Long before visitors converged on the playground we call Hilton Head, the island was home to the Yemassee Indians, who hunted and also farmed the land. Numerous archaeological sites indicate that the first full-time residents date back to 2000 BC. The Spaniards came ashore in 1526 while exploring the East Coast, which they called “La Florida.” In 1562, French explorer Capt. Jean Ribaut presided over the building of Port Royal. Not to be outdone, the Spanish returned in 1566, building a fort called Santa Elena on Parris Island. Eventually, Sir Francis Drake was dispatched to the New World by Queen Elizabeth I to drive out the Spanish. After a near century of stalled development, King Charles II granted the land to the eight Lords Proprietors, who promptly christened it Carolina. Capt. William Hilton arrived from Barbados on the Adventure to inspect the island and he found it to be “very pleasant and delightful.” Enthralled with what he had found, he named it for himself. It was not until 35 years later that the first English settlers arrived. They found the area inhospitable, in large part because of frequent Indian attacks sponsored by the Spanish. The English persevered and, by 1766, 25 families called the island home. During the Revolutionary War, Hilton Head Island’s residents sided with the colonists. Since nearby Daufuskie Island served as a base for the Tories, Hilton Head Island was raided frequently by the British until well after they surrendered to the Americans at Yorktown. After the war, the island recovered quickly and entered an age of prosperity. Plantations were rebuilt, and the economy flourished with crops such as indigo, rice and cotton. William Elliott II of Myrtle Bank Plantation is credited with growing the first successful crop of Sea Island cotton in 1790, which was worth several times more than inland cotton. The area suffered more setbacks in the early 1800s. Five hundred people died during the hurricane of 1804, and during the War of 1812, British forces landed on Hilton Head Island, torching houses along Skull Creek. Nevertheless, by 1860, Hilton Head had more than 20 working plantations. Most owners did their best to avoid diseases such as yellow fever and malaria by living in Charleston, Savannah or Beaufort. War came to Hilton Head again in 1861. In October, 77 Union ships sailed from Virginia to Port Royal, bringing 13,000 troops, 1,500 horses, 500 surf boats and 1,000 laborers to build a fortress to blockade the South. After the Battle of Port Royal, the Union’s SeaPines50thAnniversary.com | SeaPinesHomesAndVillas.com 55 Before Hilton Head Became A Playground 54 SeaPines50thAnniversary.com | SeaPinesHomesAndVillas.com Fraser. He made it a habit, after all, to surround himself with visionaries, and often some of the best ideas were ones he initially shot down. John Gettys Smith, who served as vice president of advertising, public relations and community development during Sea Pines’ early days, is credited with helping establish the Verizon Heritage Golf Tournament, from the name to the parade and the traditional firing of the cannon. Smith also brought the CBS Tour of Champions to Sea Pines and came up with Sea Pines Racquet Club’s famous planter boxes. But not all of his ideas were initially popular with Fraser. One of his projects, the now-famous Liberty Oak, almost got the ax– literally. “None of the aerial shots of Harbour Town showed what was down there, and there were crews clearing it out, not knowing that this magnificent oak was there. I lobbied to save it, but Charles generally thought it was a waste of money. I finally got one of the architects from Sasaki, Dawson and DeMay to help me convince him, and he relented. The tree looked like it was dying due to saltwater, and for that first year it looked pretty bad. We got fresh water to what Charles called the John Smith Oak, and within a year it revived. Once it looked like it was going to live, he renamed it the Liberty Oak.” Of all the people who have come and gone on to perhaps bigger and better things, one person who has been with the resort since its early days is Happy Mitchell, who works at Harbour Town Grill. As his name implies, his friendly nature, bright smile and attention to detail have made Mitchell a star to all who have visited, and he is one of the reasons they come back year after year and ask for him by name. When asked for a single favorite memory of his 43 years at Sea Pines, Happy hesitates. For him, every day is a new opportunity to make new favorite memories. “Happy is a unique name for someone in my position. Every day is a happy day to come here and work with my co-workers,” he says. “Sea Pines is going to be Sea Pines. If you come here, you come looking to relax and have fun and do what you do best.” Charles Fraser knew all too well that people make a company shine. After half a century in business, what better testimony could there be to the success of Sea Pines? John Gettys Smith– Former V.P. of Advertising/PR Sea Pines Company Happy Mitchell– 43 years of Sea Pines service “Sea Pines is going to be Sea Pines. If you come here, you come looking to relax and have fun and do what you do best.” –Happy Mitchell
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