Another Walk in the Park: Charleston SOB

That's not a disreputable fellow from Charleston, it's the Historic District South of Broad St. or SOB as the locals call it. Charleston, founded in 1670, was called Charles Town at the time. It occupied the tip of the peninsula overlooking the harbor where Fort Sumter was later built. At the very end of the peninsula is Battery Park where there are still cannons on display as a reminder that the Civil War began right there.
Each spring from mid-March to mid-April the Historic Charleston Foundation sponsors the Festival of Homes and Gardens during the peak bloom season. Many private residences are then open for tours in addition to the historic homes you can tour at virtually any time. Charleston has a rich architectural heritage, especially south of Broad St., and even when homes are not open for tours you are free to just wander the neighborhood, peak through garden gates, and chat up the residents you may meet on the street. In our experience, Charlestonians retain a clear affinity for what is called Southern Hospitality. They may refer to you as "another damn Yankee" among themselves but you should expect to feel welcome and greeted with respect.
Speaking of greetings, one of the dominant architectural features throughout the South is the pineapple. Tradition says that, way back when pineapples were scarce and expensive, a hostess who really liked you might bring out a pineapple and offer you a slice. When she removed the pineapple from the table, it was a signal for you to say goodnight and go home. The pineapple evolved into the symbol of hospitality and representations of are found at gates and other entryways all over Charleston.
Charleston architectural styles include...

Georgian: dating from the reign of King George in the late 1700s and characterized by arched doorways, gambrel roofs, rough-faced limestone trim and decorative moldings. Rainbow Row on East Bay St. is dominated by Georgian townhouses in brick or stucco painted in pastel colors.
Federal: emerged after the Revolution and held sway until about 1820 featuring Classical symmetry
Greek Revival: based on the Classical "orders"--Doric, Ionic, Corinthian. Jefferson appointed Benjamin Latrobe in 1803 to design public buildings. You'll recognize it for its triangular pediments and columns in the various orders.
Italianate: based on Italian Renaissance architecture that features overhanging eaves supported by corbels, pedimented windows and doors, quoins (decorative, reinforcing bricks or stones at corners), and cupolas
Queen Anne: from about 1880 to WWI has multiple gables, wrap-around porches, bay windows
The Charleston Single House: the quintessential adaptation to limited space on the peninsula--is only one-room wide facing the street with an entry door to the porch that runs the length of the house. This provides privacy from the street side while allowing the residents to enjoy their piazza and keep windows open on both levels of the porch for improved air circulation.

Good news, bad news: When my old computer died, it took several thousand photos with it. New computer has lots of backup. You'll just have to be content for the time being with what survived. If the photos below pique your interest, you might do a web search for the locations that were lost and all of which we recommend: Drayton Hall, Magnolia Plantation, Middleton Place, Boone Hall, and the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, the plantation home of a significant contributor and signer of the Constitution. You may also want to take a boat ride out to Fort Sumter. Even if you are not a history buff, there is a good chance you may see dolphins riding the bow wake.
The loss of all those photos means that Shirley and I will be forced to return to those places and do it all over again. It is my moral obligation to faithful readers and I'm willing to make this sacrifice just for you.

When we hear a mockingbird sing, we know we must be someplace nice.

Crepe myrtle trees have pretty flowers but we love them for the character of their bark.

Even an alleyway can be architecturally interesting.

Note that the door is not an access directly to the house but to the porch. Residents can sit outside in the cool of the evening while retaining their privacy.

Looking up Church St. toward St. Phillip's Episcopal, the oldest congregation in SC, founded in 1681. The church was rebuilt following a fire in 1835.

The French Huguenot Church was founded in the 1680s by Protestant refugees from the religious wars in France. The parish built this Gothic Revival church in 1844.

An entire photo essay could be done just on the door hardware in the Historic District.

The Charleston Tea Plantation is the only place in North America that tea is grown. Take a tour and enjoy a tasting. It is more fascinating than you might think. The grounds around the fields are attractive in their own right, especially when the azaleas are in bloom.

The tops of the tea plants are perfectly flat. New leaf growth occurs there and the tender young leaves are removed by machines that look like really high-wheeled lawn mowers.

The tour bus is an ancient trolley.

The Angel Oak on John's Island just south of Charleston is about 1,400 years old and said to be the oldest east of the Mississippi. It is 22.5 feet around with a limb spread of 160 feet that creates 17,200 square feet of shade.

Just west of Charleston at Monck's Corners is the Mepkin Abbey, home of Trappist Monks. The land was donated in 1949 by Clare Booth Luce and Henry Luce, Time/Life publisher who bought the former Mepkin Plantation. When we were there the first time, the monks supported themselves by raising chickens to sell the eggs. (They're vegetarians and don't eat chicken.) PETA objected to the business and, even though the monks had a lot of local support, they are lovers not fighters. So, now they support themselves by raising mushrooms for Charleston's extensive culinary industry.