“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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Clench’s Helmet is a univalve which feeds on echinoderms, like sand dollars. We see two shells which look very similar to each other, but actually come from different animals: a Knobbed whelk, and a...
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The Horseshoe crab which Rudy and Jim find is not dead, but is actually a shed exoskeleton! They also find whelk egg cases, and one of them still has young snails inside. Oyster shells are found...
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The African-American craft of making coiled baskets has been practiced in the South Carolina lowcountry for more than two centuries. Scholars acknowledge sweetgrass basketmaking as one of the most...
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The Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture at the College of Charleston is the recipient of the Advocacy award for the preservation and promotion of the folk history and...
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Limestone Mall Bluff – These large rock outcroppings are estimated to be around 30 million years old. Here, we see an abundance of large ferns, Papaws, Redbuds, and Ash trees.
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Biggin Creek – Here at this wetland area, we see Duckweed, Mosquito Fern, Cypress trees, Spanish Moss, Wild Rice, Bur Marigold, Rose Hips, . Out in the water, Rudy and Jim spot a Great Blue Heron, and...
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Here at a higher elevation above the limestone, and where the soil is more loamy, we see more diverse plant life: White Oak trees, American Beech, Witch Hazel, Sparkleberry, and Switch Cane.
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The Visitor Center – The park and visitor center is a great place to learn about both natural and man-made history. The entrance to the park features a replica of what a lock in the canal looked like...
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Here, outside Old Santee Canal Park’s visitor center, we see a Green Jacket dragonfly, live oaks, Poison Ivy, Trumpet Creeper, Southern Sugar Maple, and a Yellow Bellied Sap-Sucker in a nearby...
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Rudy and Jim come across an Osprey, or “Fish Hawk” in a nearby tree.
