A local's eye view
A pre-dawn view along the Ashley River towards Charleston Harbor, with James Island on the right. In 1782, right before the final withdrawal of British troops at the end of the American Revolution, one of the last military skirmishes took place during the Battle of James Island.
HBO’s series, the Righteous Gemstones,” is filmed in Charleston. This “Locust Grove” Prayer Center is actually a repurposed entrance to the former Sears space in the Citadel Mall (you can see the remains of their sign under the lettering). The actual store was also turned into sound stages and other production facilities.
This building on Queen Street was originally built in 1800 as a single family house, and is now condos. The backwards “S” along the wall are the ends of earthquake rods or bolts.
Just another Charleston house and garden. This house was built in 1850 and you can find it on Legare Street, across the way from the famed Sword Gate House.
Church Street in the early morning hours. In the 1700’s the buildings in this area where known as the Fenwick Tenements — which were owned by the family of Fenwick Hall Plantation. The tenements burned down around 1785 and were replaced by the houses that are currently there.
This beautiful door belongs to the Col. John Stuart House on Tradd Street, which was built c. 1770. Stuart did a great job of creating an impressive house and accumulating the land around it, but had to give it all up when he fled Charleston in 1775. He was the Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Southern Colonies (representing the British crown) and wasn’t too popular as the colonies heading towards revolution.
A pretty fall scene in Charleston. Built in 1770, this house on Tradd Street has a long history. Included in that is that in 1927 the house was bought by the artist Alfred Hutty, as his home and studio. When he first came to Charleston in 1919, Hutty famously telegraphed his wife and said, “Come quickly, have found heaven.”
The Battery Carriage Inn on South Battery was recently renovated to include the whole house as part of the inn. Some of its more frequent guests over the years have been ghosts — which have been repeatedly seen. One of the more scary ones is a headless torso, but a more polite one is known as the “Gentleman Ghost.” If you want to check it out for yourself, they are known to hang out in specific rooms. So, make sure you request them when you make your reservation. Or not.
Cool shadows, iron, marble and doors at St. John’s Lutheran Church on Clifford Street (although this is Archdale Street).
Waterfront Park has some of the best views in Charleston. In the distance is Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the American Civil War were fired. It is now a National Historic Park… and well worth the boat ride to visit (and you will likely see dolphins along the way).