♪ Narrator> Millions of years ago, as the Atlantic Ocean reluctantly receded farther and farther to the east, the famous Sea Islands of South Carolina emerged.

As this million year metamorphosis was accomplished, there was left serene beauty and many natural harbors.

♪ Long before the first white man's footprints appeared on the shorelines, Indians had found that here fish abounded.

Crops would grow almost year round.

The sea breezes could warm the old men's hearts for all but the few moons when the north winds blew.

♪ When the giant sequoia trees of California were only saplings, these first Americans were enjoying brilliant sunshine, blue and green inlets, bays and coves of a subtropical haven.

♪ But as inexorably as Mother Nature had worn away the sands to form this beautiful spot, far to the east time and the spirit of adventure were wearing away man's fear of the ocean and what lay on the other side.

♪ ♪ And so it was only a matter of time before a Portuguese sailor, thousands of miles away, would send a ripple across the great ocean.

Which, even though unnoticed, would be an omen of bad times for the Indians.

They would be unable to distinguish this from the millions of other ripples that splashed on to their shore.

Nor be able to guess that it foretold the coming of a new people, and the downfall of their own.

♪ Brave and adventurous men would sail into these harbors.

Subjugation of these islands would not be easy.

Colonies would rise and fall.

Names would change.

Flags would fly bravely for king and country, only to be furled.

♪ Some came for wealth, some to escape, and still others with a high purpose of carving out a nation in a new world.

The task would be torturous.

Men would die, but others would live.

So that today, ♪ nestled safely behind this barrier of protective islands lies the old and proud town of Beaufort.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Almost 200 years of acceptance and denial to visitors was exacted by these islands and harbors, before the city came into being.

♪ Indians living along the coast were not surprised when the first huge canoes with large white wings sailed into their fishing grounds.

They had seen them as they passed by at sea on other days, and other moons.

For all their obvious natural beauty, the Sea Islands were ignored by early Spanish adventurers who seemed more interested in lands to the north.

But, an imagined need for changing the natives religious beliefs, plus a desire to claim in person what they had claimed by edict.

Finally brought them to shore in the year 1521.

♪ ♪ The islands waited patiently for the invasion of this new breed of men, wearing metallic clothing, strange looking helmets, and formidable weapons.

♪ ♪ As this ancient oak was forced to submit to a relentless surf, so did the red man become a pawn in the game of conquest.

♪ He must accept the ways of the white man.

Worship his gods and submit to his laws.

♪ Providing food and manpower was expected and given freely by the Indians at first.

But it was soon apparent that the Spaniard was taking all.

♪ And giving nothing in return.

♪ Puzzlement was replaced by resentment, and finally by rebellion.

♪ Spain had stretched herself too thin, protecting her claims in the New World.

And because of political upheavals at home, the Sea Island forts must bow to the demands of the Florida settlements.

Military protection for would be colonists at the whim of the Spanish Governor, could only be guaranteed at Saint Augustine.

Thus, as more and more of the Spaniards sailed away from these shores, the islands were forced for the first time into the role of bridesmaid.

♪ ♪ However, within six months the hated French succeeded in establishing the colony at the exact spot where Spain had so miserably failed.

♪ ♪ Jean Ribault of France established a refuge for the religiously oppressed on the tip of Parris Island.

The year was 1562.

Charlesfort, a sad tale of poor planning near starvation and personal human sacrifice.

♪ Following Ribault's return to France for supplies and additional colonists.

The 30 who remained soon showed complete inability to cope with the problems of living in a strange land.

They built a small boat, outfitting it with shirts for sails, and embarked for France.

♪ Some would make it with help from an English ship, but not before one of their number gave his life in order to sustain life for those remaining.

♪ ♪ For 100 years, the islands received visitors, seemingly with open arms.

Glowing reports of the Sea Island's charms are a part of today's written history.

And yet somehow, by chance or by choice, one by one, the group sailed away, always smaller in number than when they arrived.

♪ And the islands, still peopled by the original inhabitants, lay quietly and serenely kissed by an alternately gentle and violent surf.

Waiting for the next adventurous spirits who were bound to come.

♪ In 1666, the waiting seemed over.

This time the ships came bearing men with a purpose, with a plan for permanent colonization.

Three years before, Captain William Hilton had come as an emissary of the lord's proprietors.

His account of the fitness of the land for colonization resulted in the 1666 expedition.

♪ Records are unclear as to why this group decided against landing at Port Royal, as had been planned.

The colony, originally destined for Beaufort was established instead at the mouth of the Ashley and Cooper River.

♪ And so, once again, the Sea Islands must suffer disappointment.

This time Charleston was the bride and would receive all the attention of a newlywed for a period of 44 years.

♪ ♪ ♪ In 1710, however, the lord's proprietors directed that a town be laid out on the high bluffs along the eastern edges of Port Royal Island.

Its name would be Beaufort, honoring Henry, Duke of Beaufort, one of the proprietors.

♪ ♪ With all its apparent safety from the ravages of the sea and weather due to its protective barrier islands.

It had no natural protection from the Indian tribes to the west.

Attacks were ferocious, if not frequent.

Early Beaufort homes were built with the knowledge that they must also serve as individual fortresses against Indian attacks.

♪ Tabby basement walls contained openings through which rifles could be fired at the attackers.

♪ It became common practice for the settlers, just as in other developing areas of America, to clear the land and till the soil with guns always nearby.

♪ A forerunner of the many beautiful mansions, past and present in Beaufort is the Hext-Morris House, located on the point.

♪ Its beauty is in its simplicity.

Built in the early 1700s, it stands today little different from its appearance so many years ago.

And like most older homes in Beaufort, it has its own particular story to tell.

♪ Tour Guide> Hugh Hext, with his family of nine children, came over from England in 1684.

He could not have chosen a lovelier location.

Many things to observe about his house.

A plain white frame, two story country house with green shutters sits on a high basement made of tabby, back from the street.

At the rare blue waters of the Beaufort River stretched between it and Lady's Island, giving it the formal name of "Riverview."

The interior of Riverview has modest manners which belie its rare character.

It does not call attention.

On the contrary, it discloses itself there subtly.

The longer you look at these rooms, the more you become aware of their qualities.

♪ ♪ A small bedroom with heavy baseboards and chair rail, furnished with early Chippendale.

The wide board floors and the beautiful paneling is a first rate workmanship.

♪ But of even greater interest are the walls of the halls and bedrooms, with beautifully smooth vertical planks with wide v-joints.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ The staircase and rare reception hall is a masterpiece of the... arc and its delicate simplicity, all original pine and put together with pegs and handmade nails.

♪ ♪ The rooms are not large, but the scale is perfect.

The ones we have shown you is distinguished by wainscoting of horizontal panels, typical of early 18th century.

There are no mantel pieces in the house.

The fireplaces are finished with a narrow bolection molding.

The panels abroad vary considerably in width.

The result being restrained and immensely stylish.

♪ The heavy, long batten doors with handmade hinges.

♪ The present kitchen, ♪ with pine and walnut furniture made in northern South Carolina.

♪ ♪ ♪ I had the delight of uncovering all this excellence which was buried under plaster, wallpaper and beaver board, and is being occupied and preserved with keen appreciation.

♪ ♪ Narrator> One trait shared by the early Beaufort citizens, even though they represented a great diversity of European society, was the determination to put down roots that could absorb the upheavals of nature and man, while continuing on to a better life for succeeding generations.

Near the center of Beaufort stands a gray, massive arsenal erected in 1776.

♪ It has served the military needs of the community from that time until today.

It's easy to believe that the first guns and ammunition destined to be used against the federal government were passed out to the hot blooded young men of the town when they received news of South Carolina's secession from the Union in 1861.

♪ Today, it is a monument to the past.

A museum containing priceless bits of history for all to see.

Too small today to be of any great service during an emergency, it still displays strength and permanence.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ In the quiet, ethereal beauty of Saint Helena's churchyard can be felt the spirit, which sustained the early families.

♪ Descriptions of this church are inspiring.

One early account, especially.

♪ Enclosed in a high brick wall, it sits like an ecclesiastical poem, among its gray lichened gravestones.

♪ Its slender spire piercing the green masts of the trees like a clear bugle call.

♪ Ancient live oaks with their swaying banners of gray moss weave myriad leafy designs of light and shadow to fling against its mellow, pinkish walls.

of brick and tabby.

♪ Inside, the walls echo the soft sounds of family histories recorded all time.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ The christening of her infants.

♪ Confirmation in following years, as the meaning of the christening becomes clear.

♪ The exchange of vows as proud fathers and happy mothers look on.

♪ And the sad processions that follow the black draped caskets into the graveyard outside the church.

♪ The gravestones themselves bear written testimony to great courage.

Life was hard and death was real.

Always close at hand.

♪ Beaufort is truly a child of the church.

Marble stones reflect the great dependence these people placed on their belief in spiritual help.

♪ ♪ ♪ Out among the many plantations surrounding Beaufort, other churches were erected.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ The huge, gnarled oak trees standing guard before Beaufort's still magnificent plantation homes, are eloquent testimony to the determination of the men who planted them 100 years ago.

♪ Today, these majestic trees and their beautiful charges stubbornly refuse to give way to the new and modern aspects of Beaufort.

♪ Standing in the quiet solitude, the feeling of peace and a sense of history is frequently shattered by the roar of jets landing and taking off from the marine air base nearby.

But these old perennials are undisturbed, unimpressed, resolute, and everlasting.

♪ ♪ He's gone away ♪ ♪ for this day ♪ a little while ♪ (singing continues) Narrator> Listen.

Listen to the ghosts of South Carolina's proud plantation days.

The rustle of silk along her deserted verandas.

The gentle lap of the tide, pushing into the creek alongside the house, a pagan melody drifting up from the slave quarters in back, (singing continues) ♪ Look away ♪ ♪ look away ♪ ♪ look away ♪ (singing continues) ♪ ♪ Where little white dolls are ♪ flying from bow to bow ♪ ♪ and they're mating ♪ with their mate ♪ ♪ So why not me with mine ♪ > This tree that I'm working under.

We don't know the exact age of it, but when the house was...

Doctor Johnson moved in the house just before, I don't know just how long before the Civil War, but he refugeed from here.

I think that this tree and the one in the back do a great deal for the house.

And an Englishman told me, he was here in '62, taking pictures of the house from all angles.

That the house was a duplicate of one in Middlesex, England, as he expressed it even to the little funny wooden steps.

♪ But now it's, the house has been haunted.

When the Johnsons first moved in, the father and son saw something one night which was the figure of a small, somebody small, standing in the room.

♪ And since then something has been seen and heard by six generations that come, that have come down.

♪ But through a table rapping, they asked just what ghost he was, and he said that "he had come over with Ribault."

♪ "And I like this house because it was like a European house."

Having been killed on Parris Island, he stayed here.

One of the... those who came round here with Mrs. Porter Danner and joined the table rapping.

Said the table, everything was in French and no one at the table spoke French or any French at all.

And they asked the names of the three boats that Ribault came over in.

And they spelled the three out and they looked it up.

And that was the name of the boat.

♪ You can't... explain things.

You may find some explanation for the footsteps or some explanations for the doors being slammed.

But there's some things you can't explain.

♪ ♪ Narrator> When long staple cotton came to the islands, it brought new and greater wealth to an already affluent society.

♪ Indigo had been first and had been good, but a fickle public across the sea changed all that.

♪ Next came rice, adding its strength to a culture that was unique in a frontier land.

But it was determined that cotton would be king.

♪ From the riverbanks and washes along the seashore, rose manor houses fit for the tidewater gentlemen who ruled like royalty.

♪ Astride sleek imported stallions, they could ride all day and fail to cover the land they possessed.

♪ Life was rich and satisfying, the mansions themselves white as the cotton which built them.

Lavish furnishings created by Europe's finest craftsmen.

♪ Objects of art brought over at great expense.

♪ And many families commissioned the old country's best artists to paint portraits of beautiful daughters.

♪ Elegant living was reflected in the crystal prisms, which graced ballroom chandeliers.

♪ The strings of soft Viennese waltzes were heard at one or more of the area plantations, most every night, as the planter's sons and daughters gathered to laugh and play.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ It was a time of gaiety, the early 1800s.

But by mid-century, dark clouds of change were taking shape that would dictate the same fate to plantation life as had been handed out to the Indians just a hundred years before.

♪ ♪ November 7th, 1861, dawned bright and clear, in sharp contrast to the day before.

♪ For two days, an armada of Union warships loaded with men and material had steamed into Port Royal Sound.

Its assigned task to neutralize Forts Walker and Beauregard.

Walker was an irregular bastion and curtained work constructed on a bluff eight feet above high watermark, commanding important points and channels, into Port Royal Harbor and the entrance to Beaufort.

1,300 South Carolina troops were garrisoned here.

Fort Beauregard, opposite Fort Walker on Bay point, was built of sand and palmetto logs and was manned by the 525 men of the 12th South Carolina Regiment.

These 1,825 men, were faced with the prospect of standing off the heavy bombardment by Union gunboats, already proven capable in other engagements.

♪ A squadron of eight warships, supported by smaller gunboats, formed a battle circle.

And at 9:27 on the morning of November 7th, 1861, the first shell was launched from the flagship Wabash.

(cannons firing) (men shouting) The war had come to Beaufort.

(cannons continuing to fire) A graphic account of the engagement was related by the correspondent for the New York newspaper, aboard one of the warships.

(cannons firing) Reporter> The noise was terrific, while the bursting of shells was as terrible as it was destructive, I counted no less than 40 shells bursting at one time.

And that right at the battery.

And then the woods where about 800 rebels...

In addition to this, the Susquehanna, with their tremendous battering, aided by the Bienville, the Pawnee, and half a dozen smaller gunboats, was making the air brown with sand, while the blue smoke of the explosions swept to make up a magnificent sight.

The troops were wild with enthusiasm and with deafening cheers they applauded the boldness and courage of the gallant naval officers.

A moment or two elapsed just time enough to load the guns, and again the scene was enacted a fresh.

(sounds of battle) Narrator> At 2:30 in the afternoon, the first Union troops came ashore.

(sounds of battle continue) Fort Walker had been abandoned in such a hurry that much was left behind by the defenders.

Swords, guns, clothing, watches, and even money.

The following day, November 8th, Fort Beauregard was also found to be abandoned.

♪ The citizens of Beaufort had not expected such a defeat, and were totally unprepared for the job that must be done.

Families were hurriedly setover the Sea Islands to Charleston.

The beautiful homes, with their costly furnishings, must be left unprotected.

The planters themselves, had no time to fire the cotton fields.

Orders were given to the slaves to carry out this task, but for the most part were ignored.

On December 6th, 1861, Beaufort was occupied by 2,500 Union soldiers.

For Beaufort and the Sea Islands, the war was over.

♪ ♪ Beaufort was to have still another chance to flirt with greatness, but again to no avail.

The years following the Civil War were filled with frustration, as families attempted to regain what had been so hurriedly left behind in November of 1861.

Most of the mansions and townhouses had come through the occupation, with little or no permanent damage.

However, the claiming of property was complicated by a government alien to the plans which the original owners had envisioned.

Tour guide> They of course lost it.

The descendants lost the house, the end of the war between the states.

They could not pay the taxes, and the United States Government sold the house for taxes.

And it was sold for $700.

And the Johnsons, like all of the Beaufort people, refugeed as soon as the news came that Fort Walker and Fort Beauregard had fallen.

They refugeed and carried what they could burying the china in the little laundry little brick house, which was used as a laundry.

And save that and they carried the family's silver.

And a few pieces of furniture was saved by one of the young Johnsons, who was a 4-F came up in this, creek with a small skiff and saved about 10 or 12 small pieces of furniture.

And when they return, like everyone else, they were very fortunate.

He was, and a few of the people were fortunate enough to be able to raise money to pay the back taxes and current taxes and identify the House.

♪ The bitter pill of reconstruction must be swallowed.

Homes, jobs, and education must be prepared for future generations of proud Beaufort families.

♪ Planting, on a much smaller scale, of course, was commenced by the men and boys who had just done with carrying rifles.

For some it would be a labor strange to them working on the shipping wharves, which now enjoyed a new importance following the extended use made by the Federals of the deep water harbors around Port Royal and Beaufort.

It was these same harbor facilities which led Beaufort to the very edge of greatness.

The large amount of shipping accompanying the Civil War had, through trial and error, proven that the best deep water along the Atlantic coast was located in the Sea Islands.

Long delays at the Charleston and Savannah facilities were common because of overcrowded dock space and the need for pilot boats.

Port Royal Sound needed no pilots, since the largest oceangoing vessels could steam up the channel simply by following the buoys, marking the way.

Everything pointed to a new interest by the whole country in the Beaufort area.

But it was not to be.

To get the cotton, grain and other goods to the coast, help would have to come from the railroad interest.

Large capital investments would have to be made to string the ribbons of steel to this new harbor.

And the men in the northern railroad centers who control the money said no.

Rail complexes were already a fact in Charleston and Savannah.

So why build another when the extension of lines to the untouched wealth of the far West would no doubt return a greater profit?

Beaufort was to be a bridesmaid once more.

Doubtless men and women of less resolution would have been discouraged beyond recall.

But not the Sea Islanders.

♪ Beaufort was built by people of stature.

That so many of the stately homes are standing today proud and strong is proof enough that respect for strength, physical and spiritual, was taught father to son and mother to daughter.

These people and buildings had survived 100 year battle against air heavy with salt.

Winds of unbelievable force.

The reverberation of Indian wars, naval cannon and land armies.

Now they faced an uncertain future and it never occurred to any of them to turn their backs and move to another place.

The stoicism of Beaufort citizens has overcome many obstacles to growth during the past 100 years.

While many other surrounding communities drew into tighter and tighter circles finally, to give up entirely.

Beaufort maintained its circle and encouraged those who visited to stay.

It was this realistic concession to a changing world which offered a lifeline, while the adjustment was completed.

♪ In 1916, still clinging almost desperately to the past, Beaufort families accepted a new invasion of men and machines of war, with the grace and resignation of a proud aunt forced to take assistance from an affluent nephew.

Marine commanders in Washington recognized a ready made training facility and set out to transform huge plantations into a school of hard knocks and rigorous weapons training for members of the nation's finest fighting force.

Swamps, green and deceptive, snake infested and clouded with vicious insects, made a priceless contribution to the successful defeat of the Japanese in the jungles of the South Pacific in the early 1940s.

Young Americans learned the art of war in the hot, steamy Sea Islands of South Carolina.

And practiced that art to perfection in the hot, steamy jungles of the South Pacific islands.

Less than a decade later, the marine base's contribution to the Korean effort was augmented by superbly trained flying men, trained at the Parris Island Airbase.

♪ When they come to Beaufort, these young, pink-cheeked recruits are exuberant, with an assumed ready for anything pose.

♪ ♪ ♪ (men cheering and yelling) ♪ 12 weeks later, exuberance is replaced with a cautious strength that comes with knowledge.

And the ready for anything attitude is no longer assumed, it is a fact.

♪ Tough drill sergeants have hammered and chiseled the raw material into a strong, self-reliant member of a proud fighting fraternity.

The United States Marines.

♪ ♪ Chronicles of the deeds of these men in far flung parts of the world are read with quiet pride by Beaufort residents.

♪ A feeling of having participated is not uncommon, as these stories unfold.

♪ This pride, coupled with the undeniable economic help brought to Beaufort by the Marines, has accomplished an easier co-mingling of the diverse societies.

♪ ♪ The damp rich soil of the Sea Islands, has for these many years, provided those who are willing to work with bountiful harvests.

♪ ♪ Indigo, rice, and cotton have come and gone.

Now the farming produces each year a veritable mountain of flaming red succulent tomatoes.

♪ ♪ Row on row of this tasty fruit is harvested by hand in early summer.

Transferred from the fields in wicker baskets to long loading platforms, this product will find its way to America's dinner table in salads, sauces, and as a vital part of thousands of recipes.

♪ Although seasonal in nature, the tomato farming makes up another significant part of Beaufort's overall economic well-being.

♪ ♪ The clean white sand of the Sea Island beaches pounded into powder and molded flat and smooth by a thousand years of surf, welcomes visitors from the sea today with the same serene beauty which so impressed the Spaniards over 400 years ago.

♪ Modern homes, golf courses and commercial buildings blend into the verdant surroundings with an obvious mutual understanding.

♪ ♪ Americans, now blending of England, France, Spain and every other country of the world with their penchant for altering and rearranging, have left the colorful Sea Islands virtually untouched.

♪ ♪ Roads that seemingly lead to nowhere.

Are smoother and more permanent than the paths marked by early settlers, but even so, make no unsightly scars on the vegetation.

♪ ♪ ♪ The cool darkness of junglelike growth, stand side by side with the shimmering likeness of beach and blue-green water.

One reaching toward the other.

It became apparent years ago that when visitors to this quiet haven told of its appealing beauty and closeness to nature, more and more would come.

Bringing with them the paraphernalia of civilization.

♪ Only by throwing up barriers to unrestricted use of the islands could they retain their charm.

Now men, not unlike the earliest Spanish captains, English lords and antebellum planters, hold sway over large tracts of land which are left unchanged except for modern day log cabins and fortresses.

Where individually in pairs, and in family groups, a measure of relaxation and pleasure can be enjoyed.

♪ Mother nature, so helpful to the Indians and the growing of maize and root plants, is equally as helpful in the growing of grass for glass smooth golf greens and fairways.

♪ ♪ The many different islands offer many different settings, to remind the viewer of the closeness to the distant past.

♪ While man looks to the seas for adventure, adventurous seamen have always looked to the shore for the familiar beckoning light which brings them back from the encircling water to warm home fires.

♪ These silent sentinels flashed rays of hope, guidance and welcome in years gone by.

But stand today, reluctant to admit that rays more penetrating than light have made them unneeded and indeed unwanted.

♪ ♪ Along the thin strand of sand, between the sometimes ominous undergrowth and the omnipresent sea, modern day explorers find the same thrill of discovery that filled their predecessors so many, many years ago.

Temporary shelters are thrown up today, safer and more comfortable than those of yesterday, in much less time and with much less effort.

Then dismantled to be used another day, in another place.

♪ For more than four centuries, the Beaufort area has offered beauty, safety and potential wealth to adventurous men who were patient and resourceful.

But the early lassitude shown by the islands has been replaced by a more demanding society, and it requires more than an ax, gun and plowshare to realize the full potential of this green anchorage.

♪ Although free with her charms in the beginning, Beaufort now exacts proper subservience and more than a promise from those who settle here.

Visitors are welcome today with the aristocratic man and native to the area, tempered by the knowledge that from these visitors come large helpings of monetary bone and sinew for continued development.

♪ No longer can the term sleepy be applied to this potential giant.

Rumblings are being felt, which indicate that a 100 year metamorphosis is about to be terminated.

This beautiful maiden, older and wiser may soon be offered another trip to history's church.

This time, she will not give way to other cities with their boasts and promises.

This time, Beaufort will be a bride.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪