The school was established in 1862 by Northern Missionaries as the first school in the South for freed slaves. The center and its museum are open daily. What began in 1891 as a small detachment of Marines for a naval station has grown to a training battalion for nearly 20,000 Marines graduated each year. The on-site Museum has special exhibit rooms that reflect over 200 years of Marine Corps growth and Parris Island's development. The Beaufort area is home to various well known artists, author's and performing artists.
Local shops feature their work, theatres their presentations.
Even before the Civil War Beaufort was known as the cultural center for the Low Country. That tradition continues today.