Beaufort Inn

History

Guests have been welcomed to the Inn for more than 100 years. The Beaufort Inn includes several historic buildings that have played a role in the development of the United States and Beaufort. Learn more about our timeline below.

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The Beaufort Inn

Historical Timeline

  • 1897

    Beaufort Inn is Built

    The reception building or Main Inn was built in 1897 by William Sidney Smith as a summer retreat for his family.

  • 1920

    Guests Arrive

    The building first welcomed overnight guests in 1920 & was renamed The Beaufort Inn in 1930 by Mrs. Gordon Black.

  • 1999

    The Beaufort Inn Purchases Cottages and a Loft

    The Beaufort Inn purchases 308 Scott Street and 812 Port Republic Street

  • 1999

    The Beaufort Inn Purchases Beauloft

    The Beaufort Inn purchases 306 Scott Street

  • 2000

    The Beaufort Inn Purchases Tabby Garden

    The Beaufort Inn purchases 301-305 West Street

  • 2000

    The Beaufort Inn Purchases Cottages along Scott Street

    The Beaufort Inn purchases 212/214 Scott Street

  • 2001

    The Beaufort Inn is Sold

    In 2001 the Main Inn building was purchased by the Stewart family and the modern era of restoration begins.

  • 2001

    The Beaufort Inn Purchases Cottages

    The Beaufort Inn purchases 803-805 Port Republic Street

  • 2002

    The Beaufort Inn Renovates Cottages

    The Beaufort Inn renovates 803-805 Port Republic Street into 2 guest suites, 807 Port Republic Street into 2 guest suites, 308 Scott Street into 2 guest rooms and the accessory dwelling into 1 guest room

  • 2004

    The Beaufort Inn Garden Cottages are Created

    The Beaufort Inn constructs a new 4 guest room building, The Garden Cottage.

  • 2002

    Notable Visitors

    The Beaufort Inn hosts US Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt. Other notable guests include Julia Roberts, Jimmy Buffett, and more.

  • 2009

    Tabby Garden is Created

    The Beaufort Inn converts an asphalt parking lot on West Street into Tabby Garden

  • 2011

    Spa Facility is Created

    The Beaufort Inn renovates 304 Scott Street, which had been vacant for many years, into a spa facility.

  • 2015

    Tabby Place is Created

    The Beaufort Inn renovates and restores an old grocery store, which had been vacant for the better part of 20 years, into Tabby Place event venue.

  • 2016

    808 Bay Street is Renovated

    303 Associates renovates the 2nd floor of 808 Bay Street into a 3- bedroom, 2-bath residence that can be booked through The Beaufort Inn.

  • 2017

    The Craven Cottage is Constructed

    The Beaufort Inn constructs a new 12-room Cottage, the Craven Cottage, in the area of former gravel parking lot.

    Historic Beaufort Foundation awards the Beaufort Inn “Best New Construction / Infill” award for the Craven Cottage.

The Beaufort Inn

Wallace Smith Mansion

Guests have been welcomed to the Inn for more than 100 years. The Beaufort Inn includes several historic buildings that have played a role in the development of the United States and Beaufort.

The reception building or Main Inn was built in 1897 by William Sidney Smith as a summer retreat for his family. Mr. Smith was a lawyer and State Representative. The building first welcomed overnight guests in 1920 and was renamed The Beaufort Inn in 1930 by Mrs. Gordon Black. The House was updated and remodeled in the early 1900’s by the Fielden Family. In 2001 the building was purchased by the Stewart family, and the modern era of restoration, and consolidation of fragmented properties began.
Some of the buildings are older than the Smith House, such as the Rhett Cottage and The Female Benevolent Society House.

The Beaufort Inn

Female Benevolent Society Cottage

The Society was formed in 1814 to help and to educate destitute children. The Society built the Cottage in 1895. The cottage has been home to The Clover Club, which founded Beaufort’s first lending library in the cottage. The lending library led to the formation of the public library system which has its’ headquarters just across the street from the cottage. A separate attached cottage served as an infirmary with an outdoor waiting room. The society sold the cottage in 1982 and continues to use the proceeds to provide relief to people in need. Renovations were completed in 2003 when the cottage became part of The Beaufort Inn . An internet search of Beaufort Female Society yields copies of minutes, details about the cottage and other items of interest.

The Beaufort Inn

Rhett Cottage

The Rhett Cottage was built by lawyer Edmund Rhett as his office in the 1850’s. He served as Mayor and also in the SC legislature. He is most often remembered as one of the Fire-eaters who encouraged South Carolina to secede from the United States. It is commonly believed that the Articles of Secession which led to the Civil War were in part drafted in this building. The story of this building continued during the Civil War when wounded Union Troops, including troops of African American descent, were housed there. After the Civil War the building housed the leather-bound voting books that were transported throughout the County to allow people to vote, including slaves freed during the Civil War. In classic Beaufort fashion, the building also served as voter registration center for decades during which untold numbers of freed slaves registered to vote at the same site where the words leading to secession and the US Civil war were first put to paper. Relocated to its’ current site at the request of The Historic Beaufort Foundation, The Rhett Cottage is now tastefully and beautifully renovated into two guest rooms.