Charleston

“Charleston County and the city of Charleston, its county seat, are the most historic locations in the state.”

“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.

Charleston Forts, Part 7
Episode 7

Video

In this segment, cannons are discussed and more history. The Q & A portion continues.
Charleston Forts, Part 4 | Project Discovery
Episode 4

Video

The transformation of Fort Sumter is discussed, contrasting its condition in 1863 and now. The Fort that can be seen now is only about 10 percent of what it consisted of then. Fort Moultrie's history...
Charleston Forts, Part 1
Episode 1

Video

The story of the three forts that have defended our coast, from the time of our settlers through the World War II, is told in the episode of Project Discovery. At the beginning of the American...
Charleston Forts, Part 2
Episode 2

Video

The story of the three forts continues with this segment on Fort Johnson and Fort Sumter.
Charleston Forts, Part 6
Episode 6

Video

Q & A on the history of the Charleston Forts is discussed. The effect of rifle artillery against a permanent structure is discussed, and also the use of mortars is discussed.
Septima Clark | Periscope
Septima Clark | Periscope
Episode 3

Photo

In 1916, Septima Clark was a young African American teacher looking forward to her first teaching assignment in South Carolina. There, she learned firsthand about the poverty and inequality in...
Sarah Grimké | Periscope
Sarah Grimké | Periscope
Episode 1

Photo

Abolitionist Sarah Grimké was born into a wealthy slaveholding Charleston family in 1792. After experiencing the injustices of slavery firsthand, she became a noted speaker for the antislavery...
Philip Simmons | Periscope
Philip Simmons | Periscope
Episode 9

Photo

There are hundreds of Philip Simmons's gates and fences around Charleston. One of his gates hangs in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He has won national awards and was commissioned to...