded, the November 1861 Union capture and occupation of the Sea Islands clustered around Port Royal Sound, and the Confederate retreat and re-entrenchment on Beaufort District's mainland, where they fended off federal attacks for three and a half years and vainly attempted to maintain their pre-war life. In addition to chronicling numerous military actions that revolutionized warfare, Wise and Rowland offer an original, sophisticated study of the famous Port Royal Experiment in which United States military officers, government officials, civilian northerners, African American soldiers, and liberated slaves transformed the Union-occupied corner of the Palmetto State into a laboratory for liberty and a working model of the post-Civil War New South. The revolution wrought by Union victory and the political and social Reconstruction of South Carolina was followed by a counterrevolution called Redemption, the organized campaign of Southern whites, defeated in the war, to regain supremacy over African Americans. While former slave-owning, anti-black "Redeemers" took control of mainland Beaufort County, they were thwarted on the Sea Islands, where African Americans retained power and kept reaction at bay. By 1893, elements of both the New and Old South coexisted uneasily side by side as the old Beaufort District was divided into Beaufort and Hampton counties. The Democratic mainland reverted to an agricultural-based economy while the Republican Sea Islands and the town of Beaufort underwent an economic boom based on the phosphate mining industry and the new commercial port in the lowcountry town of Port Royal.