Burroughs & Chapin
Encyclopedia
Burroughs & Chapin Company, Inc. is a real estate development company established in 1895 and is based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
. Its main office is located at 2411 North Oak Street near the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. Burroughs & Chapin owns or has had a hand in developing some of the most widely known attractions in the area. Some of these include:
settled in nearby Conway and established a turpentine business there. As Burroughs' turpentine and mercantile business grew, Conway flourished as a primary destination on the Waccamaw River. Burroughs' riverboats linked Horry County to the rest of the world.
After service in the Civil War, Burroughs returned to Conway and formed a partnership with Benjamin Grier Collins, a native of nearby Georgetown County. The two men expanded the company's commercial interests into timber, farm credit, consumer goods, riverboats and, eventually, the first railway through the swamps of Horry County to the beaches of what are today Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand
.
F.G. Burroughs foresaw that one day the beaches of the Grand Strand would grow to rival the then-famous northern resort destinations of Coney Island
and Atlantic City. Burroughs died in 1897 before his efforts to link the beach, via railroad, to the rest of the world were realized. In pursuit of their fathers' dream, Collins' and Burroughs' sons completed the railroad and built the Seaside Inn in 1901, the first oceanfront hotel in Myrtle Beach.
The Seaside Inn was followed by a bathhouse and a wooden pavilion around which beach houses were constructed. By 1907, "New Town" by the sea, as Myrtle Beach was then called, had become a popular vacation spot. When a contest was held to name the new beach resort, Burroughs' widow, Miss Addie, suggested "Myrtle Beach" for its proliferation of wild wax myrtle bushes.
Burroughs & Chapin Company was soon to benefit from the arrival of another individual of extraordinary business acumen. In 1912, Simeon B. Chapin, son of a prominent Chicago merchant, and himself a highly successful New York stock broker and real estate investor, joined with the Burroughs brothers to form the Myrtle Beach Farms Company. Chapin's financial resources and business experience, coupled with the Burroughs' vast real estate holdings, provided for a period of sustained economic growth. The landmark Myrtle Beach Pavilion
was expanded, a downtown shopping district took shape around The Chapin Company General Store and housing needs were met by Myrtle Beach Farms residential real estate developments.
As the area began to take shape, Myrtle Beach Farms Company contributed philanthropically to a broad spectrum of community needs. Most of the region's churches were built on land donated by the company. Myrtle Beach State Park, sits forever untouched on 320 acres (1.3 km²) of prime oceanfront land given by the company to the state of South Carolina. All the public access that exists today along Myrtle Beach's 10 miles (16.1 km) of beachfront is the direct result of land (street ends) given by Burroughs & Chapin Company to the City of Myrtle Beach on the condition that the land remain undeveloped and used for public access. Many school sites also were provided by the company throughout Horry County. In more recent history, the company provided land for the Myrtle Beach Convention Center
, land for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans
baseball team's stadium on 21st Avenue North in Myrtle Beach, and has provided many millions of dollars to Coastal Carolina University
, Francis Marion University
, Horry-Georgetown Technical College
and other institutions of higher learning.
In 1990, Myrtle Beach Farms Company joined with Conway-based Burroughs & Collins Company to form Burroughs & Chapin Company, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina. It is considered to be a major tourist destination in the...
. Its main office is located at 2411 North Oak Street near the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. Burroughs & Chapin owns or has had a hand in developing some of the most widely known attractions in the area. Some of these include:
- Broadway at the BeachBroadway at the BeachBroadway at the Beach is a shopping center located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Since its inception in 1996, it has grown to be one of Myrtle Beach's premier shopping destinations. Broadway at the Beach is owned and operated by Burroughs & Chapin Company, Inc...
- Myrtle Square MallMyrtle Square MallMyrtle Square Mall was the first enclosed shopping mall in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States, located in the heart of the city. It bordered the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Kings Highway, Oak Street, and it was in very close proximity to residential neighborhoods and many oceanfront...
- Coastal Grand MallCoastal Grand MallCoastal Grand Mall is a super-regional shopping mall in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States. The mall is the second largest in the state, with of retail space. The mall is one level, but the majority of the anchor stores have two.-Description:...
- Grande DunesGrande DunesThe Grande Dunes is a golf facility located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The course is situated between U.S. 17 and South Carolina Highway 31....
History
Burroughs & Chapin Company's presence in Horry County and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, began more than a century ago when Franklin BurroughsFranklin Burroughs
Franklin G. Burroughs was a turpentine and naval entrepreneur who, along with Benjamin Grier Collins, founded the Burroughs and Collins company, later known as Burroughs and Chapin. The company was a major catalyst in growing the Grand Strand area in South Carolina and continues to play a major...
settled in nearby Conway and established a turpentine business there. As Burroughs' turpentine and mercantile business grew, Conway flourished as a primary destination on the Waccamaw River. Burroughs' riverboats linked Horry County to the rest of the world.
After service in the Civil War, Burroughs returned to Conway and formed a partnership with Benjamin Grier Collins, a native of nearby Georgetown County. The two men expanded the company's commercial interests into timber, farm credit, consumer goods, riverboats and, eventually, the first railway through the swamps of Horry County to the beaches of what are today Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand
Grand Strand
The Grand Strand refers to a large stretch of beaches on the East Coast of the United States extending from Little River to Georgetown in the U.S. State of South Carolina. It consists of 60+ miles along an essentially uninterrupted arc of beach land, beginning around the Little River and...
.
F.G. Burroughs foresaw that one day the beaches of the Grand Strand would grow to rival the then-famous northern resort destinations of Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
and Atlantic City. Burroughs died in 1897 before his efforts to link the beach, via railroad, to the rest of the world were realized. In pursuit of their fathers' dream, Collins' and Burroughs' sons completed the railroad and built the Seaside Inn in 1901, the first oceanfront hotel in Myrtle Beach.
The Seaside Inn was followed by a bathhouse and a wooden pavilion around which beach houses were constructed. By 1907, "New Town" by the sea, as Myrtle Beach was then called, had become a popular vacation spot. When a contest was held to name the new beach resort, Burroughs' widow, Miss Addie, suggested "Myrtle Beach" for its proliferation of wild wax myrtle bushes.
Burroughs & Chapin Company was soon to benefit from the arrival of another individual of extraordinary business acumen. In 1912, Simeon B. Chapin, son of a prominent Chicago merchant, and himself a highly successful New York stock broker and real estate investor, joined with the Burroughs brothers to form the Myrtle Beach Farms Company. Chapin's financial resources and business experience, coupled with the Burroughs' vast real estate holdings, provided for a period of sustained economic growth. The landmark Myrtle Beach Pavilion
Myrtle Beach Pavilion
The Myrtle Beach Pavilion was an amusement park located on the corner of 9th Avenue and Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Considered by many as the "heart" of Myrtle Beach, the Pavilion sat one block away from the beach itself in a pedestrian-populated area, surrounded by similar...
was expanded, a downtown shopping district took shape around The Chapin Company General Store and housing needs were met by Myrtle Beach Farms residential real estate developments.
As the area began to take shape, Myrtle Beach Farms Company contributed philanthropically to a broad spectrum of community needs. Most of the region's churches were built on land donated by the company. Myrtle Beach State Park, sits forever untouched on 320 acres (1.3 km²) of prime oceanfront land given by the company to the state of South Carolina. All the public access that exists today along Myrtle Beach's 10 miles (16.1 km) of beachfront is the direct result of land (street ends) given by Burroughs & Chapin Company to the City of Myrtle Beach on the condition that the land remain undeveloped and used for public access. Many school sites also were provided by the company throughout Horry County. In more recent history, the company provided land for the Myrtle Beach Convention Center
Myrtle Beach Convention Center
Myrtle Beach Convention Center is a 8,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It hosts various local concerts and sporting events for the area and was the home arena for the Myrtle Beach Stingrays of the National Indoor Football League in 2003.This was also the location of...
, land for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Myrtle Beach Pelicans
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a minor league baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. They are a Class A Advanced team in the Carolina League and the franchise is currently the farm team of the Texas Rangers. From their inaugural season until 2010, the Pelicans were an affiliate of the...
baseball team's stadium on 21st Avenue North in Myrtle Beach, and has provided many millions of dollars to Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University is an independent, state-supported, liberal arts university in Conway, South Carolina, USA, located eight miles west of Myrtle Beach. Founded in 1954, Coastal became an independent university in 1993. The University enrolls approximately 8,300 students on its campus...
, Francis Marion University
Francis Marion University
Francis Marion University is a state-supported liberal arts university located six miles east of Florence, South Carolina, USA...
, Horry-Georgetown Technical College
Horry-Georgetown Technical College
Horry-Georgetown Technical College is a 2-year community college in Conway, South Carolina, U.S.A. The college's president is H. Neyle Wilson. It is a part of the South Carolina Technical College System....
and other institutions of higher learning.
In 1990, Myrtle Beach Farms Company joined with Conway-based Burroughs & Collins Company to form Burroughs & Chapin Company, Inc.