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One of the most enjoyable aspects of Winter in #Charleston is the blooming of the Camellia Japonica. This Asian species was introduced to America here in Charleston by the famed French botanist Andre Michaux, who had traveled the world to discover a wealth of plant species. Michuax was intrigued by the climate of South Carolina when he was sent to America in 1782 as an emissary of French King Louis XVI. He came to Charleston in 1785 and quickly established a large botanical garden in which he favored the colorful blooms of the Far East. He introduced the Camellia in Charleston as a gift to the Middleton family at their Ashley River plantation, and Charlestonians then and now have marveled at the luxurious beauty of the Camellia’s cold weather blooms. <img.src=”Charleston Gardens” alt=”Camellia Japonica”

One of the more recent plaques erected in Charleston on East Bay Street offers the story of the famous escape by black slave Robert Smalls and his family aboard the supply ship Planter, which Smalls piloted during the Civil War, and which he turned over to the Union blockading fleet and offered his services against the Confederate defenders of the city. The bravery of Smalls is well-documented and well-deserved, but the plaque omits another side of his story in which the brave souls fought for the other side, and a side whose people and stories has largely been ignored in recent years. Smalls was given charge of the Federal ironclad Keokuk, a double-turreted ship armed with two enormous XI-inch Dahlgren cannon, which was part of the Union squadron that tried to run past the Confederate defenses on April 7, 1863. The Union ships were badly mauled by Confederate guns, and the Keokuk sank in shallow water after being hit 90 times in 60 minutes, allow Smalls and the crew escaped. But in early may, Charleston engineers Adolphus and John Lacoste led two separate night-time forays by open boat under the noses of the Federal felt to cut open the Keokuk turrets “with sledge and chisel, wrench and crowbar” and hoist the two 16,000-pound guns on to barges and mount them on Sullivan’s Island to help defend the city. Today, the only remaining of the two stands at White Point Garden. We should be careful to include all historical perspectives and that should be on the plaque as well.<img.src=”Charleston Civl War History” alt=”The Keokuk Gun”

Each day on my tours of historic #Charleston, our group will pass at least several grand houses featuring a double frontal staircase. This is most typical on the “double-house” construction, in which two rooms face the street on each floor. These houses were most commonly cooled in the old days by building them higher on a raised basement, and thus the steps were need to ascend to the front door which is also typically shaded by a columned portico. The story most often heard explaining the two sides of the staircase is that one side was for men and the other for women. This is pure urban legend, and if anything, it would have been customary for a gentleman to escort a lady up or down such steps. No, the idea is purely European in origin, as is most of Charleston’s architecture, and is what is known as an Imperial Staircase, meant to replicate the grand stair cases of European royalty. Please remember, Charlestonians have always had an affinity for aristocrats, and the grander the look, the more acceptable it was in history. This is the Josiah Smith House at 7 Meeting Street, a wonderful area to walk to take in the sights of Charleston. <img.src=”Charleston Architecture” alt=”Imperial Staircase”

There are many locations in Charleston where historic buildings were destroyed, and only in pictures can many of these be remembered. One of the grand Victorian buildings that was known to so many who lived in and visited historic #Charleston was the 1907 Union Station on East Bay Street. This passenger railroad depot was Charleston’s primary connection to other parts of the country in the early part of the 20th century. Trolley lines led here from other parts of the city for trains destined anywhere from Columbia to New York City, and it was from here that many soldiers left for duty in both world wars. The unusual tower construction with the open-air top floor arcades was very Venetian in nature and somewhat a departure from Victorian-era norms. Expanded highways, bridges, and the burgeoning number of automobiles after World War made the old station obsolete, and shortly after it closed in 1947, most of the building was destroyed in a fire. The remnants were eventually pulled down, and there is no structure at the location at all today, just a few railroad tracks leading to the seaport terminals with railroad cars full of, ironically, automobiles. <img.src=”Charleston History” alt=”Union Station”

This old picture along Broad Street is a section of the city that we walk on my tour, and many of the buildings in the photo are still there. Visitors enjoy having intricate historic details pointed out in Charleston’s famous architecture. Notice the eagle in the triangular pediment of the corner building. It was built as a United States Bank in 1817, and the eagle, carved from oak and gilded with gold leaf, was the symbol of the bank. That building is still a bank today, and the eagle is still there. Sadly though, the building with the attractive portico on the other corner was razed in 1910 to make way for Charleston’s first skyscraper, the 8-story, 121-foot People’s Bank Building, an eyesore along the historic street still today. What is also interesting is, from the look of this 1865 picture, it seems that the surface of Broad Street is dirt. Yet, in fact, just breath the soil surface were rows of cobblestones, which in the old days were pounded down into the soil for drainage, and often did not seem to be there in images. <img.src=”Charleston Streets” alt=”Historic View of Broad Street”

People often ask me on the walking tour about notable people who live in Charleston. We walk past 37 East Bay Street on the tours, and there I explain about the friend of my younger brother who used to come over to our house all the time, who we referred to as Stephen Colbert, pronounced Colburt. The Colberts lived at this residence for many years, and I went to several parties there, and I tell the group on my tour that Colbert, pronounced Colbare, is just Stephen’s stage name, and that the rest of the family goes with the Colburt pronunciation, and that the only “Cold Beer” I experienced at the house was in the coolers of ice on the porches during the parties. <img.src=”Charleston Curiosities” alt=”Colbert House”

One of the most commonly used photographs of historic Charleston is the row of houses along the High Battery. This group of grand residences has stood majestically through years of hurricanes and an entire Civil War, and is one of the places we pass each day on my walking tour. The line of 11 huge houses, collectively known as Battery Row, range in age from 1818 to 1920, and eight are pre-Civl War. They embody the elegance of Charleston as well as its larger-than-life architectural styles, and to stand on the sidewalk next to one of these buildings is an awesome experience.

The South Carolina Historical Society has recently restored the famous Fireproof Building on Washington Square, and opened a museum to the public. The historic 1820’s building was designed by Charleston architect Robert Mills to be completely fireproof, constructed only of stone, brick, iron and glass. I point out details about the Fireproof Building each day on my walking tour, and I recommend the museum as a niche interest for those who are interested in historic manuscripts and architecture.