It’s impossible to talk about Myrtle Beach history without diving into the agricultural economy of yesteryear. Buckle up for the Myrtle Beach plantation tours and other historical activities that offer a fascinating firsthand account of 18th and 19th century life in the Grand Strand! Myrtle Beach Plantation Tours These Myrtle Beach historical sites now serve to educate fertile minds about the life of those early slaves and settlers. In the big picture of American history, these plantations represent the perseverance of European businessmen as much as the hardship and skill of the Africans forced to build them. By the 1800s, plantations had cropped up, catalyzing the development of the coastal towns of Myrtle Beach, Georgetown, and Conway. Later, the development of nearby Charles Town (Charleston) brought rice and indigo shipments through the region. Initially, it was home to the Waccamaw and Winyah indigenous tribes. However, it wasn’t always a premier vacation destination. Which may be something to think about the next time you're sunbathing, 'A lot of these people lying on the beach have no idea what they're lying on top of,' said Burroughs.īurroughs shared a few other Civil War items that have been found in our area, a live cannonball was dug up in Conway, a button from a uniform found in Surfside, and a piece of a gun that was found in the ocean by divers.īurroughs says he plans to get in touch with Turtle so he can get a closer look at that bullet.Since the early 1900s, Myrtle Beach has attracted visitors for its beautiful white sandy beaches, warm climate, and variety of family-friendly activities.

So, no telling what has been dropped from the Revolutionary War days,' he said. 'Conservatively was around 5,000 people and they were headed to Charleston, they would have all come down that same path. 'And, the fires would make the water evaporate leaving the salt behind,' Burroughs added.Ī lot of action there: Confederate cavalry, Union Navy invasions, and, Burroughs says, it was all along a path that was created in the 1700s that even George Washington had taken. Which means no goods could get in or get out of the area, so people living there set up a place by the ocean to make salt. Our area was blockaded by the Union Navy,' said Burroughs. 'That area, around Singleton Swash, had a salt works during the Civil War. The Vaught Plantation was almost 5,000 acres in the same location as the present day Apache Campground. And his father Peter Vaught Sr.,' said Ben Burroughs, Director of Horry County Archives Center at CCU. 'I'm a direct decedent of Peter Vaught Jr. So, now what? He says, 'If a collector or somebody really wanted it for their collection, have at it.'ĪBC 15 found someone who might just want to have at it. 'Joking, I said, 'We're gonna find another one, the next thing I know my wife is gonna be at Walmart buying one of those metal detectors and we won't find anything anymore!'' Then, there it was, showing but buried in the sand. Until he found the Civil War bullet, he and his wife were setting up a campfire in the Apache Campground. I have never owned a gun I know nothing about guns,' he said. 'The funny part of it is, I haven't touched a gun since I left Vietnam. 'That means that 150-plus years ago, right here, on this little ground, there was a battle going on,' said Kris Tourtellotte, aka 'Turtle.' He thought he'd seen the last of bullets and guns. He and his wife travel the country in their RV and this week during their stay in Myrtle Beach, they found a Civil War bullet-a rare find, but one that actually makes perfect sense. Army veteran unlocked a piece of South Carolina history.

Civil war myrtle beach