The Shady History of Protecting Lowcountry Trees

The Shady History of Protecting Lowcountry Trees

December 6, 2019

Shade Trees form an important part of the natural landscape here in the South Carolina Lowcountry and the focus my thoughts this Arbor Day. While some in our community would like to uproot grand oaks standing along our most scenic highways, others...

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The Genesis of the Harleston Neighborhood, 1672-1770

The Genesis of the Harleston Neighborhood, 1672-1770

November 22, 2019

The residential area today called Harleston Village is one of the oldest neighborhoods on the Charleston peninsula, but the present definition of its boundaries differs from its original identity. Beginning as a large grant stretching across the p...

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The Historic Landscape of the New Baxter-Patrick James Island Library

The Historic Landscape of the New Baxter-Patrick James Island Library

November 15, 2019

Charleston’s newest island library is situated in a quiet setting that belies the depth and drama of its long and colorful history. From Native-American stomping grounds to fertile plantation, from bloody battlefield, to civil rights success, the ...

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A Veteran’s Story: Caring for the Family of Sergeant William Jasper

A Veteran’s Story: Caring for the Family of Sergeant William Jasper

November 8, 2019

Veterans Day is a national holiday that was created in the twentieth century, but the roots of our collective acknowledgement of soldiers’ sacrifices dates back many generations to the dawn of the United States. Today we’ll use the story of one ve...

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Mackey’s Morphine Madness: The 1869 Shootout at Charleston City Hall, Part 2

Mackey’s Morphine Madness: The 1869 Shootout at Charleston City Hall, Part 2

November 1, 2019

Thomas J. Mackey did not shoot the sheriff, but he shot at him during a meeting of Charleston’s City Council in late October 1869 and endangered the city’s board of municipal aldermen. The community largely condemned the assault, which was fueled ...

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Mackey’s Morphine Madness: The 1869 Shootout at Charleston City Hall, Part 1

Mackey’s Morphine Madness: The 1869 Shootout at Charleston City Hall, Part 1

October 25, 2019

Political debate within Charleston’s City Council Chamber is sometimes harsh, but never as acrimonious as the night in late October 1869 when a pair of arguing aldermen drew their respective pistols to settle an overheated dispute. Today we’ll exp...

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From Intendant to Mayor: The Evolution of Charleston’s Executive Office

From Intendant to Mayor: The Evolution of Charleston’s Executive Office

October 11, 2019

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­The mayor of Charleston is a prestigious officer who commands respect throughout our community and beyond, but that hasn’t always been the case. Nearly two centuries ago, the city’s executive evolved from a nearly powerless, part-ti...

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Grief, Crime, and Mercy in Colonial Charleston: The Story of Elizabeth McQueen, Part 3

Grief, Crime, and Mercy in Colonial Charleston: The Story of Elizabeth McQueen, Part 3

October 4, 2019

Sentenced to hang in 1747, Elizabeth McQueen cried out from the Charleston jail and asked the governor of South Carolina for mercy. She was a poor woman who was ignorant of the law and did not realize that her personal grief amounted to a capital ...

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Grief, Crime, and Mercy in Colonial Charleston: The Story of Elizabeth McQueen, Part 2

Grief, Crime, and Mercy in Colonial Charleston: The Story of Elizabeth McQueen, Part 2

September 27, 2019

Accused of having murdered her newborn child, Elizabeth McQueen was arrested and transported to urban Charleston to stand trial in 1747. Details gleaned from contemporary documents allow us to reconstruct many of the experiences this half-Creek wo...

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Grief, Crime, and Mercy in Colonial Charleston: The Story of Elizabeth McQueen, Part 1

Grief, Crime, and Mercy in Colonial Charleston: The Story of Elizabeth McQueen, Part 1

September 20, 2019

When an unmarried young woman of Native American ancestry lost a newborn child in 1747, her white neighbors on the frontier of South Carolina interpreted her private grief as a mask for clandestine guilt and summoned the force of English law. Toda...

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