One of Hilton Head’s largest historical groups wants to build a park to highlight a piece of land that once served as a cultural center of activity in the island’s antebellum era.
The Heritage Library Foundation is proposing turning the 4.8 acres it owns at the corner of Mathews Drive and William Hilton Parkway into a park to honor the history of the site it says was once home to a masonic lodge, prairie house, Gullah church and other structures. The land, known as the Zion Chapel of Ease and Cemetery site, currently holds the 1846 Baynard Mausoleum — the oldest intact structure on Hilton Head — and a cemetery where several Revolutionary War soldiers are buried. The chapel the site was named for was erected in 1786 under the direction of Capt. John Stoney and Isaac Fripp.
“This site was the societal center of the island in the days before the Civil War,” foundation president Robert Smith wrote in an e-mail. “It was accessible by several crossroads and by boat. … Here planters worshiped, buried their dead, joined the militia, met as freemasons, and provided a place for Christian worship for their slaves. These stories cry out to be told and treasured.”
The foundation presented the park proposal to a Town Council committee in early January to try to attract town interest in helping design and build the park. The park plan is in its early planning stages, so Smith said it’s too early to gauge a possible cost for the project, but he told the town it could be paid for by a combination of fundraising, grants and tax dollars.
Ideas for park amenities include a place for performances, picnic tables overlooking the marsh, walking trails and information panels throughout the property. The foundation is waiting for the full Town Council to discuss the project.
