Charlesfort-Santa Elena Site

Santa Elena, a Spanish settlement on what is now Parris Island, South Carolina, was the capital of Spanish Florida from 1566 to 1587. It was established under Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, the first governor of Spanish Florida. There had been a number of earlier attempts to establish colonies in the area by both the Spanish and the French, who had been inspired by the earlier accounts by Chicora and Hernando de Soto of rich territories in the interior. Menéndez's Santa Elena settlement was intended as the new capital of the Spanish colony of La Florida, shifting the focus of Spanish colonial efforts north from St. Augustine, which had been established in 1565 to oust the French from their colony of Fort Caroline. Santa Elena was ultimately built at the site of the abandoned French outpost of Charlesfort, founded in 1562 by Jean Ribault. In 1565 Menéndez destroyed the French Fort Caroline and then founded Santa Elena. This colony had a sizeable population, including missionaries and soldiers. The settlement became the base of operations for the Jesuits and military working in the northern zone of Spanish Florida. From this base the Spanish founded six other forts during the Captain Juan Pardo expedition into the interior and the Appalachian Mountains. But local Native American tribes resisted, killing the garrisons and destroying all the forts in 1568. Spain abandoned thoughts of colonizing this area.In 1586 Francis Drake led an English force in a raid on St. Augustine. The Spanish abandoned Santa Elena the following year, and its remaining settlers were relocated to St. Augustine to strengthen it. The Spanish never pressed their colonial claims to the area again, focusing on other areas of the American continent.

Parris Island is a district of the city of Port Royal, South Carolina on an island of the same name. It became part of the city with the annexation of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island on October 11, 2002. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau previously defined Parris Island as a census-designated place (CDP) when it was an unincorporated area of Beaufort County. The population was 4,841 at the 2000 census. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Parris Island is included within the Beaufort Urban Cluster and the larger Hilton Head Island–Beaufort Micropolitan Statistical Area.

The Broad River is a tidal channel in Beaufort and Jasper counties, South Carolina. The channel flows between the mainland on the west and Port Royal and Parris islands on the east. The Coosawhatchie River flows into the Broad River at the head. It joins Coosaw River channel Northeast and continues Southeast to the Atlantic Ocean as Port Royal Sound.S.C. Highway 170 crosses the Broad River on a 1.7-mile bridge, connecting Beaufort and Port Royal with southern Beaufort and Jasper counties.

Fort Fremont Hospital, located in Beaufort County, South Carolina, is significant due to its association with the nearby fort. The Colonial Revival building was built around 1906 as a replacement for the original hospital for the garrison. It is worth noting that the War Department planned to phase out the post at Fort Fremont Battery as early as 1906, the year that Fort Fremont Hospital was built. Since 1930, the year that the fort was decommissioned, the hospital has been privately owned. Fort Fremont Hospital was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on May 26, 1989.

Fort Fremont (sometimes misspelled 'Freemont') was a military installation on Saint Helena Island, Beaufort County, South Carolina. The fort and battery is historically significant as an example of late nineteenth and early twentieth century military architecture and as one of two surviving coastal fortifications in the United States intact from the Spanish–American War era.

Riverside Plantation Tabby Ruins is a historic archeological site located on Saint Helena Island near Frogmore, Beaufort County, South Carolina. The ruins are significant as an example of early- to mid-19th century tabby construction. The ruins are the remains of an outbuilding associated with the Riverside Plantation and have great archaeological potential.It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island (often abbreviated as MCRD PI) is an 8,095-acre (32.76 km2) military installation located within Port Royal, South Carolina, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Beaufort, the community that is typically associated with the installation. MCRD Parris Island is used for United States Marine Corps Recruit Training of enlisted United States Marines. Recruits living east of the Mississippi River report there to receive initial training. Recruits living west of the Mississippi River receive training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California, but may train at MCRD Parris Island by special request.

The Parris Island Museum is located at Building 111, Panama Street, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in Beaufort, South Carolina, United States. The museum consists of a 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) facility and includes exhibits of the history of the United States Marine Corps as well as the history of the Port Royal region. Exhibits cover the span of time and occupancy of the island, from Native American civilization and French and Spanish colonies to modern day. Other exhibits display artifacts from the early 19th century to the present day.

Parris Island Drydock and Commanding Generals House is a historic home and drydock and national historic district located at Parris Island, Beaufort County, South Carolina. The district encompasses one contributing building and two contributing structures at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. The drydock was constructed in the early 1890s and was one of the few wooden graving-type drydocks in the United States. It was also the largest naval drydock at the time of its construction. It fell into disrepair in the 1920s as ships began to outgrow the drydock. Quarters One, or the Commanding General's home, was constructed between 1891 and 1895, and has been the traditional home of the depot Commanding General. The two-story house has 27 rooms and features a full-width porch that also partially down both sides of the house. Associated with the home is a contributing octagonal gazebo (c. 1900).It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Port Royal Sound is a coastal sound, or inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the Sea Islands region, in Beaufort County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the estuary of several rivers, the largest of which is the Broad River.

Isaac Fripp House Ruins is a historic house ruin and archaeological site located on Saint Helena Island near Frogmore, Beaufort County, South Carolina. The ruins are located at Bay View overlooking the junction of Chowan Creek and the Beaufort River. The two-story, tabby house dates to the early- to mid-19th century. It is associated with Isaac Fripp, a planter of sea island cotton and other staples on St. Helena Island.It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.