SCIWAY thanks Steven Faucette of Williamston for these pictures he took in 2012.

Directly out front you will find the Conway Town Clock, and across the street is the current Horry County Courthouse.

SCIWAY thanks Tony Morano of Longs for this picture taken in June 2010.

Horry County’s first courthouse was constructed in the early 1800s. It served the county until 1825, when a new courthouse was completed on Main Street. This second courthouse was designed by noted Charleston architect Robert Mills in the popular Greek Revival style. Although it now serves as Conway’s City Hall, locals still refer to it as the “Old Courthouse.”

The current courthouse (pictured here) was built during Conway’s most significant period of growth. Many of the oak trees on the courthouse grounds were planted by L.W. Brown, who served as Clerk of Court from 1909 to 1927. The courthouse has been renovated several times; the east and west wings were added in 1964.

The brick chimney pictured above is all that remains of the first steam-powered lumber mill in the Southeast. Completed in 1828, Buck’s Upper Mill was the first of three sawmills built by Henry Buck. Buck’s lumber production grew steadily, and by 1838 he had established Buck’s Middle Mill. It was here that Buck constructed a small fleet of ships which helped carry his lumber to Georgetown and Charleston. A third mill, Buck’s Lower Mill, was completed in Bucksport a short time later and quickly became a center for commerce and trade in Horry County.

Watch a video about Henry Buck and the Upper Mill Plantation.

Many thanks to Joanna Thurman of Conway for sharing this picture and historical information.

The island is named for William Waties, Jr., an Indian trader who discovered and claimed the land in 1735. There are several discrepancies regarding initial ownership, but the island was eventually acquired by Horace Tighlman in 1920.

The property remained in the Tighlman family until 1995, when Anne Tighlman Boyce donated over 1,000 acres to Coastal Carolina University. Waties Island is an integral part of the university’s Marine Science program and has become increasingly significant as an ecological research facility.

Many thanks to Ralph Preston of Murrells Inlet for sharing this photo.

The park was developed in the mid 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal program. It was the first state park opened to the public in South Carolina.

In addition to the fishing pier pictured above, the park also includes campgrounds, hiking trails, and an interactive nature center. Learn more about features of the park here.

The Governor’s Lighthouse is a facsimile lighthouse, meaning that it was not built by a government agency and cannot be used as a navigational aid. Despite this fact, it’s still a prominent local landmark and brings many visitors to the Little River area.

SCIWAY thanks Scott Hoffman of Green Sea, an unincorporated community near Loris, for this photo he took on November 3, 2010.

Scott writes: “We had some friends in from Missouri making their first visit to South Carolina. We were taking them out fishing, but it was a rough day on the sea and we had to turn around and come back. Our guests were thrilled at seeing this beautiful lighthouse — it was the highlight of the day.”

Popular with generations of fishermen, the two-story observation deck at the end of the 985-foot pier also attracts those who just want to enjoy the sweeping view that includes ocean, beach, and sky. Learn more about fishing at the pier by visiting the Cherry Grove Pier’s website.

This shot, taken from beneath the pier, takes in the vista from a different angle – one familiar to anyone who has sought out the shade on a hot day at the beach.

SCIWAY thanks Kevin Travis of Sumter, who shared this picture taken around sunset on New Year’s Eve, 2010.

Brown Pelicans once nested along coastal areas from Mexico to North Carolina, but today they only nest in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana. The Deveaux Bank Heritage Preserve within the ACE Basin is a very popular nesting spot for the pelicans.

Joanna Thurman of Conway captured this great shot, and says that she “much prefers winter at Myrtle Beach to summer, as one is more likely to have close encounters with visitors of another type, such as this Brown Pelican. I always carry a little camera in my pocket, and this day it paid off by providing me with a very fond memory. I chuckle every time I look at it because the bird was such a character.”

Learn more about the Eastern Brown Pelican.

The gardens are home to a variety of wildlife, as well as the historic Vereen family cemetery, which includes Revolutionary War graves. Trails and boardwalks travel through the park and along scenic marshes. Also, one of the last few unpaved stretches of the Kings Highway (PDF) goes through Vereen Memorial Gardens.

You can find the gardens on SC 179, just north of Little River near the North Carolina-South Carolina state line.

BJ Thurman of Conway took this picture in July 2010. She writes: “I discovered the gardens by chance one day when working in the area. That evening I went for a look and a walk and took this photo. The park is an exceedingly nice place to walk, with wooded trails, boardwalks through the marsh, and an observation deck overlooking the intracoastal waterway.”