“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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Aedenus Burke (1743-1802) served South Carolina as an anti-federalist legislator and a judge, one who was associated with the interests of the Backcountry in spite of his connections and residence in...
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William Henry Brown (1808-1883), born in Charleston, was an unusual South Carolina artist, known for his portrait silhouettes. This is a self-portrait, illustrating a form of likeness that was popular...
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Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard (1818-1893) was a native of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. He became superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in January, 1861, but resigned that...
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William Watts Ball (1868-1952) was the long-time editor of the Charleston "News and Courier." Born in Laurens County, he grew up during Reconstruction, and, according to legend, held Wade Hampton's...
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A naturalist and Lutheran minister, John Bachman (1790-1874) was born in Rhenebeck, New York. He came to South Carolina in 1815 when he was appointed to St. John's Lutheran Church in Charleston, and...
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The "Palmetto Special" leaves Columbia and travels to Spartanburg County. At the beginning of the program the Fall Line is defined, along with an introduction to the backcountry, the frontier of South...
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The video location is at the Naval Polaris Missile Base in North Charleston. This is the largest submarine base on the east coast today. Learn about the sinking of the U.S.S. Housatonic by the Hunley...
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John James Audubon (1785-1851), an American ornithologist, spent nearly four decades sketching, publishing, and promoting a monumental catalogue of the birds of America; his "The Birds of America,"...
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Born near Louisville, Kentucky, Robert Anderson (1805-1871) graduated from West Point in 1825 and received an U.S. Army commission. When the secession of South Carolina became imminent, he was sent to...
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Born in Charleston in 1806, William Aiken (1806-1887) attended Hurlburt School and the South Carolina College. After receiving an inheritance from his father, he became a successful rice planter on...
