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Review Archive/October 2012
Updated November 2, 2012
Charleston, SCcont'd.
Old World Charm!
 By Jay Whipple/Trend Magazine Online™
In addition to having a healthy sense of humor our captain also had a wealth of knowledge of Charleston, SC, history in which he conveyed without the assistance of notes or cue cards which let me know (as a tour guide myself) that he had been doing this for quite some time. The first thing that I learned on this tour was that the City of Charleston, SC, was first to enact historic preservations laws and charters in the United States. Early on our cruise/tour he pointed out a provost building which once held two signers of the Declaration of Independence which was pretty fascinating if you are into history -- as I am. Captain Craig also stated that Charleston, SC, was once the richest city among the colonies during the Revolutionary War era in the late 1770’s to early 1780’s, and that Charlestown (named after King Charles II) was established in the spring of 1680 and incorporated in 1783, along the Ashley River.
 One of my favorite tidbits on this cruise/tour was the mention of pirate activities from 1690 to 1720 and in particular the capture and death of the now infamous Edward Teach a.k.a. Blackbeard in 1718. A special mention was made of Robert Smalls, a Mulatto Slave who in 1862, planned and executed a daring escape – with eight fellow Slaves -- in this very same Harbor. He went on to become the first Black Captain of a U.S. Navy vessel, a South Carolina State Legislator, a Major General in the South Carolina Militia, a five-term U.S. Congressman and a U.S. Collector of Customs. At this point in the tour we were tasked with a trivia question and the first guest to walk up to Captain Craig’s steering compartment with the correct answer won free snacks at the snack bar. I was not fast enough even with the assistance of my Android mobile phone. Our Captain continued to ingratiate us with a pleather of area history like the fact that South Carolina was first to secede from the union in 1860 and that there were over 600,000 fatalities during the Civil War in the early 1860’s. He also pointed out the Morris Lighthouse which was completed in 1673 but was not in use and replaced by the Sullivan Island’s Lighthouse. At this point during our cruise/tour I could feel a very nice and cool harbor breeze blowing across the upper deck – it was pleasantly surreal and I likened it to a pirate sailing the ocean blue.
Another cruise/tour highlight came as we neared the now famous  Morris Island which was depicted in the movie Glory (1989) starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman, to name a few actors. This was the role, in my opinion, that Denzel should have won the Emmy as opposed to Training Day (2001) with Ethan Hawke; another great movie. We also learned that the famous Civil War era Fort Sumter was named in honor of General Thomas Sumter (1734 – 1832; a.k.a. the Gamecock) is remembered for his leadership of troops against British forces in North and South Carolina during the Revolutionary War in the late 1770’s and early 1780’s. In addition, the famous writer Edgar Allen Poe (1809 – 1849) was stationed at nearby Fort Moultrie in 1827 before going on to scare the dickens out of most of us avid readers. Captain Craig also stated that nearby Sullivan’s Island contained the wealthiest zip code (29482) in South Carolina with an estimated median household income of $95,694 (2010 census). Another special added touch was the Blues music that was played between sites; sweet!
Other area Hollywood connections include the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) starring rapper turned actor Will Smith, Matt Damon, and Charlize Theron, the Army Wives reality show, and the Patriot (2000) starring bad-boy Mel Gibson and the late Heath Ledger. We also learned that the reason there are no skyscrapers in town is because of a city ordinance that states no building shall be taller than the tallest church as Charleston, SC, is known today as the Holy City; a title it adopted in the 1600’s. Of course, some may argue that it’s past embrace and economic benefits from the institution of Slavery may suggest otherwise. Towards the end of this tour we were treated to a remarkable pass underneath the new Highway 17 Bridge that replaced that old rickety scary bridge that I crossed over in 1995, opening in 2005 and extending 572 feet up in the air. Captain Craig gave us some very interesting comparative stats to add to the splendor of this modern day engineering feat and believe it or not, people routinely jog across it as there are parks on either end.
All in all I was thoroughly impressed with this 1 ½ hour cruise/tour and the staff of the Charleston Harbor Tours. I suggest that you do this tour first if you visit Charleston, SC, as it prepares you for all there is to see and do in the Holy City. You can also join our A Day in Charleston, SC, tour each June or year round for a party of 10 or more. Check out my next Charleston, SC, area review of the nearby Boone Hall Plantation in Mt. Pleasant, SC, in the next edition of Trend Magazine Online™.
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