19 June 2013

Honoring the Palmetto Tree

Posted by Nic Butler, Ph.D. under Charleston, fortifications, history, programs
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The  palmetto tree (Arecaceae Sabal palmetto) is our state tree and a familiar emblem in South Carolina, adorning our majestic state flag as well as t-shirts, beer bottles, and a myriad of mundane objects. All good South Carolinians know, of course, that the “Palmetto State” honors the palmetto in memory of the events of 28 June 1776, on which date a small number of brave soldiers lodged in an unfinished palmetto-log fort on Sullivan’s Island successfully repulsed a large invasion force of the British Navy. It was the first significant victory for the American “rebels,” a week before the Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia.

Beginning in 1777, the 28th of June has been regularly celebrated in South Carolina (well, mostly in the lowcountry), as “Palmetto Day” or “Carolina Day,” and these commemorations represent a treasured heritage for many in our state. The Palmetto Society (formed in 1777) in conjunction with the South Carolina Historical Society, for example, lead an annual parade down Meeting Street to White Point Garden. The National Park Service staff at Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island annually hosts a fun day of educational events at the site of the original battle. Many in our community are unfamiliar with this venerable tradition, however, and thus we feel compelled to help spread the word about this most deserving of anniversaries.

To commemorate the 236th anniversary of Carolina Day, Dr. Nic Butler, public historian at the Charleston County Public Library, will present an illustrated lecture examining the use of palmetto trees in the construction of fortifications on Sullivan’s Island, James Island, and even downtown Charleston, between 1775 and 1780. The public is invited to attend this free program on one (or all!) of the upcoming dates:

The Palmetto Tree:

Defender of South Carolina, 1775–1780.

Saturday, June 22nd 2013 at Noon: Edgar Allan Poe Library, 1921 I’On Avenue, Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482

Tuesday, June 25th 2013 at 6 p.m., James Island Library, 1248 Camp Road, Charleston, SC 29412

Wednesday, June 26th 2013 at 6 p.m., CCPL Auditorium, 68 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC 29401

 

10 June 2013

Lord Ashley Site

Posted by Nic Butler, Ph.D. under archaeology, Charleston, history
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Everyone interested in archaeology of colonial South Carolina will be pleased to know about the exciting work now under way at the “Lord Ashley Site” on the upper reaches of the Ashley River. This rural site contains the remnants of St. Giles Seigniory, a fortified plantation established by Andrew Percivall in 1675 on behalf of his employer, Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper. Percivall maintained this frontier outpost for only a decade, and Sir Anthony never visited the site, but the recently rediscovered remains of the plantation house and moat provide an unparalleled opportunity to study the earliest interaction between English settlers and Native Americans in South Carolina. The dig is being conducted as part of a bi-annual College of Charleston field school in historical archaeology.

Want to learn more about this fascinating discovery? The rural dig site is not open to the public, but everyone is welcome to witness the progress over the next few weeks by pointing their browsers to the official Lord Ashley Site blog: http://lordashleysite.wordpress.com. Principal investigator Andrew Agha and others digging at the Lord Ashley Site will give you first-hand accounts (and photographs) of what they find each day.

 

21 May 2013

Broughton’s Battery Lecture

Posted by Nic Butler, Ph.D. under Charleston, fortifications, programs
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Don’t forget–Wednesday, May 22nd is the day for the illustrated lecture, “A Brief History of Broughton’s Battery, 1734–1784.”

The program starts at 6 p.m. in the 2nd Floor Classroom at the Charleston County Public Library, 68 Calhoun Street.

I hope to see a phalanx of Walled City fans there!

 

 

20 May 2013

Redan Outlined in Brick

Posted by Nic Butler, Ph.D. under archaeology, Charleston, Charleston Museum, fortifications, history, South Adger's Wharf, Tradd Street Redan
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Following the 2008 and 2009 excavations of the colonial-era redan at the east end of Tradd Street (now South Adger’s Wharf), the Mayor’s Walled City Task Force began planning with the City of Charleston to depict the outline of the redan’s foundation on the present landscape. After considering and dismissing several methods and materials for accomplishing this goal, Mayor Joseph P. Riley insisted that brick should be used in order to render the outline as visible and as durable as possible. Some months ago Charleston Museum’s archaeologist Martha Zierden used spray-paint to touch up the series of pink dots on the road surface that indicate the outline of the redan’s inner and outer faces. This morning workers used masonry saws to connect those dots, and removed the asphalt and cobblestones between the inscribed lines. In the coming days, we’ll see the finished effect–a handsome brick pathway that follows the precise outline of the redan’s walls, which remain standing just two feet below the modern surface. The public is invited to visit South Adger’s Wharf and view the new work. If you can’t make it down to the site, enjoy these photos taken by task force co-chair, Katherine Saunders Pemberton, earlier today.  480822_10151683727331264_1591341619_n943555_10151683729741264_2075123487_n

 

6 May 2013

Gaillard Graves–Follow Up

Posted by Nic Butler, Ph.D. under archaeology, Charleston, history, programs
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For those of you who were unable to attend the recent program discussing the graves found at the Gaillard Center, I’m pleased to announce that a video of the entire event is now available online. You can watch it at Youtube.com, or right here:

At the end of last week’s program, Dr. Eric Poplin, the leader of the team from Brockington and Associates that excavated the graves, agreed to return to the Charleston County Public Library after further laboratory research has been completed. Stay tuned–the follow-up event will probably take place towards the end of 2013.

We owe a special thanks to Dr. Eric Poplin for sharing his work with the Charleston community, and to CCPL’s own Kevin Crothers for creating and editing the video documentation.

 

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