Charleston, South Carolina. I present both signs, the one on the left was as we crossed the border, the right was the second town in, they just to make sure we know we are in South Carolina.
Close to the base was the town, or what is left of it, called Dorchester. I encourage you to visit their website: https://southcarolinaparks.com/colonial-dorchester. The town had a relatively short life.
In 1697 the town was laid out to be a market town for the Congregational colony for Dorchester Massachusetts. This town was set up as 116 quarter-acre lots, a town square, and commons. 
The photo indicates the self-guided trail around the town. The town is currently an archeological dig as well. When we visited, an area was being worked on, however the dig site was closed for the winter, it was under tarps.
Our walk started at the parking lot, which is also the first information stop. The road leading into the site was one of the original means of transporting goods in and out of the tow, the river was used for trade as well, and some of the those 116 lots were along the riverfront. 
The town would have ships as large two masted schooners tie up at the dock.
We marched on to the next point of interest, that being the tabby fort. Do you wonder what a tabby fort is?
The fort is made from a material called "tabby". Tabby is a building material made from burned oyster shells which created lime, then mixed with water, sand, and broken pieces of oyster shells. Unfortunately in the photo below, it is hard to see the
oysters shells in the fort walls. There are still a few of the original forts remaining from the Carolinas to Florida. The Dorchester fort construction was completed in 1760. After the tabby material was completed, it probably had a smooth plaster coating over the tabby. Today the walls are fragile... I think I would be too after 250 years. In the center of the fort is the remains of the powder magazine.
In 1757 South Carolina, the only storeroom for gunpowder (powder magazine) was in the city of Charleston. The British feared Charleston would be attacked by the French and concluded that there needed to be another location inland, and Dorchester was that new location. Dorchester was chosen because of access to the Ashley river, which allowed for easy transportation between Dorchester and Charleston. The eight foot tabby walls were built to protect the magazine.
The town was a merchants paradise, because it was a middle-man for goods and supplies from around the world. In 1723, in the hope of creating growth, the Colonial legislature decreed that there would be weekly markets in the Market Square. Besides the selling of merchandise, the square was used for fairs from April to October.
All good colonies had a church for worship, Dorchester was no different. 
This is what's left of St. George Anglican church, built in 1717, of brick. The original church was 50 feet long by 30 feet wide. The chancel (a part of the church that contains the alter and seating for clergy and choir) was 15 feet by 5 feet, and begun in 1719... in other words... 1719 was when the church became active. In 1730 the church was enlarged, and by 1755 the bell tower (shown) was added. The bell tower once had four bells to be rung, but not until they were installed in 1766. During the Revolutionary War the church was burned by the British, and after the war it was partially repaired. As the congregation moved away from Dorchester, the church was not maintained and began to decay. As with most older churches, there was a church cemetery close by.
As the archeologists have continued to work the site, they discovered the foundation of one of the homes, located on lots 17 and 18. This particular home was located close to the market square and making up two lots, possibly a sign of wealth.
As the archeologists have continued to work the site, they discovered the foundation of one of the homes, located on lots 17 and 18. This particular home was located close to the market square and making up two lots, possibly a sign of wealth.
In 1786 this house would have been described as a wooden house on a brick foundation. The house that sat on lots 17 and 18 was owned by the Izard family. The family were prominent landowners, planters, and political leaders in Colonial South Carolina. The brick corners are corner markers for visitors. The floorplan in the photo is what visitors see walking in the foundation. This historical site was a fun couple of hours, but worth walking.
Before we head out on our next outing, let me share some news about some of Carol's relatives. Carol's parents loved genealogy, discovering some relatives in Norway. Let's jump to this years winter Olympics, Carol learned that relatives from Norway were competing in the cross-country events.
That's right, she won the gold... several times. There was an American cousin that competed in men's events too, but didn't win any medals. It was all good... they got to the Olympics.
Our next outing was on a beautiful day, a bit windy though. We climbed into the truck and headed down to tour where it all began... it being, the Civil War... Fort Sumter.
Visit: https://www.nps.gov/fosu/learn/historyculture/fort_sumter.htm.
The point of embarkation is from the same building/site that leads to the U.S.S. Yorktown Museum.
The first photo is a bridge we crossed to achieve our mission... catch the tour boat. Because they only allow a specific number of visitors at Fort Sumter, it was important for us to make our designated tour time. You might be able to see that we did make our tour time, and climbed on the tour boat.
Actually, Fort Sumter is one of several forts that protected Charleston Harbor. After the War of 1812 the United States began building the fort in 1829, as one of the forts to bolster coastal defenses. Like many federal projects, they used slave laborers, as well as craftsmen to build the fort. In 1860 the fort still was not done, but the day after Christmas, Major Anderson moved his 85-man garrison in anyway.
This was another fort, in the middle of the harbor, it was known as
There is a lot going on in the harbor everyday... including dredging... there were dredging barges everywhere. This photo is looking at a
sand bar created by the dredging of the harbor from after WWII to present. With all the dredging they have done, it made this section of harbor fairly narrow for navigation of large ships.
Ok, let's get back to the front of the fort. The tour boat lands at a dock different from the original dock. The first dock was made of granite, and no, I did not take a picture of the new dock. I did take a picture of us getting close to the fort so we could start our tour, after a 20 minute boat ride.
I forgot to tell you about the time limit at the fort... it's only an hour at the fort. SPOILER ALERT: the fort has been modified since its beginning.
I forgot to tell you about the time limit at the fort... it's only an hour at the fort. SPOILER ALERT: the fort has been modified since its beginning.
Even after Lincoln's inauguration, efforts for compromise continued, the Southern-Unionists and Northern supporters believed that the Union could be restored. One of the proposed compromises was a guarantee that the Federal government would not interfere with southerner's slave property. A Constitutional amendment guaranteeing the rights of slave owners was suggested, but Lincoln concluded that no plan of compromise would fully satisfy South Carolina, the state that led the secession.
Six-months later five other states (Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana) followed South Carolina. In early February 1861 the southern states formed a provisional government, the Confederate States of America; they elected Jefferson Davis as their president. March 2nd, Texas joined the Confederacy. At this time there were four Federal installations: Ft. Moultrie, Castle Pickney, Ft. Johnson, and Ft. Sumter.
Here is where Major Anderson secretly moved his forces, in the darkness of night, from Ft. Moultrie to Ft. Sumter, he claimed Ft. Moultrie was not defensible. There were several attempts to replenish Ft. Sumter, without success. The Confederacy had taken possession of the other forts, but the Federal government refused to give it up. An ultimatum for surrender was given to Major Anderson on 11 April 1861, he refused.
As you can see, the Confederates had Ft. Sumter surrounded. On the 12th the Confederates started bombarding the fort, and by the 14th, Federal soldiers left the fort, and the Confederates took over. There you have it... where the Civil War began. When the Confederate forces moved in they continued some construction on the fort. Between 1863 and 1865 the Confederate forces put up a good fight defending the fort from multiple Union attacks by sea, and land. After 20 months of bombardment from the Union, the Confederate forces only lost 52 soldiers, and saw 267 wounded. Four years to the day, April 14th of 1865, the Confederacy evacuated the fort, and the US flag flown above it again; it was now Colonel Anderson that raised the flag, the same man that lowered it in 1861.
Here is where Major Anderson secretly moved his forces, in the darkness of night, from Ft. Moultrie to Ft. Sumter, he claimed Ft. Moultrie was not defensible. There were several attempts to replenish Ft. Sumter, without success. The Confederacy had taken possession of the other forts, but the Federal government refused to give it up. An ultimatum for surrender was given to Major Anderson on 11 April 1861, he refused.
Fort Sumter in 1861
Ft. Sumter Today
The construction of the fort was difficult for several reasons, insufficient funding, and the sandbar requiring thousands of tons of granite for the foundation. In the 1840s, workers began laying 7,000,000 bricks for the five-foot thick outer walls. On the eve of the Civil War, the fort was only 90% complete. The fort was designed to house 135 guns and 650 soldiers; when Anderson manned the fort, he had 85 men and 65 cannons.
Not that we have talked a little about the fort, let's take a walk into history.
The main entrance is known as the Sally Port. What we see today is only a portion of the fort, it was actually three-stories. Because of constant Union bombardment, one of the walls was reduced from 55 feet, to just 16 feet; when we walk in we will see the damage. It is interesting to learn that during the shelling, the Confederate soldiers and slaves reinforced the the walls with sand and bales of cotton. As visitors walk up to the sally port, they are walking on pavers that existed during Civil War days. This is the section of wall that was reduced to
The gun in the photo is an original cannon of Ft. Sumter. As one might see, the cannon direction can be changed. However, you may also notice that it would only be moved by manpower. This was a multi-man operation, from moving the cannon, to firing the cannon. The team consisted of five men, and they needed to be capable of loading and firing the gun within a minute. The guy that seems to be the busiest was called the Cannoneer. There was usually more than one, because it took two guys to carry one of the cannon balls to the cannon. Besides that task, they were also responsible for sponging the barrel (cleaning soot out), ramming home powder and shot, sighting, and adjusting the gun's direction. It was interesting to learn how the powder and shot were prepared. One of the crew would puncture the powder bag with a vent pick, insert the friction primer, and attach the firing lanyard. Again, all this was done in less than a minute.
Tools, and Shots of the Trade
Here is an addition in 1891, the Mining Casemate. 
This casemate was concrete, and was the control room for the electrically operated minefield in the harbor. Electrical wires were strung between the mines and control panel, and could be activated, when directed from the observation officers. The purpose of the minefield was to keep enemy ships out of the harbor. The space was locked and unavailable for viewing; it would have been interesting though.
This is the view from the observation deck above the museum/gift shop.
Here is a bit of history for the submarine lovers. 
If you look past the flag pole, out to sea, the H.L. Hunley sank a Union navy ship, the USS Housatonic. The H.L. Hunley was a 40 foot long submarine carrying eight men. You may wonder how they were able to breath while under water... the same as you and I... except for the fact they kept careful watch on the candle burning. When the candle started losing its light, it was time to surface for fresh air. After its attack on the USS Housatonic, it disappeared into the night. After 131 years of searching, the submarine was found in 1995, about 1,000 yards from the Union ship.
These are the ruins of the powder magazines. The magazines were specifically constructed at the rear of the fort, on the gorge wall, where it was thought to be the safest location to store the powder. It was proven not to be true when the Confederates began bombarding the fort, it was one reason why Major Anderson surrendered.
Let's look at some of the guns that would have been seen at the fort.
Many people don't think about what other events were happening before and during the Civil War, me included. In 1818, Congress passed the Flag Act, stating that stars would only be added to the flag on the 4th of July, the year of admission. Welllllll... Kansas became the 34th state in January of 1861, just before the war, their star was added on July 4, 1861. West Virginia became a state in June of 1863, their star was added on July 4, 1863. I mention this because the flag that Major Anderson lowered in 1861 only had 33 stars, the one he raised in 1865 had 35 stars. The garrison flag (20'x36') flew most days over the fort during Union occupation. During high winds on 11 July 1861, the flag severely torn, was replaced with a storm flag (10'x20'). When the Union forces evacuated the fort, both flags were taken by Anderson. When the Union forces took back the fort, Anderson raised the new flag which was a storm flag. Anderson died in 1871, and the 35 star flag was draped over his coffin on its journey from New York to West Point. The family in 1905 returned all three flags to the U.S. Army. In 1954 the U.S. Army transferred the flags to the National Park Service, where they are on display today in the Ft. Sumter museum.
This quilt is one of a few remaining slave quilts on display. Their design and sense of color use came from their African traditions. Daughters would learn from their mothers how to make dyes from vegetables, and would use the plantation mistress' worn clothes, or scraps. Part of the reason few quilts remain, they were sold to help the abolitionist movement. A legend is told that the quilts held hidden message in the underground railroad network, but this has not been proven. FACTOID: The slaves in South Carolina commonly used okra for a coffee substitute, and medicinal purposes. If you have ever had okra, you know that it can be a slimy concoction when cooked in a pan. The leaves were used as a softening ingredient in making a poultice. Enslaved women had a specialized purpose for it too... miscarriages. WARNING, THIS MAY BE GRAPHIC... they would rub the slimy concoction on the uterine passage of the pregnant woman, inducing a miscarriage. In Africa they still use this method for miscarriage.
I told you that the trees were old on this plantation, the prove is in the big butt that can't hide the trunk.
On the way back to the dock the tour boat passes by the USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Laffey (DD-7244), and USS Clamagore (SS-343).
I mentioned previously that we took the riding tour, this is how we got around... wagons pulled by a tractor. This stretch of tour is approaching a "no noise zone". You are probably thinking... this is a plantation of thousands of acres, that would not be correct. Today the the plantation is 738 acres, with a housing association built right on the property line. The ride was fun and informative, but now we can climb off and visit some of the buildings on the property.
You are looking at the old cotton gin building for the plantation. Over time, and as the mission changed from cotton to brick manufacturing, the building went into a state of decay. The work being done on the building is costing several million dollars, and when it is finished it will serve as a gift shop, art gallery, event center, and restaurant. This is the architects concept once construction is completed:
I definitely encourage people to see this monument to the Civil War because it is unknown how long it may be around. I say that because scientists and environmentalists see the harbor water levels rising.
TIME TO TAKE A BREAK OF YOUR CHOICE.
Our next adventure was plantation life, on the oldest active plantation in South Carolina. That plantation would be... Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens. 
We chose the tour that took us for a ride around the plantation, and then we visited the buildings. We could have walked a nature trail around the property as well. How many of you know that "plantation" is just a fancy word for farm? Before visitors ever get to the house, they travel up one of those famous oak lined roads. Many of these oaks
have been here since the mid 1700s. It took 200 years for the oaks to create the canopy over the road. The plantation itself was Sara Rutledge's wedding endowment, and consisted of less than 200 acres in 1681. After marrying his bride, Major John Boone began increasing the size of the plantation, to over a thousand acres at its peak. Today it is a working plantation and educational center. During harvest seasons the public is invited in to partake in the harvests, and offered the opportunity to take some of the harvest home... for a small fee. The fruits and vegetables they grow are also sold at a farmers market. For educational purposes they grow cotton, corn, barley, rice, and a variety of fruit trees.
Next to the parking lot is a building under restoration.
You are looking at the old cotton gin building for the plantation. Over time, and as the mission changed from cotton to brick manufacturing, the building went into a state of decay. The work being done on the building is costing several million dollars, and when it is finished it will serve as a gift shop, art gallery, event center, and restaurant. This is the architects concept once construction is completed:
There isn't much to talk about on the house, except to admire the outside, there is no photo opportunities once inside. The current house was built in 1936 by Canadian ambassador Thomas Stone. The family that currently owns the plantation also live on the property, in a different house. When they have company visiting, and it overflows their home, they move guests into the plantation house. You might be able to see some white steps leading up to the porch... those steps were only there for a wedding that was occurring the day of our visit. The steps were added at the request of the bride's father, so that she could come down them.
Plantation slaves lived a different life from their counterparts in the city. Isolated on plantations, there was less opportunity for learning. Urban slaves had more exposure to freed blacks, there by providing them a chance to learn not only basics, but how slavery differed from slavery.
The egos of the rich in the 18th and 19th centuries was no different than the rich today. The way the rich slave owners flaunted their wealth was seen in slave quarters like these, which were in front of the main house, that way visitors could see how wealthy the owners were. The normal slave quarters would be wooden shacks on a dirt floor. These cabins look quite big for slaves, wouldn't you agree. 
Now imagine how big they are with two families having 8 to 10 children. The living quarters for the single slaves on this plantation... barrack style. The plantation maintains nine of the original 27 brick slave quarters, and use them for education. One of the cabins is used by local basket weavers who teach the skill, as well as selling their wares. It was interesting to learn that the baskets are made from different materials ranging from Sweetgrass to Longleaf Pine needles. Sweetgrass is the desirable material, they also use Black Rush (Bulrush), and palmetto leaves.
The basketmaking culture was brought over by the slaves that were used to work the rice plantations, so basketmaking has been a part of our history for 300 years. Men predominately made the baskets used in planting, harvesting, and fishing. In the late 1800s the art of basketmaking almost died. In come the women to save the day. In the early 1900s women began making the baskets. With the coming of progress, bridges were built and roads were paved, which paved the way for a new business... selling baskets. Around 1931, a Boone Hall Plantation basket maker, named Lottie Moultrie Swinton, took her baskets and setup a stand along Hwy 17. Today drivers and tourists can still see grass basket stands along the highways in South Carolina.
The quarters are also used to display African-American history.
The slaves had their way of being positive in their tough life. One way was the banjo, which is of African origin. This instrument provided melodic music, and the opportunity to make fun of the plantation owners through their lyrics.
How about a couple of stories, I am going to let Boone Hall Plantation tell them.
I mentioned rice production earlier, but it was not indigenous to America. Some historians believed that an African slave
women taught her white plantation owner how to grow and cultivate rice. It is also believed that the first rice seeds came from the isle Madagascar, in 1685. No matter who introduced rice to the America, by 1750 some of the largest slave owners were cultivating rice.
In the early 1800s cotton became the cash crop. the decades before Civil War, slave cotton comprised over 50% values of the U.S.'s exports. The South provided virtually all the cotton used in the Northern textile industry, and 70% of England's textile industry. The problem here... the South failed to establish companies to protect their interests, commercially, financially, or industrially... in other words, they were in deep kimchi... no future stability
Let me provide an example of how lucrative slave trading was.
That was a lot of ships, and this was only to Charleston.
I talk of the unfairness of slavery too often, so let's present some of the heroes:
WARNING: THIS SECTION COULD BECOME LONG WINDED.
If you were not around in 1865 like I was, you probably only heard that slaves were emancipated after the Civil War. Congress was kind to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (partially paraphrased), and declared: that all persons born in the United States.... were declared citizens of the United States, such citizens of every race and color, without regard to any previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude, except as a punishment.... shall have the same rights, in every state and territory in the United States, to make and enforce contracts, to sue, be parties and give evidence, to inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold, and convey real and personal property, and to full equal benefit of all laws and proceedings for the security of person and property, as is enjoyed by white citizens, and shall be subject to like punishments, pains and penalties, and to none other, law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, to the contrary not withstanding. All sounds good, the blacks folks were now to be treated as equals. However, I left out one part intentionally, that came after the section that said "all persons born in the United States"... this Act did not apply to people truly born in the United States... Indians, and I always thought equality applied to everyone, how foolish of me.
There is so much more history to be gleaned here, but we are going to move on.
This is the dock where the plantation shipped off all their product whether it was cotton, or bricks. Today's dock house is a reproduction of the original dock house, which was destroyed by hurricane Hugo in 1989.
Well folks, its time to leave the Charleston area, and head south a little bit more. See you all again.
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