“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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A color postcard from the 1950s shows the completed hydro and steam electric generating plants of the Santee-Cooper facility at Moncks Corner. The photograph shows the Pinopolis dam, as well as the...
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The Santee Cooper electric power project begun during the New Deal was promoted by Governor Ibra Charles Blackwood (see Ibra Charles Blackwood). The power-house site for the dam is shown here under...
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Charcoal burners, near the Francis Marion National Forest. The photograph of the charcoal operation of Mr. J.W. Litchfield near the Rotten Egg Savannah Road, "shows practically the complete operation...
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Fishermen cast surf nets on the Isle of Palms in 1899. Courtesy of the Winthrop University Archives.
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A peeling machine was used in the forest to peel pulpwood bolts, or logs, before bringing them into the paper company. This photo for the U.S. Forest Service by A.L. McKinney shows the operation of...
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In this segment, Sen. Glenn McConnell talks about the design of the Hunley. Previous replicas and diagrams of the Hunley were found to be inaccurate upon discovery of the real submarine.
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Before the Hunley was found, Lieutenant George Dixon’s gold coin was just considered a legend. Dr. Maria Jacobsen tells the story and significance behind Lt. Dixon’s coin, and shares her excitement...
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(Originally broadcast 12/03/10) – The study and conservation of the Confederate submarine Hunley took a major step forward in June, 2011, when conservationists rotated the vessel, in its salt-water...
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Another challenge faced during the Hunley investigation was identifying the members of the crew. Determining who was who among the crew proved difficult due to lack of Confederate records. Dr. Maria...
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In this first segment on the Confederate submarine C.S.S. Hunley, Walter Edgar and Senator Glenn McConnell discuss how finding the submarine disproved all pre-conceived notions about its design...
