Vacation time ends...
As you may or may not know, I took some time off last week to visit my family back in South Carolina. It was a different sort of trip because I drove the 1,200 miles instead of flying. It was something I'd always wanted to do. Some parts of the interstates were boring, but it was a great trip.
I was home for my little brother's 22nd birthday, and we had a big family cookout. For the first time in a long time, all four of my brothers were in the same place at the same time. Usually one or more aren't able to make it for a cookout. It was really cool to have everyone there with mom and dad.
My roommate went along with me to switch off driving when I would get tired. He had never been that far southeast before so I decided to take him all over town and show him some of the historic sites. My plan this week is to blog about my trip and share some of the sites with you. It's definitely a place you should visit to really learn about the history of our country.
One of the original 13 colonies, the first settlement in South Carolina was on Albermarle Point on the Ashley River in 1670. The state declared its independence from British rule on March 15, 1776. On February 5, 1778, South Carolina was the first state to ratify the first constitution (Articles of Confederation), and the eighth state to ratify the current constitution on September 17, 1788. We were also the first state to secede from the Union in December of 1860, and the very first shot of the Civil War was fired over Fort Sumter in the Charleston Harbor in April of 1861.
The state is also known for many "firsts" in the country. We had the first public museum set up in 1773, the first cotton exported to England, and the first Black Associate Justice of a state Supreme Court (J.J. Wright - February 2, 1870).
Working farms, or plantations, are found all over the south. Some of them are still working plantations producing some amazing fruits and veggies. Drayton Hall is one such plantation, but it doesn't have any working farm fields. This is the oldest plantation house to have survived for nearly 300 years. It was the only plantation house to survive during the Civil War. It was built for John Drayton, who purchased some land from his family who also owned Magnolia Plantation next door. The house is considered one of the finest examples of Georgian-Palladian architecture in the country.
The plantation house is being preserved and not restored. There's a bit of a debate between people as to which is better. Preserving the home is where nothing is touched up and no furniture is added to look as if it might have in the early years. Restoring is where the historical society that owns the site will go to great lengths to get the same wallpaper on the walls or the same paint/plaster on the ceiling. They also have many pieces of original furniture on display. I like both types of historical sites myself. In one picture below, you'll notice what appears to be a raised circular grass area. This is where the horse and carriage would arrive from the gravel road and drop off the occupant at the front door and then circle the drive to the carriage house.
If you didn't arrive by carriage, which took almost an entire day, you would travel by boat up the river with the tide. That way was the quickest (about five hours from Charleston). In another picture, you'll be able to see down the road you would have walked down after getting off the boat. Since it took so long to get to these plantations, a typical stay lasted for a couple of months. This is known as the "social season" which was January and February in those days, when the mosquitoes weren't as bad. Mosquitoes were feared because they were thought to have carried yellow fever and malaria.
Other notable things to see in Charleston are the forts that have lasted over the years. Fort Moultrie is one such fort on Sullivan's Island. It was originally built with palmetto logs from the palmetto trees that are found all over the coast. The soft logs actually helped repel cannon fire from ships in the harbor. Some reports say that soldiers actually saw cannon balls bounce off the soft logs. This fort played a pivotal role in keeping the city safe. It was on the edge of the island facing the ocean so it was a perfect spot to fend off the enemy. It was actually in service until 1947 when it was decommissioned.
I hope you'll enjoy this look at my hometown and one of the most historic cities in the United States. I'll post pictures along the way so you can see the beauty of my hometown.
Thanks for checking in...
Zach Brown, Daybreak Meteorologist
The first couple of pictures are of Fort Moultrie and the others are of Drayton Hall.
Wow, it sounds like you had a great time back home! We're glad to have you back in Wisconsin though...I'm sure the snow today was a great reminder of life in the Midwest! Thanks for sharing your trip with us...I look forward to reading more about it and seeing more pictures throughout the week!
Posted by: Nikki | April 28, 2008 at 04:17 PM