North Coast Newsletter: Heading to the Beach

Welcome to the June 2023 issue of the North Coast newsletter!

School’s out and summer is (almost) here, so let’s go to the beach! In June, we recognize World Oceans Day (June 8) and Juneteenth (June 19), so what better way to mark the month than by highlighting McKenzie Beach in Georgetown County, a historic refuge for Black beachgoers during Segregation. We also have an opportunity for you to provide input on the future of resilience in the area. Check it out below!

Let us know if you have a special place you’d like us to cover in the next newsletter! We always love learning about and exploring new places.

See you at the beach!
Becky

Becky Ryon
North Coast Office Director

TREASURES OF THE NORTH COAST

The southern end of Litchfield Beach looking across Midway Inlet towards McKenzie Beach. 

If you’re heading north on US 17 in Pawleys Island, keep an eye out on the right side of the road, just past the Fresh Market. Don’t blink or you’ll miss the ghostly, concrete shell remnants that were once the motel at McKenzie Beach. During Segregation, the surrounding beaches were closed to Black visitors, so Lillian Golden Pyatt created her own oasis, founding the Magnolia Beach Club in 1934 and partnering with Frank and Elizabeth McKenzie to build a resort with a restaurant, homes, a bait-and-tackle shop, and the 24-room motel. In the first half of the 20th century, the club hosted icons of the era – Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Ray Charles all performed here on the circuit of Green Book clubs around the country.

Once stretching 23-acres from US 17 and across the saltmarsh to beachfront on the southern tip of Litchfield Beach, McKenzie Beach was devastated by Hurricane Hazel in 1954. The causeway to the beach was washed away, the buildings destroyed, and though some efforts were made to rebuild, the resort never recovered and fell into disrepair in the 1970s. Due to the sensitive environmental habitat, a bridge can’t be rebuilt. Today, the property remains private with several owners, and discussions continue about the future of the property, including how to recognize and maintain the historical and cultural legacy for generations to come.

As we’ve talked about before, Georgetown County is in the process of updating their Comprehensive Plan, which will set goals and objectives for the county for the next 10 years. In 2020, the state legislature added a requirement for a Resiliency element that “considers the impacts of flooding, high water, and natural hazards on individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, economic development, public infrastructure and facilities, and public health, safety and welfare.”

The Resiliency element is also meant to incorporate goals and strategies of the other elements included in the Comprehensive Plan. So far, Georgetown County has adopted the Housing, Cultural Resources, and Transportation elements. County Council has deferred the adoption of the Natural Resources element while the Land Use one is drafted, to ensure the two do not conflict. They recently hired the Boudreaux Group out of Columbia to facilitate the public input and drafting of the Land Use element, and St. Bernard Project was contracted to draft the Resiliency element.

Please take a few moments to share your thoughts on current conditions and the future strategies you’d like Georgetown County to consider for resilience! They are now accepting comments on the draft here.

Upcoming Events

Myrtle Beach’s Annual Juneteenth Celebration – Saturday, June 17, 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. The event kicks off with the Unity March and everyone is invited to join! The line-up time is 8:30 a.m., with the parade beginning at 10:00 a.m. Click here for line-up information and route details. Celebrate African American history at the Juneteenth celebration, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Charlie’s Place. Activities include poetry, live music, vendors, Gullah Geechee storytelling, children’s games and more.

Cultural History of Wetlands in SC – Wednesday, June 28, 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. The North Inlet-Winyah Bay NERR will host a free webinar to discuss an overview of human-wetland interactions throughout history and cultural connections to wetland ecosystems. Society and culture have been shaped by wetlands and, in return, humans have strongly impacted wetlands. This is especially true in coastal South Carolina where wetlands are a dominant feature of the landscape and have played an integral role in the lives of residents, from the earliest indigenous people to the present day. Register here.

County Government Meetings

Joint Meeting of Georgetown City and County Council – Tuesday, June 20 at 5:30 p.m., Howard Auditorium, 1610 Hawkins Street. Find more information here.

Horry County Council – Tuesday, March 7 and 21 at 6 p.m., Horry County Government & Justice Center, 1301 2nd Avenue, Conway. Find more information here.

We welcome your thoughts on how we can work together to enhance conservation on the North Coast. You can reach me at [email protected] and Trapper Fowler at [email protected].