Rich Thomas shares what was happening on Hilton Head during the post civil war era through the founding of the Hilton Head company and the creation of Sea Pines by Charles Fraser. Rich explains how logging, phosphate, turpentine and agriculture thrived in the area until the building of the first bridge in 1956 and development of the island into a tourist destination.

Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States when 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas.  General Gordon Granger informed the enslaved that the Civil War had ended and they were free. What many people do not realize is that emancipation of the enslaved started right here on Hilton Head Island. In this episode we talk with Rich Thomas about what happend on HHI during the Civil War and how President Lincoln was not the first to order an emancipation of the enslaved. Rich weaves a tale of the trials and tribulations of Mitchelville and its catastrophic ending. The story of Mitchelville is another example of how a small sea island was at the center of American history.

Author Annell St. Charles is a long time property owner and lover of Hilton Head. In this episode we find out how she discovered Hilton Head, why she used Hilton Head as a setting for two of her novels and what she enjoys most about the island.