Beaufort District the Site of the First Protestant Settlement in North America, 1562

Latest update: 20 August 2024 - gmc

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. 

Ribaut's Road - Sept. 29

Join us for the second program in the new Beaufort History Museum and Beaufort County Library local history series. 


Beverly Eggert will share the adventures of Jean Ribaut, Rene Laudonniere, and Jacques LeMoyne as they make their journey from France to the New World in 1562 and again in 1564. "Ribaut's Road" is complete with tales of Indian raids, mutiny, murder, starvation, kidnapping and political intrigue. This lecture will be held Thursday, September 29^th from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm in the Beaufort Branch Meeting Room, 1^st floor, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort. Pre-register with the Beaufort History Museum  843-379-3079.

Heads up: The Library system will be closed Wednesday, October 5, 2016 for Staff Development Day. Regular hours resume Thursday, October 6th. BTW: Friday, October 7th we'll be open until 5 pm. 

Our new hours are: 

• Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 9 am - 5 pm. 

• Tuesdays and Wednesdays remain by advance appointment only.    

Reminders about This Holiday Weekend

• Don't forget the 26th Annual Gullah Festival going on this Memorial Day weekend in the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in downtown Beaufort.
• Don't forget that we are celebrating the 450th Anniversary of the Landing of Jean Ribaut and his Huguenots at Parris Island.  
• Don't forget that all Beaufort County government offices, including the Library system, will be closed on Mon., May 28th in observance of Memorial Day. 

Celebrating 450 Years of Local History

Latest update: 20 August 2024 - gmc

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, 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.

Charlesfort-Santa Elena 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 BDC display case features some of the memorabilia we have from the 400th Anniversary celebration in March 1962.  Among the resources are postcards, maps, programs, brochures, Ribaut coins, and commemorative stickers, and the master script of "Prologue to Freedom". We have two scrapbooks prepared 50 years ago about Prologue to Freedom that are available to view.  Drop by during our regular hours of operation to see the display and other related items.

On Thursday, May 17th, the Beaufort County Historical Society will present SCIAA member and archaeologist, Dr. Chester DePratter at the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club off Meridian Rd, Lady’s Island, Beaufort, SC. DePratter's power point discussion regarding the archaeological survey and dig at Charlesfort will begin at noon.

 

In addition to the BDC Jean Ribaut bibliography, here are some online materials to learn more about Ribaut, Laudonniere, and the role that Charlesfort and Santa Elena played in European imperialism:  

History of Parris Island, South Carolina – including Charlesfort and Santa Elena 

Charlesfort-Santa Elena SiteFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia