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.

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American Red Cross Headquarters, 1893 | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 5

Scarcely had the city of Charleston recovered from the 1886 earthquake than the entire coast, including Charleston, was struck by a devastating hurricane in 1893. It created extensive damage in the...

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Charleston's Homeless Crisis After Earthquake | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 4

Hundreds of people were left homeless by the destruction of the 1886 earthquake. Others feared to stay in their homes lest there should be another quake, or weakened walls collapse. Here, families...

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Train Derailed by Earthquake | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 3

The force of the 1886 Charleston earthquake knocked this train from its tracks. Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

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Charleston Earthquake | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 2

At 9:45 p.m. on August 31, 1886, a major earthquake struck Charleston. There were 27 people killed in the collapse of buildings, and another 33 died later of injuries. Buildings were destroyed, roads...

Confederate Submarine C.S.S. Hunley | History of SC Slide Collection

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Confederate Submarine C.S.S. Hunley | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 39

In an effort to disrupt the federal blockade, the Confederacy resorted to many ingenious plans, but perhaps the most daring of all was the attempt to build and use a submarine. The "Hunley" eventually...

Confederate Ram Under Construction | History of SC Slide Collection

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Confederate Ram Under Construction | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 37

A Confederate ram under construction in Charleston. From "Leslie's Illustrated Weekly." Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.

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SC Veterans in History, Part 4

Episode 4

In this segment, a student asks why Francis Marion is called the Swamp Fox, and the answer is given that he was one of the first to use what we now know as guerilla tactics. He would hide in the swamp...

Ruins of "Beacon House" on Morris Island | History of SC Slide Collection

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Ruins of "Beacon House" on Morris Island | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 32

The successful assault on Hilton Head and Beaufort left many buildings in ruins, such as this "Beacon House" on Morris Island, photographed after the battle by Sam A. Cooley for the 10th Army Corps...

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Aftermath of Charleston Fire, 1861 | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 28

In December of 1861, a great fire swept through Charleston, destroying much of the city, and making the defense of the city even more difficult. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.

Housetop View of Fort Sumter's Bombardment | History of SC Slide Collection

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Housetop View of Fort Sumter's Bombardment | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 27

The housetops of Charleston during the bombardment of Fort Sumter. From "Harper's Weekly." Courtesy of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

Fort Sumter | History of SC Slide Collection

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Fort Sumter | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 24

Fort Sumter, viewed here from the rear, could not be re-supplied without the Confederate forces in Charleston acquiescing; which they were determined not to do. As Major Anderson's garrison saw their...

Entry of Major Robert Anderson at Fort Sumter, December, 1860 | History of SC Slide Collection

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Entry of Major Robert Anderson at Fort Sumter, December, 1860 | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 23

The entry of Major Robert Anderson's (see Major Robert Anderson) command into Fort Sumter on Christmas night, 1860. After the secession of the seven deep South states, federal troops withdrew from...

Institute Hall | History of SC Slide Collection

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Institute Hall | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 4

The National Democratic nominating convention in session at Institute Hall in Charleston on April 28, 1860. The convention was unable to bridge the differences between northern and southern wings of...

Charleston Battery, 1865 | History of SC Slide Collection

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Charleston Battery, 1865 | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 1

This view of the Battery in Charleston, circa 1865, gives a good view of how that city appeared during the Civil War, and how it had prepared for its defense. The area is still known as the Battery...

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Friends and Amateurs in Musick | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 10

"Friends and Amateurs in Musick" was drawn in 1827 by Thomas Middleton, an amateur artist; it is probably deliberately modeled on the convivial gathering of "Peter Manigault and His Friends" (see...

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Encampment at Hadril's Point | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 8

John C. Calhoun (see John C. Calhoun and John C. Calhoun), newly elected to the House of Representatives in 1811, was an eager supporter of avenging American honor by going to war against England...

Siege of Charleston Plan | History of SC Slide Collection

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Siege of Charleston Plan | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 8

Plan of the Siege of Charleston, 1780. The British did not capture Charleston in 1776, but when their strategy for winning the war shifted the military offensive from the north to the south in 1779...

Old Powder Magazine | History of SC Slide Collection

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Old Powder Magazine | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 7

The "old powder magazine," built in 1703 as part of the northwest bastion of the city's original fortifications, was a storage area for arms as Charleston prepared for the Revolutionary War. Courtesy...

Sergeant William Jasper, Hero of Fort Moultrie | History of SC Slide Collection

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Sergeant William Jasper, Hero of Fort Moultrie | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 6

When a British shot tore the South Carolina flag from its staff during the attack on Sullivan's Island, Sergeant Jasper, an Irishman, risked becoming a target himself to replace the flag, lest the...

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Fort Moultrie II | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 5

The British ships fired on Fort Moultrie on June 28, 1776, in an attack outlined in this map. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.

Fort Moultrie I | History of SC Slide Collection

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Fort Moultrie I | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 4

The heroic defense of the fort on Sullivan's Island from a determined attack in June 1776, by a British Fleet under Sir Peter Parker (see Sir Peter Parker) gave South Carolina its state symbol. The...

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Charleston Exchange Building | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 21

The focal point of this 1780 view of Charleston from the harbor is the handsome Exchange Building, begun in 1767 as an exchange and customs house for one of the most prosperous shipping towns in the...

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Charles Pinckney's Town House | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 6

The town house of Charles Pinckney (1757-1824, see Charles Pinckney) on Meeting Street in Charleston, painted from memory by Mrs. Colden Tracy after it had been destroyed in the 1861 Charleston fire...

Charleston, South Carolina in 1742 | History of SC Slide Collection

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Charleston, South Carolina in 1742 | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 5

The city of Charleston in 1742 was a bustling port town of 6,800, the fourth largest city in British North America. Half of its population were African-American slaves. They were the labor on which...

Charleston

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