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Fort Sumter – Charleston, S.C.

Fort Sumter is a federal fort in Charleston Harbor with a museum that tells the story of the fort’s role in the Civil War.

Ft. Sumter

‘Where The American Civil War Began

Decades of growing strife between North and South erupted in civil war on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery opened fire on this Federal fort in Charleston Harbor. Fort Sumter surrendered 34 hours later. Union forces would try for nearly four years to take it back.’

Source – Fort Sumter National Monument – U.S. Natonal Park Service Website

Fort Sumter - Charleston, S.C.

Picture Source – U.S. Natonal Park Service Website

The fort is constructed of over 70,000 tons and granite and rock.

There are three sites within the Fort Sumter National Monument – Charleston: the original Fort Sumter, Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center and Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island.

To visit Fort Sumter by RV or bus, we recommend taking the 30 minute ferry from the visitor center or Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum. ‘Their parking area can easily accommodate large vehicles. Parking for large vehicles in downtown Charleston is extremely limited, and the public parking garage has a clearance of 7’.

To visit Fort Moultrie by RV or bus, the parking area at the Fort Moultrie Visitor Center can accommodate your vehicle.’

‘You cannot get to Fort Sumter from Sullivan’s Island and Fort Moultrie.

Sullivans Island is the mailing address of the park and the location of Fort Moultrie and Park Headquarters.

Fort Sumter is located on an island in Charleston harbor and is only accessible by boat.

If you do not have access to a private boat, a concession-operated ferry is available.

The primary departure site is from the Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center located in downtown Charleston.

For departure schedules and fees, visit the concessioner page.

(SpiritLine Cruises is the concessioner – Their address is 360 Concord Street, Suite 201. – See Fort Sumter Tours – SpiritLine Cruises on CharlestonShines.com for more info)

The secondary departure site is located at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant. Visitors with large vehicles such as buses and RVs should plan on using the Patriots Point departure site.

Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center
340 Concord Street
Charleston, South Carolina
843-722-2628

www.nps.gov/fosu/index.htm

Source – U.S. Natonal Park Service Website

Fort Sumter Tours

Picture Source – U.S. Natonal Park Service Website

Fort Sumter Area Map

Fort Sumpter Area Map

Picture Source – U.S. Natonal Park Service Website

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Drayton Hall – Southern Plantation in Charleston, S.C.

Drayton Hall - Southern plantation in Charleston, S.C.

Picture Source – http://www.draytonhall.org

‘Drayton Hall is the closet plantation to Charleston. It is the only plantation home in Charleston not destroyed in the Civil War. The owners fled leaving the property to the slaves. The slaves saw smoke near Magnolia Plantation and put put yellow quarantine flags at the gate to make Union soldiers think there was malaria present.’  Adapted from article about Charleston by Judith Evans. 

‘Drayton Halls story spans three centuries of American History. It is the oldest surviving example of Georgian Palladian architecture in the U.S. and one of the only pre-Revolutionary houses that remain in close to original condition today.’ See DraytonHall.org for more. 

Open 7 days a week except major holidays.

Monday through Saturday: Main Gates: 9:00 a.m.-3:20 p.m. (Exit gate closes at 5 p.m.)

Museum Shop: 9:00 a.m.-4:45 p.m.

First Tour: 9:30 a.m.

Last Tour: 3:30 p.m.

House Tours: Starting on the half hour at 9:30am. Please arrive at least 20 minutes before the start of the tour.

  • Connections:  From Africa to America: 10:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m., and 2:45 p.m.
  • Voices of Drayton Hall:  An Interactive Landscape Tour on DVD: Available for complimentary rental throughout the day; enjoy at your own pace.

Sundays: Main Gates: 11:00 a.m.-3:20 p.m. (Exit gate closes at 5 p.m.)

Museum Shop: 11:00 a.m.- 4:45 p.m.

First Tour: 11:30 a.m.

Last Tour: 3:30 p.m.

House Tours: Starting on the half hour at 11:30am. Please arrive at least 20 minutes before the start of the tour.

‘To help ensure a thoroughly enjoyable experience:

Visitors wishing to take a house tour should arrive at the front gate at least 20 minutes before the start of the tour to allow for ticket transaction, parking, and check-in.

If a house tour is sold out, you will be offered the next available tour of your choice.In addition to the house tour, there are other daily activities and programs available, and all are included in the price of regular adult admission-just click on Things To Do in the right hand column.

You can also save time by purchasing your tickets here. Please note that all visitors must first stop at the front gate before entering the site.’

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CSS Hunley – Submarine – Warren Lasch Conservatory Center – Charleston, S.C

CSS Hunley - Submarine - Warren Lasch Conservatory Center - Charleston, S.C.

Picture source – Hunley.org

1250 Supply Street,
Charleston,
SC – 29405

843-743-4865

www.hunley.org

The CSS Hunley or L.L. Hunley is a previously sunken Confederate submarine which was finally found in 1995 off of Sullivans Island. It was found by the National Underwater Marine Agency team of best selling author Clive Cussler.

Stories on Hunley.org –

– The Historic Mission (and Sinking) 

– Finding the Hundley 

Wikipedia.com article on the L.L. Hunley 

‘Weekend Tours of the Hunley

Hunley tours are available every Saturday from 10 AM – 5 PM and Sunday Noon-5 PM. Last tour begins at 4:40 PM. Tours are not available on weekdays so scientists can continue their work preserving the Hunley for future generations. Tours are not available on Easter Sunday.

Tickets ordered in advance are $12.00 plus a service charge and can be purchased by either calling toll-free 1-877-448-6539 (1-877-4HUNLEY) or at www.etix.com (links to specific dates listed below). Children under 5 are free.

Walk-up tickets are also available on a first come, first serve basis. These tickets do not have a service charge. Tickets for Friends of the Hunley members, senior citizens, and military are discounted to $10.00. If you are eligible for this discount, please purchase your ticket at the door.

The Hunley is located at:

Warren Lasch Conservation Center

1250 Supply Street (on the old Charleston Navy Base), North Charleston, S.C.

Tour Inquiries

– For questions about Hunley tours, please call the Friends of the Hunley directly at 843.743.4865 ext. 10.

– If you have questions about pre-reserved tickets, please contact Etix.com at support@etix.com.

– Group tours (20+ guests) can be scheduled for weekdays with advance notice. For more information, contact Josephine Starnes at 843.743.4865 ext. 28 or email herjstarnes@hunley.org

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Cabbage Row or Catfish Row, Charleston, S.C.

Click here for picture of Cabbage Row on PalmettoCarriage.com
Click here for picture of Cabbage Row on PalmettoCarriage.com

Picture source – http://www.palmettocarriage.com/cabbage-row.html

Cabbage Row got its name from African Americans putting produce on the window seals to sell.

Today there a couple of shops in this location.

Author DuBose Heyward wrote a novel, Porgy.

The main character lived on Cabbage Row.

George Gershwin and Heyward later wrote the musical, Porgy and Bess, and changed the name of the area to Catfish Row.

PalmettoCarriage.com tells us more…

“Cabbage Row is a structure from the Revolutionary War era. It is a well preserved example of this type of home, consisting of a pair of houses connected by a central arcade. The structure is three stories tall with commercial ground floors that have stood the test of time. The area is now lined with private homes and specialty shops but that wasn’t always the case.”  Read more…

 

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The Cooper River Bridge(s)

1939 Postcard of the Cooper River Bridge featured on American-Journal.org
1939 Postcard of the Cooper River Bridge featured on American-Journal.org

Picture Source – http://american-journal.org/2012/01/cooper-river-bridge-charleston-s-c-c-1939/

The Cooper River Bridge is technically three bridges with separate names that served to transport Charlestonians over the years.

Its history is revealed on CooperRiverBridge.org  .  The three bridges are:

  1. The Grace Memorial Bridge – “The 2.71-mile bridge, later to be named the Grace Memorial Bridge, was built in just 17 months, at a total cost of approximately $6 million. It was opened with a three-day celebration on Aug. 8, 1929.”
  2. The Pearman Bridge – “In ceremonies on April 29, 1966, a new $15 million bridge over the Cooper River, parallel to the Grace Bridge, was opened to traffic, and dedicated in honor of Chief Highway Commissioner Silas N. Pearman.”
  3. The Ravenel Bridge (also known as the New Cooper River Bridge) – “Now the diamond towers of the Ravenel Bridge have been named the John P. Grace Tower and the Silas N. Pearman Tower to remember the men and the bridges that served Charleston.”
Be sure to visit the Mount Pleasant Pier at 71 Harry Hallman Boulevard in Mt. Pleasant.  It is a lovely park and gives you a great view of the bridges.  Here is what the Charleston Park and Recreation Commission says about it:

“Part of the Memorial Waterfront Park complex, the 1250-foot long Mount Pleasant Pier stretches out into Charleston Harbor under the foot of the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge. The pier’s foundation was created from pared-down pilings from the old Grace Memorial Bridge, and one end of the pier now features an 8,100-square-foot covered pavilion for hosting dances and other events. Visitors can enjoy beautiful views of the bridge and harbor from the pier’s bench swings and shade structures.”

Learn more about the bridges on the Wikipedia ‘Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge’ article. 

There are many, many beautiful images of the bridges on Google images –

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Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge – Charleston, S.C.

Picture source – Wikipedia.org

www.cooperriverbridge.org/

Charleston, SC – 29401
“The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, also known as the New Cooper River Bridge, is a cable-stayed bridge over the Cooper Riverin South Carolina, connecting downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant. The eight lane bridge satisfied the capacity of U.S. Route 17 when it opened in 2005 to replace two obsolete cantilever truss bridges. The bridge has a main span of 1,546 feet (471 m), the second longest among cable-stayed bridges in the Western Hemisphere.”  Wikipedia.orgFor more information on the history of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, the Pearman Bridge, and the Grace Memorial Bridge – known as the Cooper River bridges – see ‘The Bridge(s) of Charleston’.
Related:

– The Mount Pleasant Pier

 

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The Charleston Museum – Americas First Museum

www.charlestonmuseum.org

360 Meeting Street,
Charleston,
SC – 29403
843-722-2996

Email – info@charlestonmuseum.org

‘America’s First Museum, founded in 1773.

Its mission is to preserve and interpret the cultural and natural history of Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry.

We invite you to explore this rich, varied history at the Museum and its two National Historic Landmark houses.

All are located downtown, in America’s Most Historic City.

Inspired in part by the creation of the British Museum (1759), the Museum was established in 1773 by the Charleston Library Society and is commonly regarded as America’s first museum. Its early history was characterized by association with distinguished South Carolinians and scientific figures including Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Reverend John Bachman and John J. Audubon. Many of the original collections were destroyed by fire in 1778 and operations were suspended during the American Revolution; however, collecting resumed in the 1790s.’

‘First opened to the public in 1824, the Museum developed prominent collections declared in 1852 by Harvard scientist Louis Aggasiz to be among the finest in America.

Operations were temporarily suspended due to the Civil War, but began again shortly after the conflict.

Progressively acquired from the late 18th century to the present, the Museum’s collections now present the oldest-acquired and the most comprehensive assemblage of South Carolina materials in the nation.

Modern collecting emphases include natural science, ornithology, historical material culture and both documentary and photographic resources.’

Hours of Operation

Museum – Monday-Saturday 9-5, Sunday 1-5

Historic Houses – Monday-Saturday 10-5, Sunday 1-5

Admission

Museum – $10/adults, $5/children 4-12, children 3 and under free

Historic Houses – $10 adults, $5/children 4-12, children 3 and under free

Group rates and discounted multi-site tickets available

Information and Prices subject to change

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Gov. Thomas Bennett House – a Landmark – Charleston, S.C.

Photo Source – http://www.governorthomasbennetthouse.com/

Listed in National Register of Historic Places.

69 Barre Street,
Charleston, SC
WebsiteThe Governor Thomas Bennett House is available for rent during the day or evenings, for weekday or weekend events. The rental fee is for the use of the house and gardens.

‘It was built in approximately 1825 on land which had once belonged to architect and builder Thomas Bennett, Sr. (1754-1814).

Thomas Bennett, Sr.’s son, Thomas Bennett, Jr. (1781-1865), took over his father’s lumber and milling business but was also active in state and local politics.

He was superintendent of Charleston, South Carolina; a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives (and was its speaker from 1814 to 1818); a member of the South Carolina Senate; and governor of the state.

After his term as governor, Thomas Bennett, Jr. undertook the construction of this notable house on land which originally overlooked the rice and saw mills which he owned.

The house is a 2 1/2-story wooden structure on a high foundation of stuccoed brick.

The house has a single-story piazza with a fanlighted entrance, engaged columns, and entablature.

The house has a pediment on the south facade, a Palladian window, and round-headed stair window on the north side.

The interior is notable for its Regency style woodwork and plasterwork.

It also has a cantilevered stair which connects the first and second floor without visible means of support along the walls.

It is one of only two such stairs in Charleston, the other being the Nathaniel Russell House at 51 Meeting St.

The house’s floorplan is a basic double house.

Immediately behind the front door is a hall, separated from a rearward stair hall by a keystone arch and fanlighted doorway.’

Source – Wikipedia

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Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum – Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

Picture Source – Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriots_Point

40 Patriots Point Road,
Mt. Pleasant,
SC – 29464
866-831-1720

www.patriotspoint.org/

‘Patriots Point is home to three museum ships:

– USS Yorktown, an aircraft carrier

– USS Laffey, a destroyer (closed as of August 2009; to be brought back December 2011)

– USS Clamagore, a submarine‘

 

‘The Yorktown has many exhibits on board, including:

– Medal of Honor museum, with biographies of all medal recipients

– 25 naval aircraft, including:

A-4 Skyhawk

A-6 Intruder

A-7 Corsair

F-4 Phantom

F-9 Cougar

F-14 Tomcat‘

 

‘Exhibits ashore include:

– Civil War-era cannon

– Vietnam War-era:

US Navy Bell UH-1 helicopter

USMC Bell AH-1 Sea Cobra helicopter

PBR-105 river patrol boat

Naval Support Camp

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