The Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage welcomes Santa Elena, an exhibition exploring the little-known history of one of North America's earliest European colonial settlements. The exhibition features materials on loan from the Coastal Discovery Museum and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, with assistance from the University of South Carolina's South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA).

Founded in 1566 on present-day Parris Island, Santa Elena served as the first capital of Spanish Florida and a center of Spain's efforts to establish a foothold in North America. But its story began long before the Spanish arrived, with Indigenous communities who called the region home.

Through historical maps, illustrations and archaeological materials, Santa Elena explores the competing ambitions of Spanish and French colonists, their encounters with Native American peoples and the challenges of establishing a settlement on the South Carolina coast. The exhibition also examines how archaeological discoveries have helped uncover this often-overlooked chapter of Lowcountry history.

Santa Elena is on view Wednesday through Saturday, 11am–3pm. Admission to the MCLH is always free.