Charleston musings

Charleston is a beautiful city that captures the complexity of our history. South Carolina was the first State to secede from the Union. Charleston was under constant siege throughout the Civil War, yet never technically surrendered. Charleston was under daily bombardment for 587 days straight! Longest bombardment of any city in any campaign. There were 109 elite plantation owners that made the decision to secede. I wonder what the common guy on the street felt about seceding? All in favor? Most held land both outside and inside the city. All of their homes were targets during the war. Their city was also a target for reconstruction. I didn't remember or realize? That President Lincoln wanted a smooth transition back into uniting the United States after the war. We all know, though, that he was assassinated. Those that prevailed were those that wanted to punish the South. Charleston went from one of the most affluent cities to one of the poorest. It was not only the Civil War. They suffered several natural disasters as well. Fires, hurricanes (three:  and earthquakes! Yes, earthquakes! 

It is amazing to me that despite everything many of the homes are still held by their original families (descendants thereof). 

As with other great cities we have visited there are historical preservation efforts that have moved to preserve the architecture that tells the whole complexity of our history. I, for one, am very grateful for those efforts. Every home tells a story in this city! 

Once again, we used "Free Tours by Foot" for a historical walking tour of the city. It was pouring down rain, thunder and lightening but our guide persevered and so did we! We also went on a harbor cruise. Both inexpensive and provided a nice overview of the history. 

We also really enjoyed staying on St. James Island at the county park. It was a beautiful campground, close to everything with great biking trails. We did not go kayaking with Bailey as there were signs warning not to feed the alligators, which was enough of a deterrent for me. I don't do Grizzlies and I don't do Alligators! 

We enjoyed some great lowcountry cooking. My favorite was Red's Icehouse on Shem Creek. We were on the waterway and enjoyed watching the dolphin mother/baby pairs frolicking in the water. Try as I might I couldn't get a picture of them. They were very entertaining though and heartwarming to watch the pairs come out of the water in tandem. 

Favorite food? Besides all the shrimp we had everywhere, I have to say Grouper remains my absolute favorite fish! For Trader Joe fans, we also had a great recommendation for cooking fish, a spice - 21 seasoning salute. We are trying it on some flounder;) 

82 Queen, in the heart of downtown historical Charleston. We had our own private dining room! Several little dining rooms and an outside garden area make up this restaurant. 

Again, we liked seeing "off the beaten path" places. This was a fish market in a neighborhood on Mt. Pleasant. Just great, run by a young girl who loved her job and recommended how to cook the flounder. 

Fort Sumter. Flags flown are The American Flag, The Confederate Flag, the Flag of South Carolina, and the American Flags before and after the Civil War. 

This partially answers my ongoing perplexing question about Jefferson. How could the man who wrote "All men are created equal..." be the man who held 600 slaves across his lifetime and over 100 at the time of his death? Perhaps because although he saw the evil in the system, he saw the "need for self-preservation". He called it the two sided scale: Justice on the one hand, self-preservation on the other. He chose self-preservation... Indeed, he has mortgaged the value of his slaves to remodel/enhance Montecello. All were sold at auction to settle his estate, save for the handful (five more or less) he freed. Again, our forefathers were complex, multidimensional figures. It is interesting to note that Washington did free his slaves. I wonder what kinds of conversations they had around the issue? 

Throughout James Island Campground there were swings to stop and enjoy the moment. I found them inviting and charming. 

Ha! Laundry facilities, Southern hospitality style!

Septima Clark. Parents were slaves, she helped frame the civil rights movement.