Fort Sumter and Charles Pinckney sites drew 900,000 visitors in 2011

Fort Sumter and Charles Pinckney National Historic Site saw more than 900,000 visitors in 2011 who spent over $24 million locally and supported 278 jobs from non-local visitor spending, the National Park Service reported.

Both properties are part of the Fort Sumter Group.

Fort Sumter National Monument, where the Civil War started, sits in Charleston Harbor, and accounted for the majority of visitors and spending, seeing 857,883 visitors who spent $22 million locally. It supported 244 local jobs.

Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, the home of one of the signers of the U.S. Constitution and a former South Carolina governor, is in Mount Pleasant. It saw 45,254 visitors who spent $2.4 million and supported 34 jobs in the Charleston area.

“The Fort Sumter parks are wonderful places to learn about America’s history,” said park superintendent Timothy Stone. “We attract visitors from across the U.S. and around the world who come to the South Carolina Lowcountry to experience the parks and then spend time and money enjoying the services provided by our neighboring communities and getting to know this amazing part of the country.”

The visitors’ report came from Michigan State University, which conducted the analysis for the National Park Service.

Nationally in 2011, the report shows $13 billion in direct spending by 279 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. Visitor spending had a $30 billion impact on the U.S. economy and supported 252,000 jobs nationwide.

The majority of visitor spending, 63 percent, went to lodging, food and beverage services. Recreation and entertainment, retail, transportation and fuel, and wholesale and manufacturing accounted for the rest.

Reach Warren L. Wise at 937-5524 or twitter.com/warrenlancewise.