Huntington Beach shares its history with Brookgreen Gardens, located just across US 17. The two properties make up more than 9,000 acres of property once owned by Anna and Archer Huntington. The Huntingtons came to Georgetown County in 1931. They built their winter home, Atalaya, on what was then known as Magnolia Beach.

Today, Atayla still stands guard over the beach that was renamed in its owners’ honor. The rambling fortress is separated from the ocean only by dunes and low thickets of vegetation. In the Huntington’s time, it was even nearer the sea.

Huntington Beach State Park is also home to a great trail system and meanders through native forests, hammocks, and wetlands. Sandpiper Pond, pictured below, runs for more than a mile behind the dunes. Photographer Ralph Preston describes the scene: “The first time I found this view there were hundreds of swallows feeding. I have returned three times and no swallows. It’s the only place I’ve found around here where you can see the fresh-water marsh, dunes, and ocean in one view.”

On the subject of wildlife, John Bernabeu (also of Murrells Inlet) adds, “My wife Sharon and I are relatively new retirees to this wonderful area and simply love to walk the beach at Huntington all year long. We are both amateur photographers and try to capture wildlife as we find it. All my life I have been fascinated by ‘sea foam’ and when I could get a Sanderling included I almost fainted! Huntington Beach State Park played a serious role in our decision to retire to this area.”

Finally, Mel White, a contributor from nearby Pawleys Island, writes that “Huntington Beach is an excellent location to photograph birds, water fowl, and alligators. I go there often and am never disappointed in what I find. Although you can find interesting subjects all year, the spring and summer are very good times to photograph. The causeway offers an excellent location to get close to the wildlife and take some very good photos. Get there early in the morning as that is when you will find the most activity.”

The name is Spanish for watchtower, the dominant feature of the castle-like structure that Archer designed based on memories of his travels to the Mediterranean Coast. The watchtower may not have served as a lookout, but it did have an important function. It was a water tower instead.

There are no known blueprints for this sprawling fortress. Archer conveyed his ideas to the contractor verbally, revealing a little more from his imagination day by day. After awhile, the contractor is said to have joked, “Mr. Huntington, if you tell me much more, I’ll find out what you are building.”

Nevertheless, the result is spectacular! There is no furniture left inside, and the walls and open windows have been left exposed to the elements. Wandering down the cool corridors and roaming from room to room – there are 50 in all! – is a welcome respite from the sun and sand. It also makes a magical maze for children to explore.

The above photo shows one of Atalaya’s corner rooms. Atalaya’s four wings form a square around a large interior courtyard. The outer walls of the home extend 200 feet, and there are 50 rooms in all – including studios and stables. The massive structure is often mistaken for a jail or fortress. Today, people commonly refer to Atalaya as a castle.

Above, an alternate shot of the walls and windows of Atalaya. During the Huntington’s winter visits, they often kept large animals such as bears inside their home. Anna would use these animals as models for statues. There were also servant quarters, a library, a sun room, and various food preparation and dining rooms – including a specialized oyster-shucking room!

Geraniums and liropie grow in one of Atalaya’s beautiful flower boxes. The flower boxes line a central corridor which serves as the home’s main entry and divides the interior courtyard in two. The courtyard is planted with palmettos, South Carolina’s State Tree.

Anna Huntington, a renowned sculptor, designed Atalaya’s window grilles. Many of the window panes and casements are now missing, but here and there they remain. Wind rustles through the empty spaces as you explore, lending life and movement to the low, cool rooms.

Over 9,000 acres remain between the two properties, and the land serves primarily to protect nature and wildlife. Brookgreen features a small zoo, and there are plenty of nature trails and wildlife viewing opportunities at Huntington. Its three miles of undeveloped oceanfront – a rarity in South Carolina – are alone worth the trip.

These photos were taken during SCIWAY’s day at Huntington Beach in March 2008. Huntington shares its history with Brookgreen Gardens, located just across US 17. The two properties make up more than 9,000 acres of property once owned by Anna and Archer Huntington. The Huntingtons came to Georgetown in 1931. They built their winter home, Atalaya, on what was then known as Magnolia Beach. The rambling fortress is separated from the ocean only by dunes and low thickets of vegetation. In the Huntington’s time, it was even nearer the sea.

Archer Huntington decided he liked the way the mortar looked before it was scraped off (as is traditionally done), so he asked his workers to skip this step. The effect became known as the “Huntington Squeeze.”

The land that comprises Brookgreen Gardens was originally inhabited by the Waccamaw Indians, but was developed into four separate rice plantations in the 1700s: Brookgreen Plantation, Laurel Hill Plantation, Oaks Plantation, and Springfield Plantation.

In 1930, philanthropists Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington purchased over 9,000 acres of land (including the former plantations) stretching from the Waccamaw River to the Atlantic Ocean. This purchase included the beachfront property that would later become Huntington Beach State Park. The beauty and history of the land prompted the Huntingtons to establish the first public sculpture garden in the United States.

The heart of Brookgreen Gardens is the Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington Sculpture Garden, which boasts a collection of more than 1,400 works from over 350 world-famous artists. Many of the works were created by co-founder Anna Hyatt Huntington, who was a master sculptress and member of the National Sculpture Society. The sculpture garden was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1992.

Brookgreen’s 1931 charter established it as “A Society for Southeastern Flora and Fauna,” and today you can observe a variety of animals in the garden’s zoo. In addition to native wildlife, such as river otters and fox squirrels, you can also see domestic animals common to colonial South Carolina, such as Red Devon Milking Cows and Tunis Sheep. The zoo also features several aviaries, a fox glade, a white-tailed deer savannah, and an alligator swamp.