For Helen Pierce, Atlantic Beach is more than a town. It’s her heart and soul, a place where generations of families like hers have built their lives, shared laughter, and made memories that last a lifetime.
The soft breeze off the Atlantic, the warm sand underfoot, and the tight-knit community make this historic South Carolina town unique. But now, all of that is under threat.
Big developers are eyeing Atlantic Beach’s prime oceanfront property for high-rise condos, hoping to position themselves as saviors of the town. Yet for Helen and others who’ve called this place home for decades, the idea of towering condos blotting out the sun and overwhelming the community couldn’t be further from a solution—it’s the start of a nightmare.
“The developer talks about abandoned buildings and struggling businesses as if we don’t already have a community here worth preserving,” says Helen Pierce. “But nothing could be further from the truth.”

Helen’s fight to protect Atlantic Beach isn’t just about stopping a commercial project; it’s about preserving a way of life. Atlantic Beach, once the flourishing, Black-governed beach community during the Jim Crow era, saw disinvestment during the years following desegregation when Black dollars were spent elsewhere. But now, after years of disinvestment, it’s in the midst of an inspiring revitalization. Beautiful, high-valued beach homes are springing up, and families like Helen’s are determined to keep its character intact.
“Atlantic Beach has a history, a soul,” Helen says. “It’s where Black families like mine could go and feel welcome in a time when that wasn’t possible everywhere.”
Helen and her late husband Melvin, both schoolteachers, fell in love with Atlantic Beach in the early 1970s, visiting friends like the Gibsons, whose home on Ocean Boulevard was a beacon of hospitality. Over time, the Pierces dreamed of owning their own home there, a dream that came true in 1983 when they purchased a charming yellow and green beach house from the Collettes, next door neighbors to the Gibsons. The house quickly became the heart of their family, where summers were filled with their children’s laughter, beach adventures, and family gatherings.

Today, that house still stands, lovingly preserved by Helen and her children. The Gibsons’ home is also still there—far from being “abandoned,” as the developers claim. The families remain close and both houses serve as living symbols of the families who built this community and the sense of belonging that made Atlantic Beach a special haven.
But that history, and that sense of community, could be wiped away with one large-scale condo development. Helen is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit aiming to halt the project. With attorney Ian Duggan by her side, Helen and a group of Atlantic Beach residents argue that the land in question is bound by deed restrictions dating back to the 1930s, which limit development to residential homes. They believe these ancestral restrictions should be honored to preserve the town’s cultural heritage.
“The developer didn’t even bother to address the deed restrictions,” Helen says. “That just shows how little respect they have for our community.” The fight is about more than just legal rights. It’s about protecting the future of Atlantic Beach. Large-scale development would bring noise, pollution, traffic, and potentially block sunlight from homes like Helen’s. Public beach access could be restricted, stormwater runoff could increase, and hundreds of cars would flood into the small town. For Helen, this isn’t just inconvenient—it’s an existential threat to the fabric of the community.

“We’re not opposed to progress,” Helen says. “But progress should respect the past and the people who live here. We want houses, not high-rises on the oceanfront. Homes where families can continue to come together and enjoy what Atlantic Beach has always offered.”
Helen Pierce has made it her mission to ensure that future generations—her children, grandchildren, and beyond—can enjoy the Atlantic Beach she fell in love with. She, along with the other plaintiffs, is asking for something simple but powerful: that the town remains a place where small businesses can thrive, where families can gather, and where history is honored.
“We’ve seen what happens when condos take over beach towns,” Helen warns. “The character of the town is erased, and the people who built it are pushed out.”
As the last Black-governed beach town in the United States, preserving the heritage of Atlantic Beach is more than just a local issue; it’s a matter of cultural significance. This town, which once stood as a beacon for African Americans in the segregated South, has the chance to write the next chapter of its history without losing the essence of what makes it special.
Helen Pierce and her neighbors have stood up to developers before, and they’re standing up again. They believe in Atlantic Beach’s future and in the importance of its past. They believe in houses, not high-rises along its shore and small businesses on its commercial district.
And with your support, they can continue to fight for the town’s survival.
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