Day 11 – Beaufort – the 2nd Oldest City in South Carolina

Current Position: 32° 25' 42" N 80° 40' 57" W

Such a nice day! Got a little on the warm side in the high 80’s but we sought shade where we could.  Note to self – DON’T FORGET HATS!

To start at the beginning J - After a quiet night at anchor we had a leisurely breakfast and headed to Beaufort in the dinghy.  We are still adjusting to lowering the dinghy with the motor attached.  It’s not as easy as it was supposed to be, but we got it down and back up when we came back.  We docked at the city dock and walked into town.  There are historic buildings everywhere.  Some buildings have been renovated, some need renovating, a few newer buildings, and a few past their usable life.  But I get ahead of myself.  First – a little history.

Beaufort was started in 1711 and is the second oldest city in South Carolina (Charleston being the oldest). Beaufort (pronounced Byoo-fert – there is also a Beaufort, NC pronounced Bow-fert) was one of the wealthiest cities in the US prior to the Civil War.  Its wealth was from Carolina Gold rice and Cotton.  During the Civil War it was one of the first communities in the Deep South to be occupied by Union forces.  Much of the town was spared physical destruction leaving many beautiful homes for us to enjoy today. The city never recovered its economic wealth after the war and in 1893 it was nearly destroyed in a hurricane which killed 2,000 people and wiped out the town’s main industry of phosphate production.  The final blow was the boll weevil infestation which destroyed the cotton crop and by 1910 Beaufort was one of the poorest communities in the state.  The recovery of the city’s economy is due mostly to the development of nearby Parris Island Marine Base during World Wars I and II.  The development of neighboring Hilton Head (where we were over the weekend J) further helped the economy.  Beaufort is home to several large churches and accompanying cemeteries, the largest being the Anglican Church and the Baptist Church.

 A different angle to set headstones

Many markers had the Confederate Flag.

Bob and I took a beautiful walking tour through the historic district and saw many beautiful homes.  

The William Waterhouse Home built for his wife with lovely wide piazzas (verandas)

 The oldest home in Beaufort.  Notice the air vents to the basement.  The two halves were probably not connected originally as the kitchen was often separate.

 The salt marshes

 We met the gracious owner of this home. He said the water came up to the steps during the last hurricane.

 Dubbed "The Castle" built in 1861 just in time to be turned into a hospital.  Dr. Johnson was one of the few able to reacquire his home after the war and his family owned it until 1981.  It is one of the most photographed homes in America.

 Live Oaks were very popular trees to plant in front of homes.

 Just a pretty house.

The warm temperatures cut our tour shorter than we would have liked so we had a nice lunch and dinghied back to our boat for a quiet afternoon.

 The Good Life at Anchor

It’rained late this afternoon – the rain flattened the water right down!  I’ll take the rain over the wind any day – sounds so nice on the “roof”.

Our excitement for the evening - our first barge sighting!

Anchorage just south of Beaufort, SC city dock.