Myrtle Beach has had many notable moments in history. This makes it a perfect destination for a historical family vacation. Read on to learn about how Myrtle Beach came to be.
Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach began as an Indian trail long before Europeans settled along the Grand Strand. Later, this trail became the route from the northern states to Charleston and Savannah.
Myrtle Beach’s first inhabitants were the Waccamaw and Winyah Indians, who named the region Chicora meaning "the land."
Early attempts by European explorers to settle the Grand Strand were disastrous. Spaniard Lucas Vasques de Allyon founded the first colony in North America here in 1526, but the settlement was ravaged by disease, and the inhabitants perished within a year.
English colonists formed Prince George Parish and laid out plans for Georgetown, the state's third oldest city, in 1730. Surrounded by rivers and marshlands, Georgetown became the center of America's colonial rice empire.
Before the Civil War, plantation owners turned Pawleys Island into one of the first summer resorts on the Atlantic coast. Historic beach cottages and other landmarks still stand.
Until the 1900s, the beaches of Horry County were virtually uninhabited due to the county's poor economy and geographical inaccessibility.
Near the turn of the century, the Burroughs & Collins Company, a timber/turpentine firm with extensive beachfront holdings, began developing the resort potential of the Strand.
In 1901, the company built the beach's first hotel, the Seaside Inn. At that time, oceanfront lots sold for $25, and buyers received an extra lot if they built a house valued at $500 or more. The beach community was called New Town until the Horry Herald newspaper held a contest to name the area. Mrs. F.E. Burroughs, wife of the founder of Burroughs & Collins, won with the name Myrtle Beach, which she chose for the many wax myrtle trees growing wild along the shore.
In the 1920s, a group of businessmen began building an upscale resort called Arcady at the north end of the community. Arcady featured the present Pine Lakes International Country Club (home of the Strand's first golf club and birthplace of Sports Illustrated) and the legendary Ocean Forest Hotel.
In 1936, the Intracoastal Waterway was opened to pleasure boats and commercial shipping. During the 1940s, the Air Force Base was established and used for training and coastal patrols during World War II. The base was closed in 1993. The Myrtle Beach Pavilion was built in 1949, followed closely by the installation of the historic band organ and carousel at that site.
Myrtle Beach was incorporated in 1938 and became a city in 1957.
In 1954, Hurricane Hazel demolished buildings and trees along the Strand, clearing the way for new hotels and homes. During the rebuilding phase of the 1960s, a golf boom began, with new courses being built each year. The number of golf courses along the Grand Strand now totals around 120.
In the 1970s and '80s, construction of attractions, homes, retail shops, and other amenities increased steadily, paving the way for another boom in the early '90s. The Myrtle Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area is the 13th fastest growing area in the nation, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics released in April 2001. The area grew 36.5 percent over the past decade.
