Georgetown
A Seaport That Time (Almost) Forgot

The Grand Strand's southern terminus is Georgetown, whose National Register Historic District (ca. 1729) is simply charming. A seaport village with a collection of homes and churches dating from the 1700s and 1800s, it feels like a previously undiscovered antebellum Mayberry, where homeowners call out friendly greetings to visitors exploring the moss-draped Prince George Winyah Episcopal Churchyard (ca. 1750). Inside the church, echoes of colonial debate and a thousand liturgies hang in the air as docents proudly point out the box pews that have served generations. Over at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, a local guide extols the quiet courage of the small congregation of freed slaves who purchased this lot in the middle of town in 1866 (only a year after the war's end) and built a house of worship. The African element of construction bears witness to pride of heritage. In the harbor, wooden shrimp boats drift back into port around 4:00 pm, the tops of their masts painted white. The reason? If the boat is in peril, local custom dictates, the hand of God will need a clean place to touch when rescuing it.