For our second full day in the Charleston area, we took a self-guided
walking tour through the historic part of the city and saw historic churches,
 |
| St Philip's Episcopal Church |
cemeteries,
 |
| sign in St Philip's Cemetery |
houses,
 |
| Nathaniel Russell House |
cobblestone streets, horse drawn carriages,
sweetgrass basket stalls, historic buildings,
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| Charleston City Hall at the Four Corners of Law intersection |
and pretty parks with lots of fountains.
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| Barbara & Bill at the Pineapple Fountain in Waterfront Park |
This was our basic route - a beautiful day for our long walk through this charming city.
Our last stop was Fort
Sumter National
Monument.
This symbol of the start of the Civil War lies on an island
in Charleston Harbor. The visitor center is in the historic district.
 |
| rendering on sign at visitor center |
In November 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected president
despite no southern electoral college votes. In December, South Carolina voted to secede and other
states quickly followed suit. The southern militias demanded the Federal troops
leave the fort, and when the Federal troops refused, the southern militias
fired the first shots of the Civil War. The southern militias captured the fort
36 hours later and held it for most of the Civil War.
We read the display boards which presented both northern and southern perspectives and took a narrated boat tour from the visitor center.
Then we had some time walking around the fort.
One final note about our time here. We stayed at a lovely (and
inexpensive) forest service campground overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and enjoyed the
sunrises.
campground: Buck Hall
Recreational Area, 31mi 39min to the Charleston Visitor Center
