Charleston

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After my visit to Savannah I was really looking forward to going to Charleston. I decided to take a walking tour; I have always enjoyed those in the past and learned so much from the guides.
It was a beautiful day as we drove the 50+ miles through the South Carolina countryside from Yemassee, the homes along the roadway were all so obviously well cared for. Some of the yards were breathtaking, azaleas, dogwoods, and some flowering trees that I don’t know the name of.
Like Savannah, there is a lot of history in and around Charleston connected to the American Revolution, and Civil War. I was surprised that so many of the houses are private homes, although our guide told us that the homes in the Historic District start at around 4.5 million dollars.
I enjoyed the tour, there were about fifteen folks that day, with everyone but me coming from the northeastern states. I was able to bring Ike along: good job he’s a good little walker. The tour lasted two and a half hours and we were on the go most of the time.

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Photos

St. Michael's Episcopal Church
George Washington worshiped here during his tour of the South. It is the oldest church in Charleston, it's eight bells and clock were imported from England in 1764 and were returned to England as a prize of war during the American Revolution.

St Philip's
St. Philip's Episcopal Church was estblished in 1670. The original building was destroyed by fire in 1835. During the Civil War it's bells were converted into cannon. John Calhoun, VP of the U.S. and Edward Rutledge, signer of the Declaration of Independence are buried in the church yard here.

Fort Sumter
Located in Charleston Harbor, the Fort is the site of the initial conflict in the American Civil War.

Narrow
A lot of the houses are tall but very narrow (only one room wide,) our guide told us that this was so they could open up windows on both sides to allow a breeze to pass through. They are very deep with what was called "the distribution" and the servants quarters in the back. The distribution was so called because the servants would distribute food etc. from there.

Leaning balcony
The balconies on most of the homes had quite a slope to them which helps drain away rainwater after a storm.

Back Yard
The gardens around some of these homes were magnificent.

Antebellum Homes
Charleston has an abundance of antebellum homes, this one overlooks the bay and was used as the Naval Intellegence Headquarters during World War II.

New Orleans
This building had a definite New Orleans look about it. It actually is a theatre.

Sweetgrass Baskets
Some of the street vendors had all sorts of things made from sweetgrass. I was quite taken with them, they reminded me a lot of the woven placemats and baskets we could get in South Africa.

Yemassee
This is the Frampton House and was within walking distance of the campground where I stayed. Today it serves as an information center. During the Civil War it was used by Confederate troups and about 100 yards of earthworks that were intended to defend the Charleston-Savannah Railroad.

Comments

[Lilian Prinsloo]

Sweetgrass Baskets
Hi Lyn, you certainly get around and the baskets shure look like ours here in SA. Wedding preparations must be keeping you all busy!