Charleston Neighborhoods

As I told you, we went to Charleston with our friend, Chad and Nicole, to attend a North American Lutheran Church Convocation. After that ended, Nicole and Chad moved to a resort on Mount Pleasant (just across the harbor from Charleston) and Ben and Sara (our son and daughter-in-law) joined us for a  couple of days. The day after they left, Mike and I set out to see a bit more of Charleston on our own.

We decided to take a tour in a little van around the town.  They were just lined up, many vans, and they left every 30 minutes or so. We purchased our tickets and were directed to a van. We waited a few minutes and looked up to see Chad and Nicole getting on the same van! Of all the vans tours that day, we ended up on the same tour! It was really pretty funny.

Anyway, this little tour was really very informative. We learned all about the wall that once surrounded the city. We saw so many beautiful homes, many that were several hundred years old. It was absolutely amazing to me to see how they had been so well maintained. They took such pride in keeping them historically accurate, it was easy to feel you were travelling back in time.

I wish I'd been taking notes so I could tell you about each of these homes, but I didn't and I can't. Sorry. I can tell you that one of them had a cannon ball go through its roof and that that cannon ball is still in an upstairs room!

You'll see a pink house that was along the harbor. It was said to have been owned by a dentist who originally chose the color to be that of healthy gums. Hmmmmm.....

We walked along the battery. People kept telling me we should see the battery and I admit I didn't even now what they were talking about. Well, it is part of that protective wall around the city. Now it is like a boardwalk along the harbor, with beautiful historical homes along beside. 

When we were first talking about going to Charleston, Ben told me he knew I'd just love going through the neighborhoods, looking at the houses. He was so right! I think I will just let you browse through my photos of some of those homes. Sorry that I had to take them through the van windows, sometimes on the move. You'll get the feel for the neighborhoods, though, anyway.

Charleston: Charm, Treachery, Water

Our last morning with Ben and Sara in Charleston involved strolling through the downtown area.

It felt like a small town and to many I suppose it is, but there were many, many blocks of those small town charming stores.  I guess we didn't actually go into any of them, but I'm sure they were charming.

Even the alleys between the streets were charming.

I just want to let you enjoy a few photos.

We happened upon a place called the Old Exchange Building and Provost Dungeon. This place was oozing with history. It first was built as a meeting place, a place for debates and other exchanges of ideas.

We toured the "dungeon" art of the building and learned a lot of things. For one, I didn't realize how much Charleston had been traumatized by pirates. Some of those pirates were held there.

This particular jail wasn't all that big and it was all one big space. Men and women were just put down there together.

During the Revolutionary War the British took siege of Charleston and used this jail. 

At least 3 of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence were housed in this jail.

George Washington spoke from this building and attended a ball inside this building.

Later, slaves were auctioned off from the front steps.

I looked around at the place and thought the handmade bricks and prettily shaped ceiling were adorable. It was such a contrast to the stories we heard of all the suffering that occurred in and around that building.

One of the most prominent Americans to be executed for treason to the British crown was Isaac Hayne.  He was a man enjoying a comfortable and prominent life, a father of seven children, when the Revolutionary War interrupted his serenity.  Hayne became a colonel who eventually was tried for treason.  He spent his last night in this place.  One of his sons was allowed to come tell him good-bye and reported seeing his coffin sitting there prepared for him.

I wondered what that must have felt like for Hayne.

From The Execution of Isaac Hayne by David K. Bowden...

A contemporary of Hayne described the day: “The streets were crowded with thousands of anxious spectators . . . When the city barrier was past, and the instrument of catastrophe appeared full in view, a faithful friend by his side observed to him, ‘that he hoped he would exhibit an example of the manner in which an American can die.’ He answered with the utmost tranquility, ‘I will endeavor to do so.’ He ascended the cart with a firm step and serene aspect. He enquired of the executioner, who was making an attempt to get the cap over his eyes, what he wanted? Upon being informed of his design, the colonel replied, ‘I will save you that trouble, ‘ and he pulled it over himself. He was afterwards asked whether he wished to say anything, to which he answered, ‘I will only take leave of my friends, and be ready.’ He then affectionately shook hands with three gentlemen–recommended his children to their care–and gave the signal for the cart to move.”

If you are interested, go here to read a lot more.

We moved on to enjoy a nice lunch at a trendy restaurant, Blossom, then went down to the harbor for a bit. I like to look at water, you know. We were at City Park and it was a warm Sunday afternoon. I enjoyed watching people enjoying the big fountain there. I also enjoyed looking out to the harbor.

Sara and Ben, kids at heart.

 I am not really sure what a barnacle is but maybe these are barnacles?

 Water makes it a party, huh?

 I saw child after child try to suppress that flow of water.

The water always won.

 I told you, I like to look at water.

 I wish you could hear all the squealing and giggling!

 It was really, really hot but it was worth it to be by the water.

I spent quite some time at the end of this dock...or is it a pier?

What is the difference between a dock and a pier?

We had to say good-bye to Ben and Sara as they had to get back to their real lives.

I hope we can do something like this with them again soon!

Magnolia Plantation

 After touring Drayton Hall, we went down the road and toured the Magnolia Plantation. The house at Magnolia had been destroyed during the revolutionary war, rebuilt and is now restored. It was beautiful and was surrounded by beautiful gardens. I'll get to that later.

This photo of Ben and Sara is blurry so I can't enlarge it, but I liked it so much I couldn't delete it.

 The greeting party at Magnolia included a number of peacocks.

Peacocks are so strange to me, 

beautiful from the front and naked looking on the back.

This guy posed nicely for me.

 Pretty civilized peacocks who expect to be fed at the table!

 It was fun to take this tour with Ben and Sara.

 Around the outer parts of the plantation, things were a bit spooky-looking.

Sara loved the swampy areas!

 Our guide told us this site was used in the old movie, Swamp Thing.

I will say that I do NOT want to go swimming there!

 I was intrigued by these little stumpy things around the bases of these trees.

Friends from the South, what kind of tree is that and will those little

things grow up to be more trees?

To me, they kind of looked like little gophers surrounding

the base of the trees.

 I know these birds are perfectly fine birds

but don't they look a bit evil?

I was about to delete this photo, not because it was so bad 

but I took soooooo many photos, editing is necessary.

Thankfully, I decided to enlarge it just in case I was missing something.

And there he is, a baby alligator!

We were told there were some really big ones there in the ponds

but they were elusive on our tour. This little guy showed up for us, though.

We then moved in closer to the house, touring the beautiful gardens.

This is pretty, don't you think?

There's the house.

Nice, huh?

Poor Ben and Sara.

I made them pose until they were sick of it.

We were touring through an area called the romantic gardens.

The original home was destroyed in 1780 by the British.

That was a long time ago!

Ben and I braved the garden maze.

Sara waited outside; I was

confident she would rescue us if we couldn't

find our way out.

It got a little frustrating at times

but it was kind of fun.

I followed Ben for awhile then we went our own ways.

Thankfully, we made it back to each other at the end!