Review Archive/November 2012
Updated November 3, 2012


Charleston, SC, Part II
Old World Charm!

By Jay Whipple/Trend Magazine Online™

The second half of our adventurous A Day In Charleston, SC, trip included a 20 minute drive northeast to the Boone Hall Plantation located in Mt. Pleasant, SC. We actually got a chance to drive over the very impressive new bridge on U.S. 17 North and the view and ambience was spectacular as folks jogged by on the trail running from one end of the bridge to the other. The drive up to the check in center featured two rows of live oak trees evenly spaced on either side of the quaint dirt road. Parking was no problem and plentiful and located only about 25 meters from the check in center. The site hosts were very polite, cordial, and displayed the typical southern charm expected below the Mason-Dixon Line and east of the Mississippi river.

We were given our tickets and directions to the first attraction which was the main or Big House as referred to by former Slaves. In addition, we were pointed in the direction of the souvenir shop/canteen to purchase much needed bug wet napkins for what I call prehistoric mosquitos about the size of the common fly. They immediately attacked us after we exited the vehicle and were relentless in their repeated attempts to relieve us of our red blood cells. Next trip I will remember to bring my own bug juice and alert future guests to do the same to save a few bucks.  After immersing ourselves with mosquito repellant we headed over to the Big House to begin our first tour. Our docent was Lidia, a Charleston native, who dressed in 19th Century Antebellum garb. We learned from her that the current structure was built in 1935 and replaced the previous structure dating back to Cir. 1500. I was surprised to learn that most of the original area mega plantation homes were burned to the ground during the Civil War in the 1860’s. Before entering the home Lidia informed us that picture taking and videos were not allowed so I snapped and taped away as much as I could outside the main entrance.

Inside the Big House we learned from our docent that the house was10,000 square feet and had seven bedrooms and five baths and is situated on 770 acres of land. The Charleston, SC, area was made possible by a land grant from King Charles II in exchange for monies derived from what they call The Big Three: Indigo Blue (die), rice, and cotton. Our docent also informed us that the son of Major John Boone was buried on site which I thought was pretty creepy. Note: I watch a lot of old scary movies that feature cronies coming back from the dead to haunt the bejesus out of the new homeowners because of something bad that happened to them ions ago! We also learned that Mr. Edward Rutledge was the original owner and at the tender age of 26 was the youngest signer on the Declaration of Independence on July 3, 1776. Most folks do not realize it but the United States was actually formulated by young people. Smile. The home, according to Lidia, has been opened to tourist since 1956; courtesy of the current owners – The McRae family who also host weddings, parties, and concerts on their property.

The main dining room just to the left of the guest room was adorned with larger than life mirrors that extended from the floor to the ceiling, and were a sign of wealth, our docent said. It was sharecroppers that saved the plantation after the abolishment of Slavery in 1865 courtesy of the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution. The balance of the tour was at the back of the home which contained documents and artifacts from the plantation’s early years.




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