Beaches of Their Own: Magnolia & McKenzie Beach

Two miles north of the Hammock Coast Shops at Pawleys Island there is a stretch of land on the south side of Ocean Highway where a decrepit old building lies in ruin. If its walls could talk, the abandoned structure, surrounded by a fence and “No Trespassing” signs, would tell the stories of the McKenzie family and the unique experiences they created for Blacks during the Jim Crow era and the decades of segregation that followed.

Around 1934, local Elizabeth “Miss Liz” McKenzie inherited property that extended between the marsh and the road. At about the same time, Lillian Golden Pyatt inherited an adjacent oceanfront lot that stretched along the southern tip of what was then called “Magnolia Beach” and is known today as Litchfield Beach. Miss Liz and her husband Frank McKenzie partnered with Pyatt. Together they brought to life her vision of opening a 28-acre resort where Blacks could stay overnight and enjoy direct access to the beach, rights that were nonexistent during that time.

In 1936, Frank and his crew began construction on the Magnolia Beach project. A 4-acre tract on the mainland marsh and creekfront included several privately-owned homes, 17 rustic guest cabins, a bait and tackle shop and a hotel with a restaurant. On the 6-acre oceanfront and creek peninsula, he built a large pavilion with a restaurant and a performance stage area that overlooked the water, along with several beach cabins. He also added a causeway that led to the edge of 18 acres of marsh and a deepwater creek, which could be accessed by a 10-foot-wide pedestrian bridge. Behind the scenes, Miss Liz ran the catering division, serving visitors with fresh catch from local waterways. As the McKenzies and their children Donald and Dottie Jane lived as well as worked on the property, the land and its buildings were always well maintained.

In the meantime, Pyatt took over reservations, advertising and fundraising, while helping with cooking and general upkeep of the resort. According to historian Lee Brockington, from the 1930s through the early 1950s, Pyatt also booked famous talent such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald and Little Richard to play at the pavilion. These performers would have been in the area entertaining white audiences at the nearby Ocean Forest Hotel in Myrtle Beach. In exchange for performing for guests at Magnolia Beach, the jazz musicians were invited to stay overnight in a room at the resort for free. Their connection with the beach provided invaluable endorsements that contributed to the destination’s success.

Tragically, in October 1954, Hurricane Hazel, a catastrophic Category 4 storm, slammed directly into Magnolia Beach, ripping apart the resort and destroying it beyond repair. As a result, Pyatt and McKenzie dissolved their partnership. Brockington explained that the McKenzies then cleared the debris and transformed the acreage into a Black family-friendly resort that they renamed McKenzie Beach. At the entrance to the property that had a 12-unit motel, guests were welcomed by a landscape of pink and purple flowers that spelled out the word “McKenzie” in giant letters.

By 1963, the McKenzies faced financial hardship. To avoid bankruptcy, they sold the resort to civil rights activists Modjeska Simkins and Walter Manigault. Brockington said that Frank stayed on to manage the property.

In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed, ending segregation and allowing Blacks to integrate with whites at other vacation destinations. Throughout the 1970s, other racial restrictions fell away and were replaced with a degree of cultural acceptance. No longer a sought-after destination, the motel at McKenzie Beach capitulated to the elements and fell into disrepair. Entangled in a web of vines, the building’s ruins can still be glimpsed today from Ocean Highway.

In 1978, both Miss Liz and Frank passed away. Subsequently, Pyatt’s heirs sold her 6-acre plot of oceanfront property to the Litchfield Company. The other 22 acres were passed down to Manigault’s descendants who have owned the land for almost half a century.

Although Hazel may have swept the buildings from the beachfront resort, the storm could never destroy the nostalgic memories of families who enjoyed the sun, sea and sand set against the music of a bygone but not forgotten era.

By Sarah Rose

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