There’s a secret park on Hilton Head’s waterfront. Soon, you’ll be able to explore it
A pocket of Live Oaks, waterfront views and Palmetto trees on Hilton Head Island makes you feel miles away from the nearby busy roads, long lines at restaurants and packed beaches.
Ford Shell Ring, an undeveloped 6.8-acre oasis in the historic Squire Pope community, is off Squire Pope Road just before the traffic circle that directs thousands of cars to Skull Creek restaurants.
The property isn’t open to the public right now, but the shell ring — which dates back 4,000 years to the Native Americans who once called Hilton Head home — will soon become a waterfront passive park.
A passive park doesn’t boast colorful playgrounds or a flashy water feature. It’s usually a small trail, a handful of parking spots and an educational sign along the way.
In March, Hilton Head’s town council voted unanimously to share construction and maintenance responsibilities with Beaufort County to develop the passive park. The town and county jointly purchased the property in 2003.
On Wednesday, the planning commission unanimously approved the plans for the property. The commission’s vote is the final approval needed for the park plan.
As one of the few slices of waterfront land on Hilton Head that isn’t privately owned or otherwise developed, the Ford Shell Ring is special, town leaders said.
“We’re an island, but we have cordoned off a significant amount of direct access to the (water) to the public, and we should take advantage of that use whenever we can,” Ward 3 representative David Ames said at the time.
The plan for the Ford Shell Ring site includes a paved entrance off Squire Pope Road, five parking spaces and a trail around the site. Two educational signs will be installed to share information about the shell ring.
There will be pathways to the waterfront at the park, according to a Wednesday presentation by town senior planner Jayme Lopko.
Stefanie Nagid, passive parks manager for Beaufort County, said she hopes to install a bench where residents and visitors can enjoy the view of the water, but there’s not enough money for a pier at the future park.
Beaufort County allocated $250,000 of Rural and Critical Lands Preservation bond funds toward the project, according to town documents. It will cost about $50,000 to plan the park, and the county has reserved $200,000 for permitting and construction.
Nagid said she hopes the minimal amount of construction needed for the parking area can start by the end of the year. She said she expects the park to be open in spring 2022.
The future park will feature information from the Archaeological Society of South Carolina.
On the site are two shell rings that form a figure eight. Shell rings, also called middens or trash heaps, are circular and semicircular deposits of shell, bone, soil and artifacts, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia.
The smaller ring was created around 300 years before the larger ring, which is approximately the same age as the Sea Pines Shell Ring on the south end, Rita Kiernan wrote in a blog post for the archaeological society.
Passive Parks Manager Nagid said the creation of more passive parks is crucial to maintaining a high quality of life on Hilton Head.
“Passive parks are definitely important in allowing people to slow down and enjoy nature, enjoy the culture of the area, learn history about where they live, and I think that’s refreshing,” Nagid said. “It gives people that chance to reboot.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2021 at 4:35 AM.
