Historic Port Royal Foundation

05/26/2026

05/24/2026

The Historic Port Royal Foundation is excited to begin a new chapter as the Port Royal Museum prepares to move to its future home at 1800 Paris Avenue.

This new space will allow the museum and visitor center to grow into a more welcoming destination for residents and visitors alike — creating opportunities for expanded exhibits, community gatherings, educational programs, and a stronger connection to Port Royal’s history and culture.

The Foundation is deeply grateful to the Town of Port Royal for supporting this effort by underwriting the rent and providing funding for renovations to help make this vision possible for the community.

As work begins, the Foundation is also seeking support through donations, materials, and volunteer trade work to help transform the building into a warm and inviting space that reflects the spirit of Port Royal.

Together, this community effort will help preserve our history while building something meaningful for future generations.

05/21/2026

We're happy to report that we received more support for the Port Royal Mile run on Sept 12th. Thanks to the Town of Port Royal, Safe Harbor, First Federal Bank, Durham Dental, The Arts, and ACE Hardware. We're still looking for more sponsors for this outstanding, family focused event: https://runsignup.com/Race/SC/PortRoyal/PortRoyalMile

05/16/2026

The Ball of Money rolls into Port Royal today! Help the Port Royal Historic Foundation renovate their new home-to-be @ 1800 Paris Ave. If you add just 1 dollar to our ball you can have a chance of winning half of all the bills on the ball and the other half goes to our historic foundation for renovations! Come be part of the change and donate! Come to the current museum and see our gigantic money ball - you can't miss it!!

05/14/2026

This 1941 photograph captures a vital chapter of Port Royal's history (Source: Beaufort County Lowcountry Digital Library). https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:1751

The image features four landmarks of great historical significance: the Train Station, Millett Park (home of the historic Magnolia Tree), the Metcalf Store, and Carpenters Hall.

Want to learn more about these landmarks? Stop by our Visitor Center and Museum at 1634 Paris Ave. Our knowledgeable docents are ready to share the deeper stories behind these structures and the historic events that shaped Port Royal!

05/12/2026

PORT ROYAL FACT, FICTION, OR FOLKLORE?

POST #3: Did Daniel F. Appleton ever live in Port Royal?

FOLKLORE:
A. Facebook posts and Walking Tour brochures state that the store, located at 703 Paris Ave (adjacent to Town Hall), was “built by the Appleton family as a residence in 1866.” This building is often referred to as the Metcalf Store and is the current home of Maggie Mae's Thrift Resale and The Gas Lantern Apothecary & Mystical.

B. Others report that the home, referred to as the "Appleton House", located at 923 9th Street was built by Daniel Appleton in 1873 and is considered the oldest house in Port Royal.

FACTS:
A. The building at 703 Paris Ave has all the traits of a store and NOT a residence. It has a similar design to the Scheper Store on 8th Street. The 1891 Port Royal Map, located in our Museum, shows a building at this location.

B. All Beaufort County Deed records (over 200 records) show that Appleton and is wife lived in “the city, county, and state of New York.”

C. Deed Records show that Appleton purchased the Battery Plantation in 1867 and the Old Fort Plantation in 1868. Appleton then laid out the Town of Port Royal on the former plantation lands and started selling lots in 1873.

D. Appleton sold Lots 31, 32, and 33 in Block 52 (location of the house at 923 9th Street) on April 1, 1873. The 1891 Map shows NO buildings located on 9th Street in Block 52. The 1899 Sanborn Fire Insurance map shows a dwelling at this location.

OPINION:
A. Since Deed records show only transfers of property and do not indicate when or if a building is erected on a property, we are unable to verify the construction date of these buildings, but is unlikely that the store was built in the 1860s. It's also unlikely that the house at 923 9th St was built in 1873, because it is not depicted on the 1891 map.

B. All Deed records show the Appleton’s lived in New York City, so it’s very unlikely that they ever lived in Port Royal.

YOUR THOUGHTS?

Stop by our Visitor Center and Museum at 1634 Paris Avenue to learn more about Port Royal.

05/12/2026

Did You Know?

The Port Royal Railroad was completed in February 1873. The line was 112 miles long between Augusta, GA and Port Royal, SC (the attached article states 110 miles).

To attract passengers, the railroad planted Magnolia trees at each mile marker and named the line the Magnolia Route.

Visit our Museum and Visitor Center at 1634 Paris Ave and stop by Millett Park at the end of Paris Ave to learn more about the Railroad and the history of Port Royal.

Coast Roast Coffee occupies the old passenger terminal and you can see a Magnolia Tree that was recently planted at mile marker 2 along the Spanish Moss Trial.

05/08/2026

Visit, Explore, Shop, and Enjoy Port Royal.