Month: April 2018

What do a tree, house and church have to do with each other?  Other than all three being very old and found in South Carolina, they are not connected.  I found these three places intriguing and special in their own way, so wanted to write about them but didn’t want to do a separate blog post about each one.  So, I have combined them to share my visits.

There are many, many large oak trees in the Deep South including South Carolina, but the Angel Tree definitely stands apart.  I am not sure if it is the largest live oak but it is certainly one of the largest.  Over 66 feet tall, it has a circumference of 28 feet and shade from this tree covers 17,200 feet.  The longest branch is 187 feet from one tip to the other.  Located on Johns Island near Charleston, the tree is estimated to be between 400 – 500 years old.  One of the signs I read reported that the tree could be expected to live another 500 years.  Other signs warn not to climb, sit or stand on the tree but touching is okay including a “gentle hug.”  You just have to touch a tree this massive and old, I sure did and spent some time soaking up its majesty.

The tree has limbs jutting out in all directions with a number laying along the ground.  As you can see from the picture above, it looks like a tangled mess!  In a few places there are posts supporting the branches.  Do you notice all the greenery covering the top of these branches?  They are called resurrection ferns, an epiphyte living on water and air that is common on live oak trees.  During dry spells the ferns shrivel up like they are dead and turn a brown color.   When it rains again, they perk right up and look like lush green ferns.  The City of Charleston manages the property and tree and has visitation hours.  There is also a gift shop nearby for the tree which I found a little amusing, but didn’t take the time to visit.   Live oaks are one of my favorite trees so I was quite pleased to be able to see this “Angel.”

Drayton Hall was founded in 1738 and is considered the oldest preserved house still open to the public in the United States.  This historic home is unique in that it has never been restored, only preserved as is from the time it was built.  Therefore the home has no period furnishings to admire and give a taste of what it was like to live in the home.  It might sound boring to tour an empty house, but it is actually the opposite.  Instead of focusing on furniture, paintings, decorations, I could look at the floors, walls, ceilings, moldings, windows, shutters, doors, etc. and really notice and appreciate the details of the home itself.  I wasn’t busy trying to look at every knick knack that often fills historic homes.  We were also able to walk through each room in the house, including the ground floor under the porch where the slaves and servants cooked the family’s meals.

The home is located off the same road as Magnolia Plantation and Middleton Place, both I reviewed in earlier posts.  It doesn’t have the grand gardens of the other two but is still in a beautiful location on a large property with a huge sweeping lawn up to the house.   I am really glad someone mentioned in a Trip Advisor review to check out the pond in front of the house for the reflection.  It was my favorite view.

Before coming to South Carolina I found an internet site about Old Sheldon Church and knew I wanted to visit here.  I love seeing historic churches as I travel and this church which is in ruins is one of my all time favorites.  Located near the town of Beaufort in the Lowcountry, the church is located off a country road with not much around.  It is on private property maintained  by another church which is reportedly near by, but we did not see it.

When it was built in the 1750’s it was called Prince William’s Parish Church.  The church has an interesting history in that it was partially burned during the Revolutionary War by the British and then rebuilt in 1826.  It was burned again by the Union Army during the Civil War in 1865.  The story is that when Sherman’s Army made its famous march from Georgia through South Carolina leaving a path of destruction in the South, the church was again burned.

Since the church is not fenced, you can walk around the outside and inside, admiring the old brickwork, columns and window openings.  It has a lot of atmosphere with old tombs and grave markers outside the back of the church adding to the mood of the place.

This church was probably quite a handsome building in its much earlier days and the remains today are impressive as well.  I am very glad that it still stands even though two wars, age and weather have tried to tear it down!

As always, thanks for reading and your support!  In the next blog we leave South Carolina for North Carolina and Virginia.  I will close with one of my favorite places to be – a cypress swamp. This picture is from Caw Caw Interpretive Center, a wildlife refuge outside of Charleston.

Magnolia Plantation located outside of Charleston considers itself the oldest natural garden in America.  It has been in the Drayton family since 1676 and today is home to the twelfth and thirteenth generations who currently manage it.  This property is really big with 500 acres of grounds and over 70 acres of gardens.  Visiting Magnolia takes a little planning as there are many available activities:  House tour, nature boat tour on the river and former rice fields, tram tour of the property, slave cabins tour, self-guided swamp walk and gardens exploration.  When you arrive to the ticket window you have to decide what to see as everything is not inclusive with admission, but additional price.  Above is a picture of the long driveway into the plantation.

I started out with a walk through the Audubon Swamp Garden.  The duckweed covers the top of the water with a neon yellow-green color which I think looks cool and is common to the wetlands.  A sign here noted that lots of duckweed is a sign that a swamp is healthy.   This is a good sized swamp and great for spotting birds, alligators and turtles.  There is a heron and egret rookery and I saw a number of them sitting on nests in the trees.  I was able to see two Great Blue Heron with babies in the nests, but it was hard to get a good photograph of the babies.

My favorite sighting was the mother alligator with a baby resting its head on the mother’s nose.  I found this interaction of mom and baby rather sweet.   At first it was hard to see the baby but I thought there was something strange about the “bump” on the mother’s nose.  With all the duck weed covering the water, the baby was almost camouflaged.  I also saw two other babies close by – if you look closely you can see the head of another one in the upper middle of the photo above.  I left the area for a few minutes but came back to show another couple how to find the baby gators.  The mother had moved further away from the pathway, leaving several babies alone and closer to the pathway.  We were surprised the mother was not more protective.

After my swamp walk I headed for a tour of the house which is beautiful inside and out.  This is not the original home as it had to be rebuilt twice.  First it burned down from a fire and the second time it was damaged during the Civil War.   Although a successful rice farmer before the War, Mr. Drayton was almost penniless after as he had invested in Confederate money which became worthless.  His main asset was the hundreds of acres of plantation property and developed gardens.  In 1870, he decided to open his gardens for tours giving people in the city the opportunity to visit a country estate.  The popular tours saved the plantation financially and have been given here ever since.  Since the plantation is located on the Ashley River early visitors would often come by boat as it was much faster travel from Charleston than by the poorly developed and slow roads.

I skipped the tram and nature boat tours but took the slave cabins tour.  It was like being in a history class because the guide had us sit down in front of the cabins and went over the history of slavery from the beginning of the trade in West Africa to slaves being shipped to America  where Charleston became the largest entry port.  There are four remaining cabins at Magnolia and each is set up for a different time period in the history of the plantation.

The first cabin (above) shows the early years of slavery when slaves had few to no furnishings and a family crowded into one room.  The cabin had two rooms built to hold two families.  In a loft above the sleeping mats were stored.  Slaves used a wooden mortar and pestle that you can see in the photo to pound the shell of the rice off the grain.  This took skill because if the grain was cracked it reduced the quality and therefore the price of the rice.  After the pounding was done, the rice was winnowed in the basket you can see on the fireplace to get the loose shell away from the grain.

The second to the last cabin was covered with newspapers on the walls and ceiling for insulation as shown above.  This cabin showed a time period after the Civil War when it would have been lived in by sharecroppers.  I noticed how the floor boards and walls had many cracks in them, so keeping the cabins warm and dry must have been very difficult.  At Magnolia one slave descendant lived on the property in one of the other cabins until 1969 without any modern conveniences.   He raised 13 children here and they cooked on a wood fireplace, used a water pump and outhouse.  He added a few more rooms as his family grew.  The cabin he occupied had been wall papered which was peeling away from the wall.  These cabins are an important reminder of a tragic time in the history of our country and a lesson to be learned of how slaves really toiled and lived to build up and maintain a plantation such as Magnolia.

I spent the rest of my time touring the gardens which are quite extensive.  Magnolia prides itself on being a “romantic” garden which does not try to control or keep nature out but combines the gardens with nature.  The main flower features here are the azaleas and camellias.  The camellias had for the most part already bloomed but the azaleas were quite lovely.  They probably would have been even prettier a week or two later as it didn’t look like they were in the peak of full bloom yet.  I did think the azaleas at Middleton Place had a better display.  (I previously did a review of these gardens).    My favorite spot at Magnolia was the beautiful Long Bridge (above) that was built in the 1840’s and spans Cypress Lake.  It is a favorite bridge of photographers.  I found it quite captivating.

There are other bridges here and I really felt like I was in a time gone by as I crossed this small bridge located near the Ashley River.  The oak trees and Spanish moss gave it a romantic allure.

It was a great day with lots of good exercise walking around.   It is a popular place so can be crowded but a must see in the Charleston area.

Thanks for reading!

After arriving to Charleston I found out the city has a nickname – “The Holy City.”  The name comes from the large amount of churches and the city’s history of religious tolerance.   Charleston does have a number of historic churches which are a beautiful sight to see.   The oldest church in Charleston is St. Michael’s Episcopal, built in the 1750’s and pictured above.  We weren’t able to go inside, but they have box seats common at the time and in one of them, George Washington sat for worship during his visit.  In the attached graveyard are graves of two signers of the U.S. Constitution.

I was taken with the pretty Huguenot Church, a French protestant church built in 1845.  The Huguenots immigrated to this area in the late 1600’s to escape religious persecution.  The church was damaged by shell fire during the Civil War and nearly demolished in the 1886 earthquake.  The church continues to hold services but they are only in French one time per year.

St. Phillips Episcopal Church (above) has an interesting history as well.  This building was built in 1838 and during the Civil War, the church’s bells were “donated” to the Confederate Army to be cast into cannons.  During the War, the church was bombarded ten different times but still stood.  From 1893 to 1915 the steeple was used as a beacon to guide ships into the harbor.

Charleston has some unique characteristics which make exploring the city interesting and give it character.  I wanted to write about them.  To begin with, you can’t walk around the city and not notice that many of the houses are tall, narrow in the front facing the street and long toward the back.  Lots laid out in the city in the 1700’s were narrow and long necessitating the “single house” style.   The houses are usually just one room wide in front with long porches or verandas on the side of the house.  The main front door is in the middle of the porch area and the door seen off the street just goes onto the porch.  Above is a picture of a single home built in 1743 that once belonged to a Revolutionary War naval hero.

Charleston is known for hidden courtyards and gardens.  It was fun to spot these as we walked down the streets.  Some were easier to see than others especially those with open gates like in the picture above – almost an invitation to come on in.  I can just imagine sitting at the little wrought iron table in the courtyard.  The owner comes out to tell us how nice that we dropped by and brings us tea and pastries.  Well, I can only dream.

Since the gate was open, I couldn’t resist checking out the narrow passageway to Pirates Courtyard.   The Pirate House was so named because pirates used to hang out here when it was an Inn and trading post.  Legend has it that Blackbeard the Pirate stayed here and that an underground tunnel used by pirates to smuggle goods from the waterfront was accessed from this house.   I just peeked for a minute, but the brick courtyard looked like a nice place to relax with a few tables and a fountain.

Charleston is known for having lots of wrought iron work which is used for gates, fencing, balconies and around windows.   Much of it is decorative and it really adds to the charm of the city.  We even saw an authentic iron boot scraper in front of one house.  Boot scrapers were once handy when Charleston’s streets weren’t paved.   Wrought iron work has been popular in the city since the 1800’s.   Above is an example at Washington Square.

The wrought iron gates above lead to the cemetery across the street from St. Michael’s Church.  Notable people are buried here including Henry Calhoun, a former Vice President.

It is unlikely to visit Charleston’s historic area and not see sweetgrass baskets for sale along the streets or in Charleston City Market.  This basket making originated in West Africa and was brought to this area by slaves.   The craft was passed down through slave descendants also known as the Gullah.  They are supposedly still made by hand today using marsh grass that thrives in the Lowcountry.   The baskets really are beautiful but not inexpensive.   I came upon a woman hand weaving a basket and asked if I could take her picture.  She said I could if I bought a basket, but I wasn’t prepared to do that so no picture of the weaver for this post.

Another frequent and charming Charleston sight – colorful wooden shutters and flower filled window boxes.

Charleston’s streets are narrow and fun to explore, like the one above.  Hey Matt and Emma, do you spot the little red Vespa?  With these narrow streets, Charleston is a Vespa city for sure.

As always, thanks for checking in with us.  In the next post I plan to write about Magnolia Gardens.

There is something special about discovering a wonderful city and adding it to your list of favorites.  I have felt that way about a number of cities I have explored – San Francisco has always been my favorite, but other cities have also touched and amazed me.  New Orleans, Victoria and Washington D.C. captivated me as well as several others that I was happy to get to know.  As I walked around Charleston taking in all the historic buildings and streets, I was transfixed by the beauty and historic preservation.   I am so glad that much of it was not destroyed as has happened with other cities.  Charleston is a real delight with many treasures to enjoy.

I think seeing Charleston on foot is the best way to experience it close up and personal.  Plus the narrow streets make driving difficult, especially when you have a truck like we do as the streets were designed in the 1700’s for horse and wagon traffic.  It is fun to be able to explore the narrow alleys like Stoll’s pictured above.   Unlike other cities we have visited, I couldn’t find any Hop on or Hop off busses or trolley tours.   Perhaps that is a reason walking tours are so popular in this city and there are many of them to choose from.   I briefly considered scheduling a group walking tour, but perhaps you should meet Mark, an “anti groupie.”  When I am joining a group to tour an attraction, museum, etc., he is usually finding a bench to sit and wait.  He doesn’t mind waiting and is supportive of my group tours, just doesn’t want to participate in the activity himself.

Before we arrived to Charleston, I had already picked out two self guided walking tours for the city from my South Carolina AAA book.   Although the guided tours are more informative and we probably missed out on some great architectural and historical tidbits, walking on our own means we can go at our pace instead of hurrying along.   I like to soak in the ambience which is hard to do with a group of people all standing together on the sidewalk trying to pay attention to what a guide is saying.   As an example, during one of our walks we came upon the longest cobblestoned street in the city and soon after, a guided tour came by.  After they had seen it and left,  I was still admiring the stones and testing them out on foot.  Below a picture of the “pink house” on that cobblestoned street.  It was built in the early 1700’s, was once a tavern and is considered either the first or second oldest house in the city.

Charleston, founded in 1670 by English colonists, is one of the oldest cities in America and one of the original 13 colonies.  The city prospered as a busy seaport and from plantations growing rice, cotton and indigo.  As a result, the city is full of many beautiful and stately homes.  As we walked around the historic area, it seemed like most of the houses were built in the 1700’s or 1800’s with plaques and descriptions of who first owned the home.  It is amazing that so many are still standing because the city was attacked during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, endured a major earthquake in 1886 that damaged over 2,000 buildings and suffered through Hurricane Hugo in 1989.  After each disaster, the city has bounced back.  Many of the homes have “earthquake bolts” which are iron rods placed into the house for stabilization and visible from the exterior.  Below you can see two of those “x shaped” braces.  This house was built in 1740 and became the first post office for Charleston.

Our walk took us down to Battery Street next to the waterfront with some of the grander homes in the city.   An elevated walking path takes you above the street and by the water with remarkable views in every direction.

The homes on this street are really more like palaces or mansions.  I thought the prettiest was this pink palace, built in the 1840’s.   The homes on the Battery are worth a fortune and this house is no exception.  In 2016 it sold for 6.5 million.  Prior to the sale it was a Bed and Breakfast but was being bought as a private residence.

Charleston has a few nice parks near the waterfront.  The most well known is Whitepoint Gardens off Battery Street near all those mansions.  It is full of huge oaks, monuments and a gazebo.  When we came upon the park there was a peaceful demonstration going on with Confederate flag wavers and people dressed up in Civil War attire.  In the picture below, Mark relaxes next to the park.

Below is a picture of Waterfront Park, a lovely area with shade trees, benches and my favorite, azaleas in bloom.

The pineapple fountain near this park is a favorite monument and popular with youngsters who like to splash in the water.  Here in Charleston the pineapple is a symbol of “Southern Hospitality.”  I could feel that hospitality as we explored this charming city with friendly people and great ambience.    Do you have any favorite cities to share?  Thanks for “strolling” along with us – until next time.

I have always been a fan of visiting the National Parks with the goal of trying to see as many as I can in my travels.  Did you know there are 59 National Parks in the United States?  The two states with the most parks are California and Alaska with eight each.  Although I would like to see every one, I doubt I will make it to all, especially the parks in Alaska!  Some of them are quite remote and hard to get to.  I have now seen about half of the parks and will do my best to see the majority of them in the years to come.

Until last year, I had never heard of Congaree National Park in South Carolina.  I was following the videos of a young couple traveling full time and they posted one of their visit to Congaree.  I made a mental note to check it out when we started full time traveling and reached South Carolina.  National Parks are not as plentiful out east as they are in the west, so it was a bit of a thrill to find one in the southeast.  Congaree protects the largest remnant of old growth floodplain hardwood forest in the United States.

There used to be a lot of this old growth forest in the southeast stretching from the Carolinas to Texas, but now 99% is gone, lost to logging, farming and development.  Thanks to the preservation efforts of a journalist, Harry Hampton in the 1950’s as well as other environmentalists, legislation was passed to preserve this floodplain forest.  In 1976 Congaree became a National Monument and then upgraded to National Park status in 2003.

Unlike most National Parks and Monuments, there is no charge to visit Congaree.   The park has a nice visitor center with exhibits and a film that we watched.   We then headed out to do some exploring.  The park has a variety of trails with the most popular the beautiful 2.5 mile boardwalk loop which we really enjoyed walking.   Some parts of it are elevated but most of the boardwalk is closer to ground level.  The Congaree and Wateree Rivers cause flooding in this forest certain times of the year bringing in fresh nutrients important for the growth and health of the forest.  During those times, the boardwalk is often covered with water making walking difficult or impossible.  We were fortunate to have no flooding when we visited.

The park is known for having what they consider “champion trees” – the largest of their kind in the state or even in the U.S.   Some of these champions include the Loblolly Pine (the tallest tree in South Carolina), Pawpaw and Sweetgum.  Other trees that can be found here are Cypress, Tupelo and Beech.  Many of the trees still had that bare winter look when we visited on March 26 and were just starting to leaf out.  I have seen pictures of Congaree when the leaves are all out and the trees on the boardwalk trail looked so full and green.  The film that we watched in the visitor center showed an aerial view of Congaree looking like a lush, green jungle.  In the picture above, a tall Loblolly Pine next to the boardwalk reaches for the sky.

I never tire of seeing the Bald Cypress in their swampy habitat – one of my favorite trees.   In our travels through the south, we have seen a lot of Cypress and their “knees” which are the small nobby looking protrusions that rise up from the roots of the tree.  This forest though had the most knees we have seen.  It is believed the knees provide the tree with extra structural support during floods and high winds.  Bald Cypress can live to be over 1,000 years old and are rot and water resistant so were logged extensively in the late 1800’s.  There are few old growth Cypress trees left today.  Above is a picture showing many knees.   Below a picture of a black water Cypress and Tupelo swamp.

After our walk I noticed the mosquito meter sign outside of the visitor center and found it amusing.  The meter shows an “all clear” the day that we visited but mosquitoes can be a big problem here during the warmer months.  We were fortunate to see not even one, but I would hate to be here when the meter reads “ruthless” or “war zone.”   Congaree does have a bug display that is greatly welcomed each year.  Around the middle of May synchronized fireflies appear in the park for a few weeks.  This becomes the most visited event at Congaree with lots of people viewing the fireflies at night lighting up all at once.  I would love to see this spectacle.  I have yet to see any fireflies in action, but hopefully some time during our trip.

We had a delightful visit at Congaree hanging out with the many trees – a National Park I am glad to add to my list.  What about you all, do you have any favorite National Parks or ones you are most hoping to see in the near future?   It is great to hear from you!

Thanks for checking in and Happy Easter!  In the next blog I plan to go back a few months to our trip to Pensacola, Florida.