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Santa Elena

Ghost town · Beaufort County, South Carolina

Fort Fremont quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1944, 1:62,500)
Fort Fremont quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1944, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Santa Elena is a ghost town in Beaufort County, South Carolina. It is one of 3 former communities in Beaufort County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 37th among the 43 South Carolina counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Santa Elena as a historical populated place on the Parris Island topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 32.3066° N, 80.6754° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleParris Island
Elevation6 ft
Nearest living townPort Royal, SC
Distance to it3.7 miles
GNIS feature ID1237433
Coordinates32.30659, -80.67539

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What's there now

Santa Elena is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Port Royal, SC (population 15,047), about 3.7 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 6 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Santa Elena?

Santa Elena is in Beaufort County, South Carolina, at 32.3066, -80.6754.

How many ghost towns are in Beaufort County?

Beaufort County, South Carolina has 3 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.