Myrtle Beach Area History

Myrtle Beach, as well as the surrounding Grand Strand, has quite the unique history. It's a history that includes a pirate left behind on an island with a large cache of stolen rum, Native American tribes who called the area home and even the occasional ghost story.

Horry County was cut off from the plantation culture that flourished elsewhere along the coast, due to being surrounded by rivers on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Residents in what is now the Conway area were hardworking farmers, timbermen and turpentine distillers who bartered for their needs. A typical family in 1875 earned approximately $2.50 a year in what was nearly a cashless economy.

It was around the turn of the 20th century that the Burroughs and Collins Company began developing the Myrtle Beach area as a resort. The first hotel, named the Seaside Inn, was built in 1901. In 1938, the city of Myrtle Beach was officially born. The name was chosen by Mrs. F.E. Burroughs, who entered a naming contest sponsored by the Horry Herald. The name was chosen because of the many wax myrtle trees growing along the shore

Today, phenomenal expansion and development have contributed to the Myrtle Beach area's national reputation as a year-round resort abundant with hotels, more than 100 golf courses, almost a dozen live entertainment theaters, unequaled entertainment/shopping complexes, nationally acclaimed attractions and thousands of dining choices.

For more info: Myrtle Beach History on VisitMyrtleBeach.com