Barnwell Tabby
Standing for nearly three centuries, this structure tells a story that continues to reveal its secrets. Once thought to date from the 1800s, this north island landmark was actually built between 1730 and 1750, predating the American Revolution and challenging earlier beliefs about Hilton Head Island’s colonial period.
Along a quiet stretch of Squire Pope Road stands a building that represents the beginning of colonial America on Hilton Head Island.
Built of "tabby"—a coastal building material made by mixing lime, water, sand, oyster shells, and ash—these walls tell many stories. Archaeological research reveals that the oyster shells came from ancient Native American shell middens (piles) nearby. At the same time, the construction techniques reflect West African building traditions brought by Africans forced into slavery along the Carolina coast.
