HISTORY
OF THE COASTAL DISCOVERY MUSEUM

The Coastal Discovery Museum, originally known as The Environmental and Historical Museum of Hilton Head Island, was founded in 1985 to educate the public about the natural and cultural resources of Hilton Head Island and the surrounding Lowcountry. Its founding board was chaired by Helen Cork and included many of the island’s community leaders, such as Billie Hack, Charles Fraser, Robert Peeples, Elizabeth Chisolm, and Michael Taylor, the musician who co-wrote “Rocky Mountain High” and “Sunshine on My Shoulders,” and later became a historian, archaeologist, and preservationist.

In 1988, Taylor became museum director, overseeing the launch of the museum’s first beach, nature, and history walks, lectures, archaeological digs at Fish Haul Creek and Mitchelville, management of the prehistoric Green’s Shell Enclosure, and operations such as a bird hospital and Project Turtle Watch.

The museum steadily grew from its early years located in a mid-island storefront to its first building near today’s Crazy Crab restaurant. In 2007, the museum moved to its permanent home at Honey Horn, a 70-acre historic property dating back more than 300 years. With the support of the Town of Hilton Head Island and then Mayor Tom Peeples, the museum expanded its programs and reach, offering visitors access to trails, marshes, gardens, and historic buildings.

Today, the museum welcomes more than 130,000 visitors annually. As a Smithsonian Affiliate, it continues to fulfill the vision of its founders: to educate and inspire the community and visitors to care for the Lowcountry’s unique cultural and natural heritage. Its guiding principle, established at its founding, emphasizes presenting Hilton Head’s resources in an educational context to foster understanding and appreciation for the island’s delicate balance of nature and culture.