The land around Murrells Inlet has a record of settlement that goes back
thousands of years, before written history, but evident in the shell mounds and
archeological findings from the Atlantic Ocean to the Waccamaw River. The early
inhabitants included the Waccamaw Indians who took advantage of the natural
resources provided by the creeks and rivers. Wachesaw is loosely translated as
"Place of Great Weeping," in reference to the burial grounds. Indian
burial mounds have been found along the high bluffs at Wachesaw that contained
European beads, urns and other artifacts.
The recorded history of the area goes
