The Harbour Town Lighthouse Museum

The Harbour Town Lighthouse Museum is a unique way to learn the history of Hilton Head Island.

A display of beautiful paintings of the lighthouse are here for viewing.

The history of the island is explained while you can see how many feet you have climbed. A 16 foot model of the Eagle, a 295 foot cutter which was used as a classroom for Coast Guard cadets, is along the wall. There is also the history of Coast Guard missions explained in the museum.

Hilton Head Island is notorious for golfing which the visitor can read up on here.

"Sea island cotton" was grown on Hilton Head which included the dark history of slavery. Civil War history of the island is explained. The population at the time was over 500,000 (today the permanent population is approximately 35,000). The Union troop invaded the island in 1861. It is difficult to imagine war on such a beautiful, relaxing island.

Post Civil War, the island was primarily occupied by freed slaves, many having received acreage and a mule to work the land. With fishing and farming, communities were built and the Gullah culture flourished. Gullah includes a language and culture.

It was in 1956 when the bridge from the mainland was built, changing the island forever. One of the entrepreneurs coming to the island conceived the Sea Pines Resort which is a huge area known as an environmentally friendly residential resort community. We drove through part of this area and it gorgeous with gigantic great oaks and other native plants and trees. The area features 650 acres of preserve. This is the section for the golfer of tennis lover.

Nature is another aspect of this museum.

Once you reach the top, you can enjoy the sensation of vertigo looking down.

Then the reward, the view!

Construction was going on to the adjacent restaurant make the view a little less attractive.

If you go, the museum is located at 149 Lighthouse Rd. It is open daily from 10m to sundown. The cost to climb the 114 steps is $4.95 per person.

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Have a marvelous day/evening (wherever you are on the clock)! ~Val