On May 17, 1562, a daring Huguenot sea captain, Jean Ribaut (aka Ribault) landed on Parris Island and established the first French colony in North America. Fewer than 30 settlers quickly erected a wooden bastion that they named Charlesfort (1562-1563). The settlement soon fell upon hard times due to inexperience, repercussions from religious strife in England and France, and poor relations with the Native Americans. Despairing of help, most of the Frenchmen set sail for home with little in the way of supplies. The men resorted to cannibalism before they were spotted off the coast of Ireland by an English ship. The Spanish arrived at Parris Island in 1563, found Charlesfort occupied by a lonely Frenchman [who became a ghost of local renown at an historic home], and burned the fort to the ground. The Spanish erected their own fort, Santa Elena, three years later within yards of the French bastion. Santa Elena served as the first capital of Spanish Florida from 1566 until 1587.One can tour the site on Parris Island by following the Marine Corps protocols for access to the Recruit Depot. The Charlesfort-Santa Elena historic site is nationally significant because it illustrates the competition for New World resources between two European colonial powers, France and Spain. And the intrepid Jean Ribaut was a key actor within this story. The Parris Island Museum has an exhibit about the settlements too.
The BDCBCL: Links, Lists and Finding Aids Blog has a bibliography of online and library materials about Jean Ribaut and Charlesfort for those who want to delve deeper into the topic.
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