“Charleston County and the city of Charleston, its county seat, are the most historic locations in the state.” Situated in the Lowcountry, the county serves as a popular vacation destination but also relies on the business that results from its port. The area in general serves as a large cultural and economic hub for the state.
Charleston County was founded as Charleston District in 1769, and the district became smaller after some of its lands were used to create Colleton and Berkeley counties. The county and its seat were named after King Charles II.
The city and county are saturated with Revolutionary War and Civil War history. Three signers of the United States Constitution and two famous abolitionists resided in Charleston County, and the Civil War began when soldiers fired shots from the county’s Fort Sumter.
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Eliza Lucas Pinckney (1722–1793) Eliza Lucas, who was born in 1722 in Antigua, was 16 when she took charge of her father's plantation near Charles Town and successfully managed it. In 1738, Lieutenant...
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An interview with Elise Pinckney, a direct descendant of Eliza Lucas Pinckney. Eliza Lucas Pinckney (1722–1793) Eliza Lucas, who was born in 1722 in Antigua, was 16 when she took charge of her father...
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John M. Rivers (1903–1988) After 12 years in banking and two successful years as vice president of a securities firm, John M. Rivers surprised the Charleston business community. He accepted a job as...
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James Francis Byrnes (1882-1972) was born in Charleston and served in all three branches of the federal government. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1911–25) and in the Senate (1931–41)...
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Ernest “Fritz” Hollings was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1922. He graduated from The Citadel in 1942 and served as an artillery officer in World War Two. After the war, he was elected to the...
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Frances Ravenel Smythe Edmunds achieved national recognition as an advocate for historic preservation. She graduated from the College of Charleston in 1939. In 1947, she founded the Historic...
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Short biography of indigo planter and colonial entrepreneur Eliza Lucas Pinckney, another example of the enormous contribution the Pinckney family of South Carolina has made to the history of our...
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A harbor is a very busy place. At the Charleston Harbor in Charleston, South Carolina, the waters are patrolled by the harbor police, whose job it is to monitor the waters for boater safety...
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Joseph Louis Bernardin was born in 1928 in Columbia, South Carolina, where there were not many Catholics. He was the son of Italian immigrants, with a younger sister Elaine. He was baptized and...
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James Burrows Edwards was born in Hawthorne, Florida, and was an officer in the U.S. Maritime Service during World War II. Edwards received a bachelor's degree in 1950 at the College of Charleston. He...
