A magical square mile in Charleston

Every image here is in a one-square-mile slice of a beautiful, southern city. Now slow down... you might want to do this one twice.

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Charleston, Charleston, Lord how you can shuffle…

The song “Charleston” was born in the jazz age while the city itself was born in 1670 as Charles Town, in a nod to British King Charles II, who granted the province of Carolina to eight loyal friends in 1663.

Between those two events - a span of 250 years, from the formation of the city to the wonderful “Charleston” jazz tune and the subsequent national dance craze that epitomized the roaring 1920s - much happened. The formation of the colonies (the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth in 1620) and subsequent birth of America via the Revolutionary War are obvious. But Charleston has an esteemed litany of firsts that speak to its sophistication…

The Pineapple Fountain reflects Charleston's rich history. The pineapple is a symbol of hospitality and in colonial times reflected wealth due to the fruit's rarity.

• The College of Charleston is the first (oldest) municipal US college, coming under control of Charleston in 1837.¹

• The first golf club in the US was founded in 1786 in Charleston as the Country Club of Charleston — only 32 years after the founding of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St. Andrews, Scotland.²

• Tea came to America from China in the 1700s. Various efforts to harvest tea failed but in 1888, the Pinehurst Tea Plantation in Summerville became the country’s first tea plantation. Tea plants from Pinehurst were transported to the Charleston Tea Plantation, the only commercial tea plant in the US.³

• The nation’s first fireproof building was constructed in Charleston in 1827. The Charleston District Record Building was the most fire-protected building in all of the country and survived the Great Fire of 1861, – so it’s no surprise that it survived the Great Charleston Fire of 1861 which burned 540 acres, 575 homes and numerous businesses and churches. The building was reopened in 2018 as the South Carolina Historical Society.⁴

• The Tom Thumb was the first American-built steam locomotive and was built in Maryland. But it was a demonstration. The first regularly scheduled rail passenger service launched in 1830. The Best Friend of Charleston was the first commercial steamer in the U.S. and the first to carry U.S. mail.⁵

• The world’s first successful submarine attack occurred in Charleston. The H.L. Hunley was a Confederate submarine built in Mobile and shipped to Charleston. It was the first submarine to successfully sink an enemy ship, the union ship Housatonic. (The Housatonic was sunk but most of the crew was saved whereas all eight crew members of the Hunley perished shortly after. The Hunley’s wreckage was recovered in 1995).⁶

Okay, so enough about history and such. You ever take a walk and just about have to pinch yourself because everything is so beautiful? That’s how this morning walk felt… Good morning, Charleston! Or perhaps… Mornin' Mr. Radio, Mornin' little Cheerios, Mornin' sister Oriole! Did I tell you everything is fine in my mind?⁷

Waterfront Park Pier at sunrise.

Good morning, Charleston! You vibrant city! What must heaven be like?! You look like a James Horner soundtrack sounds…

You ever take a walk and just about have to pinch yourself because everything is so beautiful?

I love the intersection between these grand homes along the bay and the beauty of this guy throwing his seine net. Wonder what his story is?

Stone, brick, multiple tiers of masonry are a common site. The stone street photographed here is as old as Charles Town. Before the journey, the English would load stone to ensure a ship's stability and weight. Once arrived, the stones were used to build up the town and harbor landing areas.

As we progressed on our walk - all within one square mile - beauty begot beauty. There are so many stories here. For many artists or photographers or folks who have a highly visual capacity, a canvas like this is just so rich. Had I been alone, this walk would have taken half the day…

For instance, I love the classic timelessness, nostalgia and patriotism in the photo below.

And just look at this! Morning alley!

And look at this! Mornin lady! Do you know how beautiful this place is?! I bet you do.

Here’s the chorus from that Charleston song of old, written by James P. Johnson with lyrics by Cecil Mack.

Charleston! Charleston! Made in Carolina!
Some dance, some prance, I'll say there's nothing finer than the
Charleston, Charleston, Lord how you can shuffle;
Every step you do, leads to something new.
Man I'm telling you, it's a lapazoo!

Yep, pretty much…

Quick walking distance from the Pineapple Fountain is an incredible wealth of buildings, historic homes and wealthy neighborhoods.

A big thanks to my wife for waking up before dawn and enthusiastically exploring Charleston.

Like Savannah, the splendor of Charleston can be overwhelming for a one-night stay. We opted for two nights. After our morning walk, we toured the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon. If you like history, it’s a phenomenal stop. It’s also a reminder of human ingenuity. More than one million bricks were used in the construction of this trade market and, eventually, dungeon. Masterful.

After the morning walk, we opted for the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon. The sailor/pirate, photographed here in the dungeon, was our excellent guide.

A few images taken with a Canon EOS a2e, Kodak Portra 400.

Every image within this post is within one square mile. Next stop? We’re staying in Charleston for another post…

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One square mile. Easily understood. You walk a mile, turn left, walk a mile and turn left, walk a mile and turn left, and then walk another mile right back to where you began.

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Images taken with a #Fujifilm GFX100S and Canon EOS A2E.
All images © Scott Edwards, 2024.

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1. https://www.britannica.com/topic/College-of-Charleston

2. https://www.countryclubofcharleston.com/Our-History

3. https://charlestonteagarden.com/

4. https://schistory.org/

5. https://bestfriendofcharleston.org/

6. https://www.britannica.com/topic/H-L-Hunley

7. Lyrics from Mornin’ written by a magical trio - Al Jarreau, David Foster and Jay Joseph Graydon. Outside of the music industry, Graydon is less well-known. But what talent - studio musician, producer (particularly of much of Jarreau’s work), writer of songs and movie scores and much more.