History Of The Dolphin Head Area

South Carolina, Beaufort County, Hilton Head Island
(Left column)
¤ 15,000 to 4,000 Years Ago: The
   rising sea level flooded the deep basin
   now known as Port Royal Sound.
¤ 1531: Spanish explorers Francisco
   Gordillo and Pedro de Quexos sailed
   into Port Royal Sound. Historians
   believe they landed on Parris Island.
¤ 1562: French Huguenots led by
   Jean Rebaut established a temporary
   settlement in the vicinity. They named
   the sound Port Royale.
¤ 1566: The Spanish return to Parris
   Island. They build three forts before
   abandoning the outpost in 1587.
¤ 1663: English captain William Hilton
   explored the coast of the Carolinas.
   He described this island as suitable
   for colonization and agriculture. After
   1776, maps named the island Hilton
    Head Island.

(Right column)
¤ 1790: Planter William Elliot grew
   the first successful crop Sea
   cotton near Dolphin Head.
   The remains of his family's Myrtle
   Bank Plantation house are visible
   200 feet offshore at low tide
    (look  northeast).
¤ 1861: Union warships bombarded
   Confederate forts on Hilton Head
   Island and St. Phillips Island. More
   than 13,000 federal troops invaded
   Hilton Head in the Civil War Battle
   of Port Royal.
¤ 1972:Development of Hilton Head
   Plantation began. The Dolphin Head
   Recreation Area was established.
   Pine Island was set aside in
   protective covenants, which forever
   prohibit its development.

(Bottom)
Panoramic sketch Port Royal Sound Northwest to East
3 miles wide from Dolphin Head to Parris Island
35 feet deep in channel


(Notable Places) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.