Here's a place I have always wanted to see, and we finally got here. We were blessed with incredible weather today, warm and sunny, but not too much humidity. The ship docked right downtown, only two blocks away. Knees have always been an issue for one Walker or the other. My knees are working just fine; poor Michael........he is now suffering. He visited the ortho doc just before we left and was told there was nothing to do for him. Now he is in constant pain and limping along. Stubborn guy refuses to see the ship doctor or go to a clinic or ER on shore. I KNOW what he is going through.
Historic Charleston was founded in 1670 and is located on a peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. It is named for King Charles II of England. Hoping to establish a colony in the area known today as Port Royal, Governor William Sayle, a British colonist, established the city on the peninsula after he got tired of tromping around in the woods and the Indians suggested this was a much better place. Cotton, rice and indigo were the major commodities exported from the seaport. At the entrance to the harbor lies an island where Fort Sumter is located. As you remember from school history, Fort Sumter was where the first shot was fired to start the civil war.
Christine arranged for a private tour and the four of us met our guide, Susan Lee (843-424-4721), at the pier. What a tour we had. This woman never stopped talking about the history of Charleston, formally called Charles Town. There was so much that it was hard to take it all in. We started with a brief drive through downtown, and then a drive out to see the Drayton Hall Plantation (circa 1738), the oldest UNRESTORED plantation house in America. It is renowned for its Palladian inspired architecture and built along the Ashley River. It was passed through seven generations before passing to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1974. There is a swamp here! And, there are alligators in it! There are gardens! These plantations are expensive to maintain and that is why the families donate them to historic trusts.
Before we started our tour, we had to spray ourselves with bug spray. Hurricane Mathew left lots of water, and with the high temperatures, mosquitoes were looking for a free lunch.
We also listened to a presentation on slavery. It was very fascinating. Not all slaves (or enslaved peoples as the docent called them) were abused or worked in the fields. They were craftsmen, often sent abroad to learn a trade because maintenance was expensive and ongoing giving the harsh weather conditions (I would NOT like to be here in July). Most owners gave the slaves time off on Sunday for worship. In addition, punishment was given out but not so much that it would keep a slave from working. What a sad part of our history.
We toured the Drayton house, which stands as is. Nothing has been done to refurbish the house, just some structural reinforcements for safety. The paint on the walls is original, the windows are original; there is no furniture in it. One of the interesting items was the staircase built into the walls for the slave to carry things up and down from the basement. One had to have careful footing especially when carrying food up from the kitchen, which was located in the basement.
We also toured the grounds of Middleton Plantation and Magnolia Plantation. We thevn had a driving tour of the historic city. Upon our return to the ship, we had lunch and then ventured out to the market, which was given to the city by the Pinckney family in perpetuity for the sole purpose of selling goods as long as they didn't sell slaves.
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