In 1562, the French Huguenots landed on Parris Island. Later, the Spanish built the fortified village of Santa Elena on Parris Island, which served, for a brief time, as the capital of Spanish Florida, surviving until 1587 when the Spanish retreated to St. Augustine. Descendants of Alexander Parris, owner and namesake of the island, settled on Parris Island. Parris Island's owners and other Lowcountry patriots defended Beaufort and the Port Royal area from British attack during the American Revolution. By 1820, there were six plantations on Parris Island, all producing long staple, or sea island, cotton.

The plantation period came to an abrupt end in November 1861, when the Federal Navy captured Port Royal Sound. The plantations were broken up into small farms and sold to former slaves, and Parris Island became part of the area's Federal military installation during the Civil War.
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During the first years of its existence, the depot trained over 46,000 Marines for duty in World War I. With the outbreak of World War II, Parris Island became the training site of 204,000 Marines with as many as 20,000 on the island at one time. Today, Parris Island still serves as a Marine Recruit Depot, for recruits east of the Mississippi River, with some 18,000 men and 1,500 women completing their training each year.

Graduations are held every Friday on Parris Island. The closest accommodations to Parris Island can be found in Port Royal, near Beaufort. Visitors are welcome to tour the grounds to see Marines in training or visit the museum which is housed in the old War Memorial building. Museum exhibits include the history of Parris Island, World Wars I & II, Korean War and Cold War Eras, History of Women in the Military, barracks display and a gift shop.

Museum web page: www.mcrdpi.usmc.mil