Not being an original Southerner (although I was born in West Virginia if that counts) I find it fascinating to read history and cultural tidbits about the South. I’m passing these tidbits along to my readers in hopes that you will be entertained and challenged to discover all the wonderful history and places to visit along the Southeast Coast. Today’s tidbits are about Myrtle Beach, SC.
Myrtle Beach Tidbits:
- Kings Highway (US 17 Business) began as an Indian trail long before Europeans settled along the Grand Strand. Later this trail became known as “The Kings Highway”–the route from northern states to Charleston and Savannah.
- Myrtle Beach received its name after the Sweet Myrtle tree native to the area.
- “The Grand Strand” was coined by newspaper columnist Claude Dunnagan on 12/03/49.
- Oceanfront lots in Myrtle Beach were $25 in 1905. If you built a property for at least $500, you received a second lot free!
- In the 1920s, a group of businessmen began building an upscale resort called “Arcady” at the north end of the community. Arcady featured the present Pine Lakes International Country Club, home of the Strand’s first golf club and birthplace of Sports Illustrated.
- Hurricane Hazel demolished many buildings in 1954, opening the rebuilding phase in the 1960s and giving rise to the golf boom, with new courses being added each year. The number of golf courses along the Grand Strand now totals around 120.
Source: Resort Quest Myrtle Beach
Southern-Traveller 