Charleston

After visiting the forts, we our next adventure was taking a photographic tour of Charleston. Joyce, our guide, revealed hidden passageways, secret gardens and architectural features along with her telling the history of the second oldest city in the United States. Charleston was the cultural and economic center of the proprietary of South Carolina, later the colony of SC. Along with the plantation owners, wealthy people from the north had summer homes within the walled city. What were then carriage houses are now also historic homes. Virtually every building in the old area has an historic plaque and must be maintained according to preservation standards, even the pink house which was a tavern and bordello. Many of the houses, like the pink house, are believed to be haunted. In addition to the antebellum homes of the plantation owners the old city has beautiful homes build after the war (post bellum???).

The town is known as the “holy city” for its acceptance of people of any religion and for its many churches.

Almost destroyed by an earthquake in the 1700s, many of the buildings had to be pulled back together. Bolts were installed, then cables and a turnbuckle system were used whereby the walls were pulled back together over a period of months or even years. The cables were removed but the bolts remain to this day.

Saturday morning our first stop was in a park filled with the stalls of a farmer’s market and with local crafts. We restrained ourselves and only bought food, including the first corn of the season (it was wonderful).

Our tour of the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon showed the earliest history of the town as an economic center and as a place of revolution against the British. Piracy against shippers and later against the British was a part of the way of life on the sea and at the mouth of the rivers. At first the pirates were tolerated since they went after British ships. When they decided to attack the ships of local merchants, they were no longer favored so the dungeon was used to house them as they awaited execution.

All these buildings were built by and maintained by slaves. The Slave Mart tells this sorrowful story in the words of former slaves and in displays of the conditions under which they lived. We thought that the Slave Mart was where you went to buy a slave but we learned that the building also had a second purchase. A slave with a particular talent (brick making, carpentry, etc) could hire himself out to an employer at the mart. Of course, the master got the money and, if he was a good master, the slave could retain a small sum.

Toward evening, we saw a sign announcing a Gospel to Gershwin concert in a beautifully domed church. What we experienced was an amazing musical history of the city, starting with a string quarter playing music from the 17th century, followed by banjo, dulcimer, harmonica and vocal presentations of songs from the Civil War. Then came breathtaking selections from Porgy and Bess by soprano D’Jaris Whipper Lewis. The conclusion was a piano duet of Rhapsody in Blue performed by a twenty year old and a sixteen year old. Had we been in San Francisco or New York we would have found no better musical evening. Where many performances offer CDs after the show, this one sadly did not, for we would have gladly shared the music with you.

On Sunday we toured Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim which is the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the US. Dating back to 1749, it has had three buildings, the latest built in 1840 in Greek Revival style with a Roman dome. The first members were Sephardim from Spain and Portugal; later came Ashkenazi from Eastern Europe. The synagogue was at the forefront of the Reform movement. Our tour guide gave an extensive history of the shul and its place in South Carolina’s history of religious acceptance for all.

Submarine warfare began during the Civil War. The Confederate H.L. Hunley was the first submarine to sink a ship. After two deadly trials, the sub torpedoed the USS Housatonic, sinking the ship but disappearing itself after the attack. Author Clive Cussler funded the finding and raising of the sub. It is now under recovery and restoration.

To avoid further comments about our wonderful dining, we will not mention the shrimp po’boy sandwich for lunch, the crab cakes and fried chicken for dinner, sushi, and the fabulous pecan crusted french toast and crab benedict on fried green tomatoes for brunch. Oh, we will also not mention the Charleston lemonade with vodka and the mimosa with pomegranate juice that accompanied our brunch in the garden of 82, an old house now restaurant.