“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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James Glen (1701-1777) served as one of South Carolina's most effective colonial governors. Born in Scotland, appointed governor in 1738, he arrived in the colony in 1743 and served until 1756, longer...
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Christopher Gadsden (1724-1805) was an early radical voice in Charleston for colonial union against the authority of Parliament. Born in Charleston, by 1761 he had amassed a considerable fortune in...
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Richard Furman (1755-1825) was a Baptist clergyman and educator. Born in Esopus, New York, Furman came to Charleston with his family as an infant. They moved to the High Hills of the Santee in May...
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Charles Fraser (1782-1860), born in Charleston, began his education at a classical school and continued at the College of Charleston. At an early age, he showed artistic qualities which were...
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Colonel Barnard Elliott (1740-1778) and Mrs. Barnard Elliott (Mary Elizabeth Bellinger) (1751-1774) were painted by Jeremiah Theus (1716-1774), a Swiss artist who came to Charleston in 1735 and...
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John Drayton (1766-1822) served as governor of South Carolina from 1800-1802 and from 1808-1810. The eldest child of William Henry Drayton, he was born at Drayton Hall. He was educated at the College...
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A poet, politician and reformer born in Charleston, William Crafts, Jr. (1787-1826), was educated by tutors and later entered Harvard, graduating in 1805. He returned to Charleston and studied law...
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The host joins Park Manager Ron Fischer at Charlestowne Landing State Historic Site aboard the "Adventure." The "Adventure" is a reproduction of a 17th-century sailing vessel and was built for the...
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This lesson is a brief survey of the art, architecture, literature and theatre of South Carolina. It opens with a series of skits where "comedic characters" "put down" South Carolina's interest in...
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REENACTMENT: Four of the principals at Fort Sumter discuss in retrospect events that led to the "firing of the first shot of the Civil War." These people are: Major Robert Anderson; Commander of the...
