After traveling 75 miles today and fighting the current most of the way we arrived at a narrow channel and anchored our boat along the Georgetown waterfront. The channel was sprinkled with shrimp boats and a paper mill just beyond our boat was working away. We took the dinghy to the public dock and walked the sleepy town which was adorned with antique shops and restaurants.
Georgetown, founded in 1729, is the third oldest city in South Carolina, but it's history is much older. Many historians believe that this area was likely the setting of the first European settlement in the New World. Some believe that American history began in Georgetown in 1526 when Spanish explorer Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon established a colony on Waccamaw Neck. The colony was short lived but Georgetown natives hang onto this historical fragment as a badge of honor.
During the mid 19th century Georgetown led the world in rice exports. After the halt of the
"Carolina Gold rush" because of the Civil War and hurricanes, a new industry arrived---lumber. By 1914 the Atlantic Coast Lumber Company was the largest lumber producing plant on the East Coast.
The company went bankrupt in 1932 and the town suffered until 1936 when International Paper built a plant here.
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| Georgetown town clock. Ooops, where's the clock? |
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| Georgetown mansion |
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| The Rice Museum |
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| Entrance to the Harbor Walk. Look what's aimed at Loop Dreams!! |
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