In the South Carolina lowcountry, Beaufort District was formed in 1769 as one of seven original "overarching Districts." In 1785, Beaufort District was divided into four counties: Granville, Hilton, Lincoln, and Shrewsbury. These counties never became fully functional, and in 1798 these counties were abolished.

In 1868, Beaufort District was designated Beaufort County. Its county seat, the town of Beaufort, is on U.S. Highway 21, about forty miles northwest of Savannah, GA and 110 miles south of Columbia. Since the U.S. Civil War, the Marines have used Beaufort County's Parris Island as a training base. Beaufort County is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, the South Carolina counties of Jasper and Colleton, and the Georgia county of Chatham.