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Current weather in Charleston
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Call Us Today: (843) 532-4220
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Charleston's History
Charleston is a city rich with history & tradition that dates back over 340 years to early colonial America.
The people of Charleston are proud of their history and have continued to preserve their beloved city with
all of its charm and beauty. Walking through the streets of downtown Charleston, visitors will see more
historic and preserved homes than any other city in the United States. Divided by two rivers, the Cooper to
the East, and the Ashley to the West, the coastal area of Charleston is surrounded by island towns and
sandy beaches.
Charleston, South Carolina, with its sprawling live oaks, cobblestone streets, and magnificent waterfront
mansions is considered by visitors from all over the globe to be the quintessential American South city.
This belief was further enhanced thanks to Margaret Mitchell and her epic novel-turned-film, Gone with the
Wind and has been reiterated in films such as The Notebook and The Patriot.
Charleston’s history stretches back to the early stages of the United Sates when English colonists arrived
from the Caribbean island of Barbados and settled the area in the spring of 1670. The new settlement was
originally named Charles Towne in honor of King Charles II and adopted its present name in 1783.
The English newcomers established Charles Towne several miles up the Ashley River in modern day West Ashley
to provide more defenses from potential attackers coming from the sea. Today, this original site, known as
Charles Towne Landing, is preserved as a South Carolina state park.
In the years between 1670 and 1680, many of Charles Towne’s early inhabitants began suffering from the
disease Malaria. At the time, the early settlers thought the disease was due to “bad air” and started
moving to the modern day peninsula Charleston in belief that the ocean breezes would cleanse the air and
rid them from the disease. Charles Towne was effectively reestablished on the peninsula around 1680. Due to
harassment by hostile Indian tribes as well as threats of invasion by the Spanish and French, a defensive
wall was erected around the city, making it one of the only three walled cities in North America. This wall,
however, lasted only 30 years as peace was quickly made with the Indian tribes. The wall was quickly
dismantled as Charlestonians were given permission to build new homes with bricks they removed from the wall.
By the 1770’s, problems with the English rule arose in the Colonies of America. Charles Towne was the fourth
largest city in the Colonies behind New York, Boston, and Philadelphia and was by far the wealthiest of the
four. Charles Towne, and its inhabitants, played a major role in the American Revolution. Charlestonians
Edward Rutledge and Pierce Butler were signers of the Declaration of Independence. John Rutledge (Edward’s
brother), along with Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, were signatories of the United States Constitution.
Charleston is also known for its involvement with one of the greatest tragedies of American History, the
Civil War. During the decades leading up to the Civil War Charleston relied heavily on slave labor for the
cultivation of Rice (a crop which grew much easier in the fertile soil surrounding Charleston than cotton).
In addition to agriculture, domestic slave trade was a major element in the Charleston economy. Thus,
as the Northern states shifted to the free labor systems a great divide grew between the North and the South.
On December 20, 1860, South Carolina succeeded from the Union. The official ordinance of succession was
signed in Charleston, and the first shots of the conflict were fired in Charleston Harbor against
Union-held Fort Sumter, four miles from the cities waterfront. Tours of Fort Sumter are available today and
visitors are able to see the ruins of this once grand fortress. After the Civil war, the city of Charleston
was left in ruins as well. An accidental fire had swept across the city in December of 1861, and this
devastation was compounded by a siege, accompanied by an unprecedented long range bombardment from
the entrance of the city’s harbor from August 1863 until February 1865.
Following the bombardment, Charlestonians dealt with Union occupation which lasted from 1865 to 1876.
They were also devastated with a series of hurricanes and tornados and a major earthquake in 1886. Such a
series of disasters left Charleston in a sever economic depression. The depression is actually the saving
grace for many of the historic buildings Charleston has preserved to this very day. The citizens of
Charleston did not have the means to build new homes and were forced to renovate the current dwellings.
Evidence of this can be seen on many of the older homes in downtown Charleston where the owners used
“earthquake bolts” to slowly bring the walls of the homes back together and solidify their foundations.
These bolts could be turned only ½ a rotation per day and many homeowners were forced to live in tents
outside of their homes until they were sturdy enough to occupy.
In addition, a preservation movement, the first of its kind in the country, commenced in the late nineteenth
century. This undertaking owed a lot to the female members of the Charleston society who wanted to return
their city to its splendorous antebellum grandeur. As a result Charleston’s once proud, majestic lower
districts have slowly been restored.
Today, Charleston is the fourth-largest container port in the United States, growing every year. Known as
the “Holy City” for its many beautiful churches, Charleston was one of the first cities in America which
promoted the tolerance of all religious beliefs. These churches still stand to this day and their many peaks
spangle the modern Charleston sky-line. The city boasts several colleges and universities, increasing its
status as a Mecca for higher education. Combined with rich traditions, education, religion, and industry,
Charleston has grown from a peninsula city into a sprawling metropolis extending north and south along the
Atlantic seaboard and also inland. Consistently voted the “Most Polite City in America,” Charleston proudly
boasts the largest historic district in the United States as well as the largest collection of antique
architecture in the country. History and tourism now mesh seamlessly with modern business and industry
to create a look and atmosphere like no other city in America.
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