Charleston

“Charleston County and the city of Charleston, its county seat, are the most historic locations in the state.”

“Charleston County and the city of Charleston, its county seat, are the most historic locations in the state.” Situated in the Lowcountry, the county serves as a popular vacation destination but also relies on the business that results from its port. The area in general serves as a large cultural and economic hub for the state.

Charleston County was founded as Charleston District in 1769, and the district became smaller after some of its lands were used to create Colleton and Berkeley counties. The county and its seat were named after King Charles II.

The city and county are saturated with Revolutionary War and Civil War history. Three signers of the United States Constitution and two famous abolitionists resided in Charleston County, and the Civil War began when soldiers fired shots from the county’s Fort Sumter.

Audubon, John James | South Carolina Public Radio

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“A” is for Audubon, John James [1785-1851]. Artist. Ornithologist. Naturalist. Born in Santo Domingo and reared in France, Audubon arrived in America in 1803. By 1820 he was supporting himself as a...
Drayton, Percival | South Carolina Public Radio

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"D" is for Drayton, Percival [1812-1865] In 1864, he commanded Admiral David Farragut's flagship, the U.S.S. Hartford, at the Battle of Mobile Bay. It was to Percival Drayton that Farragut shouted the...
Logan, Martha Daniell | South Carolina Public Radio

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“L” is for Logan, Martha Daniell [1704-1779]. Horticulturist. When her father died in 1718, Martha Daniell inherited 48,000 acres on the Wando River and her father’s nursery business. Although she...
Charleston Ironwork | South Carolina Public Radio

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“C” is for Charleston Ironwork. Elements of decorative iron first appeared on Charleston buildings during the middle decades of the eighteenth century. Crafted by local blacksmiths, they closely...