The tabby ruins of the historic Baynard estate have been preserved at Sea Pines.
Originally built by Captain Jack Stoney in the 1790s, the Baynard house was once a grand antebellum plantation house overlooking the Calibogue Sound. The grounds includes the main house, as well as slave quarters. The are currently listed on the National Register of Historic Sites.
Legend has it that the house changed hands when Stoney lost a poker game to William Baynard in 1840. Baynard, a successful Sea Island Cotton plantation owner, raised four children at the mansion with his wife, Catherine.
When the Union forces invaded Hilton Head Island in 1861, the Baynards evacuated the property. The residence was raided and served as Union headquarters during the Civil War before being burned.
Numerous ghost stories and reports of paranormal activity surround this historic site on Hilton Head Island.
Over the years, some visitors claim to have seen the ghost of William Baynard. Some say they’ve seen his entire funeral procession, wandering the site after dark.
Located off of Plantation Drive in Sea Pines, Baynard Ruins Park is on the right just after passing Baynard Cove Road and Marsh Drive.
