Hilton Head Street Names 

When visiting Hilton Head you may ask your self where did they get these names?  

We know where on some, some are self-explanatory, some might be folklore and others made up.  

For this guide we will preempt with a note on Hilton Head Island's name, we will then start at the Island’s south end, The Sea Pines Resort.  

The Island has had many names, but 19th century cartographers (a fancy name for mapmakers) coined its present name. During the 16^th century both the Spanish and the French had explored the Island and had given it names. The Spanish called the whole area El Florida, and built a settlement across the sound in the general area of present St Helens. In 1663 when sailing around the Island, Captain William Hilton renamed the northern high bluff that overlooked the sounds entrance after himself. Later when mapmakers were drawing maps of the southern seacoast and they carried the name over, and it has stuck. 

The Sea Pines Resort previously known as Sea Pines Plantation has only had some subtle name changes. Sea Pines was not a true plantation but rather a catchy marketing gimmick that’s purpose was to give a mystique to the private south end development. Although the heralded 5000acre environmentally friendly development encompassed what had once been several smaller plantations and there was a host of available historic names- the name Sea Pines Plantation was chosen. Couple of reasons, Sea Pines sounds ecologically friendly and the land was covered with forests of sea pines. To be politically correct, it is no longer called a plantation. It is now called a resort, even though the resort does not take up the whole old plantation area.  

In the gated Sea Pines Resort, you will notice prominent themes in the street naming. The names were not randomly picked, but rather with much thought.. There are the bird streets that primarily lead to the beach. This was a fitting choice for an ecologically planned development. You can’t help but vision a red cardinal or black duck when seeing these names, but do you know a spotted sandpiper, or snowy egret, or how to say surf scoter? Hopefully these and the other nature names will pique an interest in the environment. I wish though they were in some easy to remember order.  

Near a Sea Pines golf course are the historic golf names like Turnberry, Muirfield, and St Andrews that are naturally fitting for a known golf resort. The Heritage, Sea Pines premier course, has a name designed to honor South Carolinas golfing roots. You will see the name Heritage attached to villas, roads, woods and courts. There is even a symbol of the Heritage Man. 

Surrounding the marina are the ship type names like clipper, cutter, ketch and schooner while behind them are sail names like genoa and mizzenmast. The Harbourtown Lighthouse is the primary Sea Pines symbol and the Lighthouse name leads to and surrounds the marina village. There’s Lighthouse road, lane, and villas.

There are the historic names like Braddock, and Stoney, Baynard and Lawton, whose families owned cotton plantations, each with a little story. There are some themed areas like Heritage Woods and its military street names. Union troops did hold the Island during the 1860s headquartering at the Baynard home. There is Lawton Woods with its tree and bush names. The Lawtons had 1000 acres in what is now the middle of Sea Pines. There are location names like, lands end and Deer Island and some native names like Calibogue. 

Then there are some isolated names of interest like Turtle Lane. For ages the Island has been a yearly nesting ground for loggerhead turtles. Knowing valuable beachfront property the loggerheads looked upon a particular piece of sand as prime, and it became the nesting center. It is told one year in the 50s there was a mound every five feet, and for five nights during the September hatchings there was a constant stream of marching ocean bound hatchlings. It was their lane. There were yet, no beachfront homes with the confusing lights. It has been told more than one hundred thousand made it to surf. 

South Beach Lagoon Road is one of the initially more confusing names. When first hearing it, new comers to Sea Pines, hear the first two words South Beach and assume it is in South Beach. Those living on South Beach Lagoon like the misinterpretation while those living on South Beach Lane are constantly asked where the lagoon is located. The street South Beach Lagoon Road is named after its local. It is the southern end of Beach Lagoon Rd.   

One of the longest streets in Sea Pines is Greenwood Drive. There was once a Greenwood Circle, renamed Fraser Circle, and there is Greenwood Forest with more tree and bush names. Why the name Greenwood? That’s a good story and not much unlike the story of Saucy Jack losing his Stoney Plantation to Baynard, but to be told another time. 

Next time you are riding around Sea Pines notice the names. They will aid in understanding the developer whose prime objective was “achieving high standards of ecological and community planning.” It was a development where profit was relegated to being the company’s fourth objective. It is a development that held the mantra how windy do we need to make the street in order to save the most trees, rather than what do we need to cut to make it a straight road.

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HHIDirect

• Hilton Head Island, Sc

• 29928

• (843) 785-7616