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.”

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.”

Native American tribes who lived in this coastal area called the nearby stream Mineola, which means “little river.” Fisherman and farmers began settling in Little River during the 1600s and 1700s, which makes it one of the oldest settlements in our state. During his 1791 tour of South Carolina, President George Washington even stopped here to share dinner with Revolutionary War veteran James Cochran.

Little River’s small, protected harbor was a perfect stop for pirates, who make up a big part of local lore. Legend has it that Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, and Anne Bonny all visited the area.

In the 1850s, the village gained prosperity by shipping lumber and naval stores. Little River had a sawmill, a water house, many stores, a school, and a bank. The Civil War put an end to the shipping industry due to blockades, but a local salt works produced salt for the Confederate Army and kept the economy afloat.

Little River remains unincorporated, but it is growing quickly. The area has much to offer – a new post office, schools, golf courses, new homes, and bed-and-breakfast inns. And like many coastal towns, the fresh seafood is a favorite among residents and visitors alike!