Discover treasuresâcultural, culinary, and historicâalong Bay Street in Beaufort, South Carolina Discover treasuresâcultural, culinary, and historicâalong Bay Street in Beaufort, South Carolina But for all its weighty history, a light spirit pervades this Lowcountry strip Illustrated map by Amelia Flower Bejeweled at both ends by historic riverfront mansions and ancient live oaks, with a dynamic commercial district in between, Bay Street in downtown Beaufort seems a microcosm of the city: a place where Old South and New South peacefully coexist. Founded in 1711, Beaufort was the birthplace of secession, but the town was occupied by Union forces early in the Civil War and later spared Shermanâs torch. On nearby St. Helena Island, the 1862-founded Penn Center memorializes the countryâs first school for freed slaves; Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his âI Have a Dreamâ speech there a century later. So plentiful are its pre-war and post-war landmarks, President Barack Obama established Reconstruction Era National Historical Park in Beaufort in January 2017.