“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.
Photo
A poet, politician and reformer born in Charleston, William Crafts, Jr. (1787-1826), was educated by tutors and later entered Harvard, graduating in 1805. He returned to Charleston and studied law...
Video
The host joins Park Manager Ron Fischer at Charlestowne Landing State Historic Site aboard the "Adventure." The "Adventure" is a reproduction of a 17th-century sailing vessel and was built for the...
Video
This lesson is a brief survey of the art, architecture, literature and theatre of South Carolina. It opens with a series of skits where "comedic characters" "put down" South Carolina's interest in...
Video
REENACTMENT: Four of the principals at Fort Sumter discuss in retrospect events that led to the "firing of the first shot of the Civil War." These people are: Major Robert Anderson; Commander of the...
Video
The program begins with Vesey discussing the condition of slavery with an acquaintance who is a slave Later, at a meeting, details of the plot are worked out with co-conspirators including Peter Poyas...
Video
DISCLAIMER: This video has a lot of visual images of hangings and decapitation. Stede Bonnet had sought and received a pardon from Governor Eden at Bathtown, North Carolina, and a privateering letter...
Photo
Born near Society Hill, James Lide Coker (1837-1918) attended local schools, the South Carolina Military Institute of Charleston, and Harvard University, where he received specialized agricultural...
Photo
Mordecai Cohen (1763-1848) was born in Poland, but amassed extensive real estate holdings in Charleston after the Revolution. A planter and philanthropist, he served as Commissioner of the Poor House...
Photo
Sir Henry Clinton (1738-1795) commanded the force that unsuccessfully attacked Charleston at the beginning of the American Revolution in 1776. When General William Howe resigned as commander in chief...
Photo
Mary Boykin Chesnut (1823-1886) was the wife of James Chesnut Jr., and a famous Civil War diarist. Born near Camden, she attended private schools; at Madame Talvande's School in Charleston she first...
