Charleston, SC cont

Each morning we leave our parking spot at the Elks Lodge and drive over the Ashley River bridge to the peninsula. That is us back behind the Live Oaks and Sweet Gum trees. No neighbors, just us.

We usually find a spot along the battery south of Broad. This elevated walk follows the shore around the east side of the peninsula.

There are always folks walking or sitting and relaxing in this park while they are guarded from the yanks! Not far from this spot is Ft. Sumter where the Civil War began.

 I don't know how they get the ivy to grow on the fronts of the steps. Every place is so beautifully manicured and gardens are just everywhere.

As we strolled up Church Street we stopped at the Huguenot Church, the last independent Huguenot church in the nation. The first church was built here in 1687 and the present Gothic Revival building was complete in 1844.

I had heard that there was a plaque with one of my grandfather's names on it and sure enough. The walls are adorned with plaques in honor of men who gave money to the church for its reconstruction after the Civil War.

The market is always an interesting place to visit. It was quite crowded but that is my idea of a real arts and crafts fair. 

 Here you will find plenty of women making the famous sweetgrass baskets that are anything but cheap.

The city hall was built in 1801 and is a most handsome building that has survived an earthquake, tornadoes, and hurricanes. It has been refurbished as has so much of Charleston.

We especially enjoyed seeing the John Trumbull 1791 painting of George Washington. At the far end of the city council meeting room full of old desks and cane chairs is the Samuel F.B. Morse painting of James Monroe.

This is supposedly the oldest house in Charleston according to the artist who has his shop there. It is three story and also had a basement as did many houses. It had been a lawyer's office for years and is now owned by a lady in Charlotte.

These cane chairs were in many of the pews in one of the old churches. Look familiar, Kay?

The Douxsaint House is one of many listed on the national register of historic properties in Charleston. This one is in a part of town called the French Quarter. It has a single front with the porch or piazza on the side of the house as is typical with many houses here. This was done possibly to pay fewer taxes due to the amount of your house on the street or to perhaps avoid the sun and have cooler breezes.

On this 3 story building you can see the crosses that are part of the bolts that run through the attics of the houses to prevent damage during an earthquake.

This is so typical of how well manicured and beautiful much of Charleston is.

Charleston began as Charles Town in 1670 on the east side of the peninsula alongside the Cooper River. Much of the town was walled off to prevent invasion by Indians and others.

The Powder Magazine is the oldest public building in Charleston. It was built in 1713 as a place to store their gunpowder supplies.

There are so many ways to see Charleston if you choose to neither drive nor walk. These folks were taking one of the easy and informative rides.

Further down Chalmers Street we came to the old fire station and the old slave mart, now a museum.  It was built in 1859 as a city ordinance in 1856 prohibited the public sale of slaves. It is now a museum.

Walking is not easy in the older parts of town. The cobblestone or brick streets and sidewalks with bricks or mostly large rock squares make it difficult. We best get out of town before we trip and break something.

Folks with nice houses often have nice cars. This is a more modern Rolls Royce than another we saw.  This is not us leaving town!

One of the last places we visited in Charleston was the park alongside the Cooper River off Concord. It was the weekend and tourists were just everywhere. 

And not far from there we found Noisy Oysters on N Market Street. I know that nobody cares what I ate for lunch but it explains why I look like I do. Oysters, fried tomatoes and grits. Why not?

And I probably have 200 more photos of Charleston. I won't bore you any longer but I learned long ago that when it comes to taking pictures that buildings are my passion.