Mon - 28 Apr/14

We have arrived home safely on Sunday afternoon. Internet was supposed to be back on by then - it wasn't. Finally it is on by noon today.

The next blog will be up when we travel in the summer (probably the beginning of July at the earliest.)

I don't do blogs for local camping - just trips at a distance.

Thanks for following the blog. Hope it has brought insight into things to visit when you travel.

Bill

Addendum:

This picture is showing the Tornado damage in Tupelo, MS - 5 miles from the Elvis Museum.

I am really glad that I changed my coming home plans and route. If I had followed the original thoughts to go to New Orleans then follow the Natchez Trace route coming home with a stop at Tupelo, MS to visit the Elvis Museum and birthplace again this would have put us right in the severe Tornado storm path. Even coming home from the south on I-95 would have put us in the severe weather path along I-95 if we had waited until the end of the month to return. It pays to check the weather forecasts!

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were in the storm path.

Fri - 25 Apr/14

This is our last day in Charleston before heading home tomorrow. We are really glad that we changed destinations. The weather here has been great! Travelling home should be OK as well. If we had gone to New Orleans we would have had rain at times during our stay. Going home would have been problematic from there as there are severe storm warnings on the route we would have taken home. Bad weather North of here today - including Hail, Lightning and Tornadoes; however, I think we can dodge the worst going home.

For our last day we decided on visiting Middleton Place. Middleton Place is a National Historic Landmark and home to America’s Oldest Landscaped Gardens.

The Garden Club of America has called the 65 acres “the most important and most interesting garden in America”.

Beth, at the ticket booth, was so friendly and helpful. We decided on the combination ticket that included the admission and House Museum Tour here as well as Admission and Tour at the Edmondston-Alston House in Charleston, SC.

Centuries-old camellias bloom in the winter months and azaleas blaze on the hillside above the Rice Mill Pond in the spring. In summer, kalmia, magnolias, crepe myrtles and roses accent a landscape magnificent throughout the year. The Gardens have been planned so that there is something blooming at Middleton Place year-round.

Middleton Place, located on the banks of the Ashley River, also includes the Middleton Place House Museum and Plantation Stableyards. Visitors to Middleton Place can explore 65 acres of Formal Landscaped Gardens.

The Plantation Stableyards offer a look at life on an 18th and 19th century plantation with costumed craftspeople and historic animal breeds.

On our way to the 11 o'clock tour we met a lovely family from the Netherlands. They were trying to take a family "Selfie" with a regular camera. That meant pose the family, place the camera on something fairly stable, click the button to start the timer and run like hell to get yourself in the photo before it goes "click".  You then have to check to see if you made it in time (He actually ran out of his sandals as he did the 50 metre dash to the tree). I offered to take a few pictures for them just in case he didin't make it there in time. Please - Don't "Send the Kids to Camp" - take them with you and go on tour to interesting places.

Charlotte led the way to the House Museum.

Unfortunately, like most tours, photography is not allowed. Thankfully the website has some photos available

The South Flanker, today's House Museum, was originally built in 1755 as gentlemen's guest quarters and together with the North Flanker - a library and conservatory - completed Henry Middleton's overall grand design. It is the only surviving portion of the three-building residential complex that once stood overlooking the Ashley River. The flankers, along with the main house, were burned by Union troops in February, 1865, just two months before the end of the Civil War. The South Flanker was the least damaged of the three buildings and was restored to provide the family living quarters. Repairs began in 1869 and included a new roof, Dutch gable ends and an entry hall leading from the Greensward. Thus strengthened, the South Flanker survived Charleston's Great Earthquake in 1886, that felled the gutted walls of the other buildings. By 1870 the Middletons returned to live again at Middleton Place and the South Flanker continued to serve subsequent generations until becoming a House Museum in 1975.

In 1771, Benjamin West painted a monumental portrait of Arthur Middleton (1742-1787), signer of the Declaration of Independence; his wife Mary Izard Middleton (1747-1814), and their infant son Henry (1770-1846) who was born in London during the young family's lengthy stay there.

Also in 1771, John Carter made eight silver candlesticks for Arthur Middleton, and Francis Butty and Nicholas Dumee crafted an exquisite silver epergne with the Middleton coat of arms engraved in each basket. Through the generosity of Middleton family descendants, these and many complementary objects have returned to Middleton Place and provide authenticity in illustrating the story of the four generations of Middletons for whom Middleton Place was home, from before the Revolution through the Civil War.

It must be noted that our Tour Docent  (volunteer educator) was excellent.

After the tour it was time for lunch. The restaurant offers indoor, patio or picnic table (under the trees) dining.

We decided on indoors - with a view!

We decided on the Edna Lewis Luncheon that featured traditional "Lowcountry" foods:

     - Fresh Field Green Salad: (So fresh, Charlotte had to slap it)
     - Pulled Pork w/Mustard Sauce: (We really liked the mustard sauce)
     - Fried Chicken: Truly Southern (No "Colonel" of truth to it being from KY)
     - Collard Greens w/Ham Hocks: (Pig in!)
     - Hoppin' John: (A New Year's Day tradition in many southern households, this distinctively named dish of rice and black-eyed peas is believed to bring good luck for the coming year.)
     - Corn Pudding: (Fresh corn that comes from the fields, picks up some flour on the way; makes a run through the farmyard (eggs), slips into the barn (butter, milk), finds a little sugar and a touch of salt before jumping in the oven.) (grin)
     - Cornbread: (The usual was unusually good).

Cheers to the Chef!

We really enjoyed the selections and topped it off with a piece (shared) of Pecan Pie: (Sweet!...Mother of God - Good!)

Next we headed to the Stableyard. 

Here artisans attired in period clothes and armed with the language and terms of the era explain their endeavours; from Blacksmith to Cooper and Carpenter; Potter to  Spinner and Weaver; all represent the worklife of slaves on a plantation where the majority of the necessities were made on site.

The farm animals are also breeds representative of the era.

Our next destination, part of the "Combo" ticket, was the Edmondston-Alston House, 21 E Battery St, Charleston, SC - a half hour drive away. Again, no inside pictures - so I used those from the website.

This house was a "Town House". A Town House is where the plantation owners stayed for the winter months when there was little that needed tending at the plantation.

Of Charleston's many fine house museums, only the Edmondston-Alston House (constructed in 1825 and enhanced in 1838) commands a magnificent view of Charleston Harbor.

The 30 minute guided tour of the home’s public rooms and piazzas focused on its Federal and Greek revival design and the vast collection of family silver, decorative arts and furniture. The house is linked to Middleton Place through the family relationship of the various owners. Today, the third floor is still occupied by a family heir.

The house was built in the late Federal style by Scottish shipping merchant Charles Edmondston at the height of his commercial success. In 1825, it was one of the first substantial houses to be built along the city’s sea wall away from the noisy wharves and warehouses further up the Peninsula. But a decade later, economic reversals during the Panic of 1837 forced Edmondston to sell his house. It was purchased by Charles Alston, a member of a well-established Low Country rice-planting dynasty who quickly set about updating the architecture of his house in the Greek Revival style. Among the features Alston added were the third story piazza with Corinthian columns, a cast-iron balcony across the front, and a rooftop railing bearing the Alston coat of arms.

In the 1840s and 1850s, business visitors were received on the first floor while the family’s intellectual and social diversions took place in the drawing rooms on the floor above. Nice view from the second floor piazza. (We could take pictures outside).

The house has remained in the Alston family since 1838. Many pieces of the family’s 19th century furniture, books, and other personal belongings remain in the house - much as they have since the Alstons witnessed the dramatic events of the Civil War.

The striking Greek Revival interiors, fascinating collections of the family portraits, furniture and silver and maritime views from the piazza make the Edmondston-Alston House an unforgettable part of any Charleston adventure. The house museum is managed by the Middleton Place Foundation, a not-for-profit educational trust.

The collection at the Edmondston-Alston House Museum consists of pieces that belonged to the family, reflecting not only family history but American history.

From its piazza, General P. T. Beauregard watched the fierce bombardment of Ft. Sumter on April 12, 1861, signaling the start of the Civil War. And on December 11 of the same year, the house gave refuge to General Robert E. Lee the night a wide-spreading fire threatened his safety in a Charleston hotel.

Despite the ravages of the Civil War, the Earthquake of 1886 and numerous hurricanes, the Alston family pieces remain in place much as they have for over 150 years.  Notable in the collection is an original print of the Ordinance of Secession, portraits, dining room table, gas lights, mirror and exquisite interior woodwork.

A neat item we saw at Middleton Place; but, didn't know what it really was, was also on the piazza The main board preferably should be between 10 and 16 feet long and wide enough to sit on. Traditionally, the boards were made from the flexible wood of a southern yellow pine tree. The end pieces, which are often shaped similar to a rocking chair to facilitate rocking side to side, hold the main board at sitting height. The board is springy and a person sitting on it can easily bounce up and down. Lore also has it that a girl and guy, sitting at each end, joggle until they meet in the middle - where they must kiss.

Sources differ on the origination;  its usage in the Lowcountry of South Carolina around Charleston in the early 19th century is; however, rather well-documented. Traditionally, it is painted Charleston green. The joggling board's popularity has slowly been coming back, mostly as decorations on lawns and front porches.

According to one South Carolina legend, the first joggling board was built in the early 19th century at Acton Plantation, which was located in the "Midlands" of South Carolina, near Stateburg. It is maintained that it was constructed with reference to the design of a model shipped to the plantation owner's sister by relatives at the family estate of Gilmerton House in Scotland , Originally it was developed for exercise purposes.

Another legend is holds that it was created by a doctor for a lady customer who liked to ride horses. Arthritis made it impossible for her to continue to ride so she requested the doctor invent a device with a similar horse-riding action. Ladies of the day rode side-saddle. Sitting on the board is similar to being side-saddle. The bouncing action speaks for itself.

We had a very interesting day in Charleston. A quick ride back to the TV Park where we rested for a short time. before setting about preparing for our trip home.

While setting up I had the pleasure of meeting Engelbert Wiedmann-Bertino from Germany. He and his wife are RVing in a rental RV. Although we both had things to do we did find time to talk for a while. Meeting nice folks is one of the true bonuses of RVing.

Please note: This will be the last blog until we get home. We will be on the road without Wi-Fi. I will do a wrap-up early next week (pending the internet company gets me back online).

Thu - 24 Apr/14

 Conde Nast Traveler magazine voted Charleston the top tourist town in the United States for 3 years running. Similar awards from Travel + Leisure and People's Choice Awards. Although we have visited Charleston a few times over the years the internet has made it easier to plan and choose from the many sights to see - I guess that makes us sightseers (grin).

Today the plan was park the car for the day in the city parking garage downtown. We then crossed the street to the Visitors Center to purchase our bus tour tickets.

This visitor center was really well laid out. Charleston prides itself in restoring and re-purposing historic buildings. The center is in a former train station complex. The track area has now become the boarding area for the multitude of bus tour companies that serve Charleston.

Richard, our Tour Guide/Driver, had a friendly greeting as we arrived. Richard was excellent on the tour. His depth of knowledge and continuous easy manner by which he explained what we were seeing made the 90 minute tour fly by. There were so many interesting facts to relate them all would take - well - an hour and a half (to read).

From its settlement in 1670 until 1783, Charleston's development was almost entirely English, perhaps explaining why Charleston is not a "typical" Southern city, from either a social or architectural standpoint.

The most striking thing about Charleston is the cleanliness of the city and the beauty of the historic architecture. The predominate house style (in quantity) was the "Single House". Similar to a Philadelphia "Row House" or New Orleans "Shotgun House", it is both long and narrow.

Charleston was a walled fortress city between the years of 1690 and 1720, a period of constant danger from hostile French and Spanish invaders, Native American tribes, and pirates. Being a walled city, as many houses as were crowded onto a street as possible. As the city spread beyond the walls, this conservation of space became a habit - probably because it was crowded into a peninsula. - limiting land available.  Charleston was one of four walled cities in North America, and the only English walled city on the continent. (French - Quebec City, QC Canada; Spanish - St. Augustine, FL USA and San Francisco de Campeche, Campeche, Mexico). Charleston's wall (12 feet high) was built in 1703 as a response to fear of the French, the Spanish and the Native Americans.

The house is well-suited to long, narrow lots which were laid out in early Charleston. A single house has its narrow side with a gable end along the street and a longer side running perpendicular to the street. Although the form can be found across historic Charleston in a variety of styles (e.g., Federal, Greek Revival, and Victorian), the consistent feature is the interior layout. A front door on the long side of the house, half way along the side perpendicular to the street, opens onto a short central hall and staircase. There is one room on each side of the hall, that is, one toward the street and one toward the rear of the house. The result is a building which is only one room wide when viewed from the street, giving the form its popular name. Each floor contained two rooms, and the floorplan was reproduced on each floor above.

Although not a part of the earliest single houses, later buildings had two and three story porches, known locally as piazzas, added. The piazzas always appear on the side of the house with the front door which, to take best advantage of local winds, will be the south or west side.

Service areas were often located in separate buildings behind the house. This was for a number of reasons. The services (kitchen) had a fire (for cooking) that was on all day - even in the summer. Being separate kept the house cooler.

There was also the fear of fire. Many of these houses were wooden and most, being very close together, increased the spread of fire should one occur. Being at the rear lessened the chance of a kitchen fire taking out the main building and several of the neighbours, as well. After childbirth, kitchen fires were the leading cause of death for women in Charleston in this era.

The more affluent lived in a "Double House" which faced the street at full-length. The main characteristic of this type of architecture is that there is a central entrance hallway running through the house. Living rooms, drawing rooms, and other living areas are usually on either side downstairs, and the bedrooms are upstairs. They also have piazzas like Single Houses.

The "English" influence caused an unusual style adaptation in Charleston. To imitate the architecture of the desired "London (UK) House" of the era; many houses were modified to look like the stone block houses of that city. Brick houses had stucco applied and carved to look like blocks. In some cases, the wood itself was "carved" to look like blocks, as well.

Note: Charleston is built on an earthquake fault line area. The "White" area is a "Lion" decoration covering an earthquake plate. A bolt that ran the length of the house between the floor joists was secured through a plate on the house exterior adding stability to masonry houses. The wooden houses could flex more during the "Shake".

Another note: The staircase on the front of the house, known as a welcoming-arms staircase, according to Legend, was created to allow men to walked up the right side of the staircase and the women the left, the theory being that if you saw a lady's ankle you would have to marry her. The probable reason was that Women of that period were known to wear bodices that left ample bosoms open to the naked eye. This arrangement avoided the obvious problem.

Still another note: Many think the cupola perched on many of the rooftops was a widow's walk where wives were able to look out to sea while they waited for their husbands, but actually it’s a form of air conditioning. If you open all the windows of the house, then open the windows of the cupola the cooler air is drawn in onthe bottom floors while the warm air escaped through the cupola.

This is a city I know our friends from Mexico (Alberto and Diane) would really enjoy visiting. Alberto is an architect and during today's tour we saw a wide variety of really beautiful and interesting architecture. This is one of the reasons Charleston was voted #1 for tourists.

OK - another note: Broad Street, in the past, was considered the dividing line between the affluent and the less well to do folks. The affluent, South Of Broad - were called SOB's. Those to the North were SNOB's (Slightly North of Broad) (grin).

Our tour also took us to the seawall near "The Battery". The Battery is the defensive seawall and promenade named for a civil-war coastal defense artillery battery at the site. that stretched along the lower shores of the Charleston peninsula, bordered by the Ashley and Cooper Rivers, which meet to form Charleston harbour. 

Needless to say there was quite a breeze on the seawall.

Richard started his presentation on the seawall; however, due to the wind we returned to the bus to finish his information session. (I'm guessing he must have been a History major?)

Yes - still another note: Much of Charleston near the seawall today did not exist during the city's original formative years. A network of seawalls constructed of tabby, a locally made mixture of crushed oyster shells, sand and lime based mortar, was constructed in the 18th and 19th century along the Charleston waterfront. This system of seawalls was constructed to protect residents from flooding which was common prior to the extension of the Battery in the early 20th century.

OK - final note: Charleston is also known as "The Holy City" due to the high concentration of churches in town - including the only "French Huguenot" in North America. I don't know the "Church Count" in Charleston. I wonder if it rivals Puebla, Mexico, which we visited with Diane and Alberto? Puebla has 70 churches in the historic center alone, 

There were lots of points of interest detailed by Richard. Originally known as "Cow Alley" this lane was renamed “Philadelphia Alley”. Opinions vary as to the reasons why this name change came about; some say it was due to the citizens of Philadelphia helping Charleston rebuild after a fire. Others say it was because Johnson had been imprisoned in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War, and named it in honor of the connections he had made there. Whatever the story, locals have a more colorful name for this elegantly landscaped thoroughfare. Today, most Charlestonians simply call the cobblestone passage “Dueler’s Alley.”

By sword or pistol, dueling was considered a gentleman’s way of settling disputes of honor. It began in the Middle Ages and was imported from Europe with American colonization. By the time of the late Colonial and Revolutionary periods, dueling was all the rage in America, culminating with the most famous duel of all in Weehawken, New Jersey, when Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel on July 11, 1804. Soon outlawed, it remained popular in the South until well past the 1840's, often held on sandbars in rivers where jurisdiction was unclear. This alley was an ideal place to duel due to the high walls on either side. 

It is said that Philadelphia Alley still carries the sounds of pistol shots and the smell of gunsmoke. Ghostly visions of ladies in gowns appear on photographs, as do shadows and violet fire. Some visitors are said to experience time loops. Considered to be the most haunted lane in Charleston, there are rumors of over thirty recorded deaths here. 

(Maybe next visit we will take a Ghost Tour?).

On our return to the Visitors center at the end of the tour we boarded the  (Free) Trolley - Route 211 which took us down to the Charleston City Market.

Established in the 1790's, the market stretches for four city blocks from Market Hall (on National Register of Historic Places), which faces Meeting Street, through a continuous series of one-story market sheds, the last of which terminates at East Bay Street. The top floor of the main entrance is a Confederate Museum. 

Strolling through the Market we encountered a wide assortment of vendors selling high quality products including paintings, pottery, and Gullah foodstuffs, as well as spots for casual dining and more! 

Charleston's famous Gullah sweetgrass baskets were everywhere. The cost was astronomical with the largest baskets being hundreds of dollars.

The Gullah are the descendants of enslaved Africans who live in the Lowcountry region of the US (SC and GA). The Gullah people and their language (also called Geechee, speculated to relate to the Ogeechee River near Savannah, GA. "Gullah" (originally used to designate the variety of English spoken) over time has come to be used by its speakers to formally refer to their creole language and distinctive ethnic identity.

We were getting a little hungry. Today we went to the Charleston Crab House. Family Owned for 20 Years they specialize in fresh Lowcountry seafood served in a casual, family friendly atmosphere. Indoor and outdoor seating is offered. We were lucky enough to get a table on the roof patio.

Our choice today was a large Dinner Salad: Mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumber, mixed cheeses, diced bacon, red onion and croutons . We chose the Blue Cheese dressing. It was fresh and really good.
The main course was the Lowcountry Shrimp Boil: with corn, potatoes, shrimp and andouille sausage. It was really tasty. it also came with a serving of "Hush Puppies" aka Southern Tim-Bits.

After the meal, on the way to the Trolley Stop, we tried a "Praline Sample". Good; but, not even close to the Pralines we always buy when in New Orleans - so we passed.

We then got on the Trolley and returned to the Visitor Center. The last mission before going to the car in the parking garage was to take a photo of the H.L. Hunley. this is a re-production at the Charleston Museum that was constructed from the known information at the time.

H. L. Hunley was a submarine of the Confederate States of America that played a small part in the American Civil War. Hunley demonstrated the advantages and the dangers of undersea warfare. She was the first combat submarine to sink a warship, although Hunley was not completely submerged and, following her successful attack, was lost along with her crew before she could return to her base.

The Confederacy lost 21 crewmen in three sinkings of Hunley during her short career. The submarine was named for her inventor, Horace Lawson Hunley, shortly after she was taken into service under the control of the Confederate Army at Charleston, SC.

Hunley, nearly 40 feet long, was built at Mobile, Alabama, and launched in July 1863. She was then shipped by rail on August 12, 1863 to Charleston, SC. Hunley sank on August 29, 1863, during a training exercise, killing five members of her crew. She sank again on October 15, 1863, killing all eight of her second crew, including Horace Hunley himself. Both times Hunley was raised and returned to service. On February 17, 1864, Hunley attacked and sank the USS Housatonic which was on Union blockade duty in Charleston's outer harbor. Soon after, Hunley sank, killing all eight of her third crew. This time, the innovative ship was lost.

Finally located in 1995, Hunley was recovered in 2000. Examination in 2012 of recovered Hunley artifacts suggests that the submarine was as close as 20 feet to her target, Housatonic, when her deployed torpedo exploded, which eventually caused the sub's own demise.

Unfortunately, it is on display elsewhere in Charleston; however, it is only available for viewing on Saturday and Sunday (we will be gone). The weekdays are used for restoration work. Maybe next time? The Hunley crewmen, when they are ultimately laid to rest at Magnolia Cemetery, will be honour as real men, with names and faces, due to the forensic facial reconstruction that is now being done.

Rush hour traffic added 10 minutes to return time to the RV Park. No real problems - just the additional volume meant we had to stop for a lot more traffic lights.

It was another very interesting and full day in Charleston, SC.