Since Europeans began settling North America, hurricanes have altered the course of history. Hurricanes helped determine which nations would settle the Atlantic coast and where they would build the first colonial outposts. From the Chesapeake Bay to the Carolinas to Florida, the dreams of explorers and colonialists were often capsized by giant storms, which created long-lasting impacts on our heritage.
History
Coastal Heritage – Riches to Ruin: Pharaohs of the New World
Reigning over the Lowcountry for almost two centuries, rice planters created the South Carolina coast’s distinctive culture and its most enduring conflicts.
Coastal Heritage – Living Soul of Gullah
Created by Africa and Europe, by slavery and isolation, the Gullah culture is fading into the modern world.
Coastal Heritage – The Bird Chase
During the twentieth century, many of South Carolina’s rice plantations were turned into hunting preserves, which later became a priceless necklace of wildlife habitat along the coast.
Coastal Heritage – Gullah’s Radiant Light
Gullah history is revealed in Lowcountry land held by families for generations.
Coastal Heritage – Ancient Tools: Searching for the First Americans
Small stone pieces excavated at the Topper site in Allendale County could be central to the story of Homo sapiens.
Coastal Heritage – African Roots, Carolina Gold
The African contribution to the immensely lucrative South Carolina rice industry.
Coastal Heritage – Breaking the Chains: The End of the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Two hundred years ago, abolitionists gained their first victory in the long struggle to abolish the ownership of human beings. This year, the lowcountry commemorates the anniversary of that initial victory.
Coastal Heritage – Exploring Early Carolina’s Natural Riches
Colonial South Carolina attracted adventurers who arrived here to explore and document its remarkable biological riches.
Coastal Heritage -The Lowcountry’s Jazz Age: Gift of Story and Song
In the 1920s and ‘30s, southern white authors published best-selling novels about the Gullah people. Now the Gullah people are telling their own story.