The Civil War brought an end to the era of large plantations on Hilton Head. Slaves who had served on the island were given a mule and a parcel of land to help them make a new start. A unique culture, known as Gullah or Geechee, complete with its own language, traditions and superstitions, developed among the close-knit community of former slaves on Hilton Head and on other coastal islands as well. Hilton Head’s period of calm and isolation following the Civil War lasted through the Great Depression. Then, in the 1940s, three families purchased large tracts of land covering much of the island and formed a lumber cutting consortium called The Hilton Head Company. As the island was being used for hunting, farming, and lumbering, the population still remained low. This started to change when the James F. Byrnes Bridge, a two-lane toll swing bridge, was constructed in 1956. HL415 |
Captains Cove 851 W Harbor Drive C, San Diego California 92101 
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