Bellagiche CDC details wayfinding plan to mark Gullah cultural sites; contractor adds youth internships

Thomas Boxley, presenting for the Bellagiche Historical Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation, outlined a wayfinding application designed to identify and interpret culturally significant Gullah sites on Hilton Head Island. He said the proposed stops include Old Schoolhouse Park, Robinson Junior High School, Fish Camp, a fishing co‑op/rowing and sailing center, Dreesen Beach Park (to commemorate African American beaches) and Mitchellville, and that the contractor, Soleil, expects to finish development within about two weeks.

Boxley said the plan includes physical signage at each site with scannable QR codes to provide visitor-facing content and an airport stop to give arriving travelers an immediate introduction to the community’s cultural assets. “We have identified all of the sites that will be identified through this application,” he said, noting the selection was informed by elders and community input. He added that final mockups of signage will be shared with the board before installation.

Board members asked whether signage and mockups would be circulated for feedback; Boxley said the CDC will share final mockups for board approval and that signage placed at Dreesen Beach Park avoids private‑beach permitting issues. He also said the project’s contractor expanded its original plan to include nine interns working in three teams — content creation, web development and augmented‑reality — and that the CDC will schedule an evening rollout meeting so youth participants can attend. Boxley said the rollout will include outreach to both Hilton Head Island and neighboring Bluffton.

Next steps: Soleil will complete the application development, the CDC will finalize signage designs with Melissa Stewart and the town’s approval process, and a community presentation and rollout will be scheduled once mockups are finalized.