Gullah Geechee Heritage

dISCover port royAL
The town of Port Royal is located between
the Beaufort River and Battery Creek in the
South Carolina Lowcountry. The town is
home to two military installations, Marine
Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island
and Naval Hospital, Beaufort, as well as
neighbor to the historic City of Beaufort
and The Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort.
The town takes pride in its unique natural
environment and its accessibility to that
environment through its network of walking
trails, community beach, boardwalk,
and observation tower. Port Royal is
experiencing significant growth which has
led to the revitalization of the traditional,
historical, mixed-use core; the renovation
of historic homes; residential infill in and
around downtown; and the expansion
of the town’s neighborhood elementary
school, Port Royal Elementary. Port Royal
seeks to foster community and direct new
development with the guidance of a Neo-
Traditional Master Plan. The town of Port
Royal is recognized as one of America’s
leaders in small town New Urbanism.
union church
The Union Church, also known as “The Free
Church” was the first church built in the
town of Port Royal. The church is eligible for
the National Register of Historic Places. The
church is located at 1004 11th Street.
masonic Lodge
1610 Paris Avenue. This structure was built
and used as a customs house. It was later
used as a Masonic Lodge and a bakery. In
the 1890’s it was used as headquarters for
the Palmetto Post Newspaper now know
as The Beaufort Gazette.
sc state ports Authority
Located at the end of Paris Avenue. Like
many roads in Beaufort County, this one
ends at the water. Imagine what it might
have been like over one hundred years ago,
when sailors with money to spend would
have flocked to Paris Avenue to eat, drink,
and purchase supplies for the next leg
of their journey.
farmers market
The town of Port Royal’s Farmers Market
opens in April every Saturday from 8:30
a.m. until 12:30 p.m. through October. The
location of the market is the Naval Heritage
Park in front of the Naval Hospital.
the sands beach Area
“The Sands,” as it is affectionately called
by locals, contains a boardwalk along Port
Royal Sound. A half mile round trip hike will
take you to the observation tower (visible in
the distance). This tower is at the edge of
the Port Authority area, which was the site
of the first documented shrimp docks in
South Carolina.
Lowcountry estuarium
The Lowcountry Estuarium is a learning
center designed to provide hands-on
learning about the coastal environments
of our beautiful area, such as salt marshes,
beaches, coastal waters and estuaries.
BCBCC · Discover Port Royal 23