TheGrand Strand, a 60-mile stretch of beach reaching from
the North Carolina state line to Georgetown, has its fair
share of history.Most of that, though, centers on
Georgetown County, to the south, and is described in detail
in the Georgetown chapter.We will focus here on the history of the
beaches themselves.
Until the turn of the 20th century, the beaches of Horry County were
largely uninhabitable due to their geographical inaccessibility and
the poor economy.This began to change, albeit slowly, in 1901 when
the Burroughs & Collins Company, a timber firm with extensive
beachfront land, built the beach’s first hotel, the Seaside Inn.Visitors
were encouraged to travel to the inn on a new railroad that had been
built originally for use in timber transport.The fledgling community
was called NewTown and, as incredible as it now seems, oceanfront
lots sold for just $25! What’s more, citizens who constructed a house
valued at $500 or more were given an extra lot free.