Author: Daryl Ferguson

The Importance of Santa Elena In 1565, Spain and France were in a race to be the first to either reinforce or destroy the French foothold in North America. To both Spain and France, this race meant only one thing: “to settle is to conquer.” Or as the Spanish said it, “poplar es conquistar.”

America’s First “Truck”If you saw the 16th century Spanish ship in April you experienced a real treat. The replica of the San Pelayo that landed at Port Royal gave us a good idea of how the first European pioneers traveled from Seville to the New World.

France and Spain – To Settle is to Conquer On February 18, 1562 France implemented the second part of its strategy to penetrate Spain’s claim on what is now the United States. It sent Jean Ribault, and 150 men, to Spain’s Punta Santa Elena (Port Royal Sound) to establish Charlesfort. After building the fort, Ribault departs. He leaves 30 men to establish a French settlement. France eventually tells its European neighbors that they have established Charlesfort as an out-of-country refuge where its protestant Huguenots can worship as they please. Charlesfort, however, only lasts for eleven months. But Spain’s King Philip ll does not know that. He orders the Governor of Cuba to send a ship to Charlesfort and see if it is still operational.

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The story is not yet exposed to sunlight.  In 1978, Stan South was recognized as the archaeologist who discovered Santa Elena, the “lost” capital of La Florida. In the South Carolina press, and one small story in the New York Times, that’s how Stan’s discovery was announced. But in the outside world, most people seem to have understood the press release as saying that Stan South had discovered an early capital of the state of Florida.

Is the long lost capital of Europe’s first colony located on Parris Island? Two forces came together between 1974 and 1980 that put a spotlight on Santa Elena and Parris Island. First, Dr. Eugene Lyon published his book The Enterprise of Florida. For the first time, the role that Spain and Santa Elena played in the permanent settlement of North America is revealed.

Let’s make a quick review.   In 1923 the Marine Corps asked Major George Osterhout to determine if the recently discovered 16th century fort on Parris Island was French or Spanish. The importance of this question was huge.

Suddenly, all the newspapers – and even big billboards on the highway – are telling us that “Santa Elena came before Jamestown,” or, as Dr. Larry Rowland puts it, “This is where America began!” But how is this possible? Before last year, had anybody even heard of Santa Elena? Our teachers never covered this chapter of American history.