Bluffton is much older than Hilton Head. American Yemassee Indians first settled here. It’s on the mainland in the southern portion of Beaufort County, perched on the high bluff overlooking the May River. It was incorporated as a town in 1852. Then during the Civil War it was shelled and burned. The remaining structures which are preserved today include seven...

Campbell Chapel AME was purchased in 1874 from Bluffton Methodist Church by nine slaves who wanted to establish the black denomination African Methodist Episcopal Church. It’s a beautiful structure well worth a visit near the center of historic downtown Bluffton.

The Gothic design by architect E. B. White was built in 1857. The town of Bluffton was heavily burned when federal troops arrived in 1863, but this church was spared. The Episcopals fled, along with most of the county’s wealthy planters. The church was severely damaged in a hurricane of 1898, but was repaired and has continued to expand with...

First African Baptist Church is the oldest church on Hilton Head. When slaves were freed, Blacks were allowed to build their own churches in Mitchelville. A minister was selected from the community, and he began this church with 25 members. It is now a large active church welcoming to visitors.

Historic churches include the First Union African Baptist Church on Daufuskie. It was begun in 1879 by former slaves who bought 12 acres for $82 for the church and cemetery. In the early 1900s, the church was used for worship and as a school for the island children. Although closed for a few years in the 1950s when the island...

One of the oldest churches and graveyards in the area is the Old Sheldon Church, standing in stately ruins. This church is in a beautiful setting with live oaks draped with Spanish moss. This church was built some 25 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed. It was built in the Greek revival style popular in America during the...

Yemassee is a tiny town established in the area inhabited by the Yemassee Indians in the 17th century. It’s on the edge of Beaufort County, inland from Hilton Head and eons removed from the resort lifestyle. The Amtrak station occupies the center of town, along with the remains of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks where young men first arrived enroute to...