It rained hard last night into this morning so we waited a bit before heading into downtown Charleston to see the sights.
The Gullah are descendants of slaves from west Africa who were brought to America, starting in the late 16th Century. They worked on rice plantations in what is now called the "low country", stretching along coastal areas and sea islands from Jacksonville, Florida to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. As Charleston was the primary location for the importation of slaves, it now has the largest concentration of Gullah peoples but their cultural heritage is present all along the Georgia and South Carolina coastal regions.
The slaves imported to work on the rice plantations in America had a long history of rice cultivation in the areas of west Africa where they came from - many were skilled in growing rice and were highly valued workers. Due to the relative isolation of the rice plantations along the low country coastal region, the slaves had little contact with others outside of their plantations. Over time, they developed a sort of Creole pidgin English that has been passed on and is still spoken today. Likewise, much of their culture brought from African has been retained and passed along to the next generations. Even during and after the Civil War as the slaves were freed, outside influences did not greatly impact their culture. Despite being some of the first slaves freed and even fighting for the Union as all-black regiments, they remained a distinct ethnic culture that still exists today.
The sweetgrass baskets they still make have become prized collectibles and are very popular with tourists and collectors alike. The baskets are made from bulrush and palm and are coiled in decorative and attractive designs. All are handmade and are not only decorative but functional, reflecting their evolution from agricultural implements to beautiful household items. So we bought one to add to Judy's basket collection. Here is a picture of a typical basket (not ours but similar):
After walking around and having lunch at a biscuit place in the market, we travelled up the street a bit to the city visitors center. It is an impressive facility, housed in a historic railroad yard barn and very busy. There is a lot of tourism going on here and they are well equipped to handle it all.
The visitor center is also a transportation hub where group tour buses and vans load and unload and city buses transport people around town on free on-and-off shuttles.
Next , we took a guided tour in a van around to all the major highlights in the historical district and along the waterfront. The tour took about two hours and afterward we visited a nearby historic plantation house.
The house was built by descendants of French Huguenots who came to America in 1695. Joseph Manigault built the house in 1803 - it is an excellent example of Federal style architecture. The family had acquired great wealth first as merchants and later as rice planters during the 18th Century, owning 4 plantations and over 250 slaves.
They lost it all after the Civil War and the house has had a checkered history since then, even serving as a billet for GIs during WW II. The Charleston Museum acquired the building in 1933 and after WW II began an extensive renovation. In 1973 it was designated a National Historic Landmark for its exceptional architecture.
After the tour we had a "Tequila and Tacos" early dinner at a nearby restaurant then headed back to the RV park, about 14 miles away. It was a long but very enjoyable day.
After the tour we had a "Tequila and Tacos" early dinner at a nearby restaurant then headed back to the RV park, about 14 miles away. It was a long but very enjoyable day.
We were impressed with Charleston. They have done an exceptional job with historical preservation and the downtown historic district is very attractive. There is a lot of history here and plenty of interesting things to do and see.
We are going out to Ft. Sumter tomorrow and also visit several historic naval ships, including the aircraft carrier Yorktown at Patriots Point.
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