Captain William Hilton Espies A Promontory

Today marks a significant date in Beaufort District's history. On 28 September 1663 a sea captain named William Hilton sailed along the coast of what became South Carolina and saw a a headland in the ocean. He named it after himself. 

You can read Hilton's account of his Voyage to the Carolina Coast (1664) in our Research Room or borrow one of the reprint copies from the SCLENDS catalog. It's also available as "A Relation of Discovery" by William Hilton (1664) in Narratives of Early Carolina, 1650-1708 edited by A.S. Salley. We have a physical copy in the Research Room or you can borrow printed copies from one or more of the SCLENDS libraries.

Dwayne Pickett, a living historian who in the past has appeared at BDC's programs in the guise of Captain Hilton, recently wrote a book about the English explorer. The book Captain William Hilton and the Founding of Hilton Head Island is available in the BDC Research Room and through the SCLENDS catalog. It is also available as an e-book through the Library's subscription to Hoopla. All you need is a valid Beaufort County Library card to check out the physical or electronic copies. 

Beaufort County Library issues free cards to Beaufort County residents and property owners, USCB & TCL students, members of the military and their dependents, and all Beaufort County Government and School District employees.With that card, you get access to almost 3 million books, dvds, recordings, etc. - the vast majority of which you can borrow to use outside the library -- plus access to electronic products that include movies, tv shows, music, audio books, ebooks, journals, magazines, and newspapers, book selection guides, test preparation materials, investment resources, books for the blind, and a host of materials for children. 

That's why a free library card is hands down the best deal in town! And when you get one - and keep it renewed - it tells our funding agency, Beaufort County Council, that you appreciate the Beaufort County Library's collections, services, staff and programs. 
 

We encourage you to get one today!

Heads up: All units of the Library system will be closed on Wednesday, October 2, 2019 for Staff Work Day. Regular hours will resume on Thursday, October 3, 2019.