For Hilton Head Island Gullah families, it’s common to find relatives living together on the same or adjacent parcels of land, usually heirs’ property. As they aim to retain these communal living traditions, Gullah families can find some protections through the Town of Hilton Head Island’s family compounds and family subdivisions measures. They are a part of the Town’s Land Management Ordinance (LMO) and are designed to help families sustain their land, some for which ownership dates to the late 1800s.
Adopted last summer as amendments to the LMO, the measures decrease widths for setbacks, buffers and access, and allow sequential placement of infrastructure. They also allow heirs’ property owners to develop their land in ways that are reminiscent of historical island settlement patterns, with family members building homes near each other. Staff is currently working with several Gullah property owners on applications for a family compound or family subdivision, and related development tasks. Completed applications will be expedited to help alleviate costs associated with delays in development. More information on family compounds and family subdivisions is available on the Town’s website at hiltonheadislandsc.gov/gullah/overlay/.
Helping Gullah families navigate heirs’ property issues and obtain clear titles to their land is the impetus behind the Heirs’ Property Research Project, a free genealogical research clinic sponsored by the Town of Hilton Head Island and the Heritage Library. Trained genealogy volunteers help families and individuals research their family roots – an essential step towards getting clear property titles, especially when the original property owner has died without leaving a will or designating a future owner. Without clear titles, all direct descendants or heirs have a share in the property, which makes it difficult for them to obtain mortgages, make improvements and, in some cases, maintain ownership. To clear a property title, an attorney must conduct a title search and identify and notify all heirs; a completed family genealogy aids in this process. To qualify for the genealogy research clinic:
- You must be a direct descendant and taxpayer of the family whose property is in question.
- The property must be located on Hilton Head Island and must not be in litigation.
The Town’s Historic Neighborhoods Preservation Administrator, Sheryse DuBose, will ensure interested families meet the qualifications and refer them to the clinic. For more information, contact Sheryse at 843-341-4683 or SheryseD@hiltonheadislandsc.gov.
Our Historic Neighborhoods Permitting and Design Studio is a one-stop program for property owners in the historic neighborhoods who need assistance with property development permits, family compounds and family subdivisions, conceptual site design, addressing, property access, business licenses, and other resources. Nearly two dozen property owners are currently using this service. The program has provided an opportunity to strengthen connections between the Town and residents of Hilton Head Island’s historic neighborhoods. Contact Sheryse DuBose, Historic Neighborhoods Preservation Administrator, at 843-341-4683 or SheryseD@hiltonheadislandsc.gov for further information.
Mitchelville, founded in 1862, is the first self-governed town for the formerly enslaved. In 2021, an archaeological team working in the Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park unearthed a brick hearth, estimated to be up to 160 years old. So far, it’s the only intact Mitchelville structure found to date and is believed to have been connected to a home. Hearths were used to cook lime, sand, and water mixed with crushed oyster shells to create tabby, a material used to build homes during the late 1800s and early 1900s on the Island. Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park Executive Director Ahmad Ward plans for the hearth to remain in the ground as a standing feature for park guests. Visit the park at 229 Beach City Road or visit exploremitchelville.org for more information.
MKSK, a national consulting firm, was selected last August to prepare plans for the Town’s Mid-Island Redevelopment Strategy and Community Park. The community park will be located on the site of the former Planter’s Row Golf Course, adjacent to the Grassland neighborhood. Town leaders say this project will reinvigorate the center of the Island. Town staff and project consultants are providing opportunities for the public to contribute ideas and input for this initiative.
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Be A Part of the Conversation at a Stakeholders’ Meeting
Who: Residents of the Island’s Historic Neighborhoods
When: 5-8 p.m., Tuesday, January 11, 2022
Where: Hilton Head Island Public Service District
Community Meeting Room, 21 Oak Park Drive
More Information: Visit hiltonheadislandsc.gov/midisland/
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The Heritage Library Foundation invites native Islanders to share their personal stories about growing up on Hilton Head Island. Your story will be featured in the library’s newsletter and will become part of the library’s vast collection of resources patrons use to research the history of Hilton Head Island and individual families. For a daily fee or annual membership, patrons may explore old photographs, historic maps, historic sites, and other information. Interested? Please call Barbara Catenaci, Executive Director, at (843) 686-6560.
 The Gullah Geechee Land and Cultural Preservation Task Force welcomed two new members last summer: John Campbell and Tom Henz, who both serve on the Town’s Planning Commission. We bid farewell to and thank our outgoing members for serving on the task force and working with the Town and community to develop the Gullah Geechee Land and Preservation Project Report: Joyce Wright, Todd Theodore, Martha Davis, Caroline McVitty and Theresa White. More info on the task force is available at hiltonheadislandsc.gov/boards/gullah/.
Historic Neighborhoods Stakeholders Meeting for the
Mid-Island Redevelopment Strategy & Community Park
January 11, 2022
5 - 8 PM
Hilton Head Island Public Service District Community Meeting Room
21 Oak Park Drive
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 17, 2022
Hilton Head Island Gullah Celebration
February 14, 2022 – February 20, 2022
culturehhi.org/artists-organizations/hhigullah/
Heirs’ Property Workshop
February 15, 2022
5 - 7 PM
Queen Chapel AME Church
114 Beach City Road
Heirs’ Property Workshop
February 19, 2022
10 AM - 12 PM
Coastal Discovery Museum
70 Honey Horn Road
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