Myrtle Beach history is divided into quite a few chapters. Like every other city, this beach city has its own story. Numerous historians have written and published books about the history of this city as it is interesting and just like a story. The history of Myrtle Beach is divided into different phases.

Phase 1: “Chicora” Phase

This was the earliest phase in history. This land was home to the Winyah and Waccamaw, the Indian tribes. The information and details about these are not very commonly found but pottery, arrowheads, and artifacts being found are proof of the existence of these tribes. This beach city was title as Chicora by these tribes which means “the Land” in English.

Phase 2: The Settlement of the Spanish

This was the second phase of Myrtle Beach history but it was brief. Spaniard Lucas Vasques de Allyon in the year 1526 made the first colony of North America here. However, due to the spreading of a fatal disease in this colony, the inhabitants perished in just one year.

Phase 3:  The English Settlement and the Era of Pirates

The third phase in the history of Myrtle Beach began when English colonists began to settle on this land. It was not very long after this settlement that these colonists began importing and exporting using the through the ocean. This was seen as a golden opportunity by the pirates and they began their loot and this is when the pirates’ era began. The most influential and strong pirates that ruled the ocean were the Blackbeard and Drunken Jack.

Phase 4: Development

The fourth phase was the one which helped in the development of this city. Due to the poor economy and the inaccessibility, not much could be done but Burroughs & Collins Company realized what a good opportunity this was to expand their financial assets and after a century of being inhabitant, the Myrtle Beach was occupied by this company. The company decided to build a resort here in 1901 and named it “Seaside Inn”. They sold the ocean fronts for $25. This place was given the names; Withers Big Swamp, the Long Bay, and Withers but soon, a competition was held to give a suitable name to this place. It was in this competition that the name Myrtle Beach was coined by Mrs. F.E. Burroughs, wife of the owner of Burroughs & Collins Company. Later, many developments were made, different resorts were set up in the area in the years 1920 to 1940. In 1949, an Air Force base was set up for the training of the forces to participate in the World War 2 but it was closed down in 1993. In the year 1957, Myrtle Beach became a properly functioning city.

Phase 5: Destruction by Hurricane Hazel

Hurricane Hazel massively destroyed the city in the year 1954. Numerous trees, hotels, and homes were destroyed. This was the beginning of the modern development of the city, with newer and better hotels and homes being built.

The Ghost Stories

Ghost stories make places much more interesting and fun to explore. Like many other cities, Myrtle Beach has its own ghost stories. The most popular are the two tragic love stories of ice Belin Flagg (1833-1849), this story is about a young girl who fell in love with a young boy who gave her a ring. After discovering the ring, her brother threw the ring in the waters of Murrells Inlet. And the ghost of Alice comes to look for the ring. The other one is about a soldier who was returning from war to marry his love and met an accident and dies, the locals say that the ghost of this soldier comes to warn his love about the hurricanes approaching. The ghost of the Grey man is said to be seen before the hurricane touches the city.

Much of Myrtle Beach culture comes from its historical background, ghost stories, and phases. The tribal culture is not practiced here but it is very much influenced by it.