Did you know Myrtle Beach wasn't always Myrtle Beach? In fact, our town had at least 3 earlier names before Addie Burroughs, the widow of Franklin G. Burroughs, suggested “Myrtle Beach" during a contest in 1900.
From the Myrtle Beach City Government:
Did you know... That earlier names for Myrtle Beach included Long Bay, Withers, and New Town?
The area was called Long Bay when a hurricane swept through in 1822. It was later known as Withers (hence Withers Swash) for the Withers family, which had owned property in the area since the late 1700s. A Withers post office even opened in 1888.
The Burroughs and Collins Company of Conway purchased much of the Withers’ family land in 1881, and the growing community was called New Town at the turn of the century. (Conway was “old town.”)
In 1900, a contest was held to give New Town an official name, and Addie Burroughs, the widow of Franklin G. Burroughs, suggested "Myrtle Beach" because of the wax myrtle bushes growing abundantly. The second-place suggestion was "Edgewater." The Withers post office was replaced by the first Myrtle Beach post office in the early 1910s.
By the way, no other incorporated cities or towns exist with the name "Myrtle Beach." There are towns called Myrtle, Myrtle Grove and Myrtle Island, but no other Myrtle Beach exists!
