“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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Mary Jane Bennett talks about ancestry and heritage.
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Mary Jane Bennett talks about the appreciation for baskets and basketmaking
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Mary Jane Bennett talks about her baskets from her youth.
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Mary Jane Bennett talks about when basketmaking began and subsequent changes.
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Mary Jane Bennett talks about selling baskets at fairs and shows.
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Basketmaker from Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Mary Jane and husband Jessie come from a long line of basketmakers. Mary Jane would make trips to Charleston as a young girl to deliver her mother's...
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Louise White talks about the "Bone," the tool used to make baskets.
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Louise White talks about why her basket stand is on a particular side of the highway.
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Louise White hopes younger people will take up basketmaking.
