New in paperback
Myrtle Beach
A History, 1900–1980
Barbara F. Stokes
“Anyone interested in the social and political influence of tourism in the modern South
should pay attention to this readable book. . . . This is a rosey, well-written account of
how Horry County sand and swamp gave way to the asphalt and neon of one of the
nation’s most popular tourist destinations.”—South Carolina Historical Magazine
“Stokes has written a superb book, gracefully chronicling people and events that
shaped Myrtle Beach. It is the ultimate beach read.”—Susan Hoffer McMillan, author of
Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand
A relatively young city, Myrtle Beach has quickly earned an international reputation
as a tourism mecca on the South Carolina coast. Barbara F. Stokes provides the first
comprehensive history of the community’s quick rise to prominence as she maps the
historical, economic, climatic, and cultural forces that shaped Myrtle Beach.
The arrival of the railroad in 1902 began the transformation of Myrtle Beach from an
isolated agricultural community into a summer beach resort. While the Great Depression brought economic distress to much of the nation, it presented wealthy industrialist John T. Woodside with the opportunity to expand Myrtle Beach’s borders with the
purchase of some sixty-five thousand acres. His construction of a golf course and the
magnificent Ocean Forest Hotel inaugurated Myrtle Beach’s resort culture.
In this sweeping history, Stokes explores the defining importance of the Myrtle
Beach Army Air Force Base during World War II, the development of the city’s familyoriented identity, the evolution of family-owned guesthouses into the high-rise hotels
and sprawling resorts, and the transformation of leisure activities from hunting and
fishing to golf, racing, and watersports. Stokes also looks at the history of African
Americans in Myrtle Beach and in particular at the importance of Atlantic Beach. And
she recounts the tragedy and opportunity Hurricane Hazel brought in October 1954.
Barbara F. Stokes is the curator of
archives and collections for the
Museum of South Texas History in
Edinburg, Texas.
November 2010, 256 pages, 42 illus.
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