Historic Charleston: I-Phone Style

Phil has an Apple I-Phone. He loves it. It personally drives me nuts. One, I can't type on the screen's touch-keyboard to save my life. And two, I have to compete with the darn thing for Phil's attention, haha. However, the I-Phone does have a couple of benefits...including GPS, internet access, and all of the downloadable applications that are available through I-Tunes. One of Phil's new apps is a virtual tour of historic Charleston. We took advantage of a BEAUTIFUL Saturday (minimal humidity and fewer tourists in this late summer season) to complete part of the tour.

1) The Powder Magazine

This is South Carolina's oldest original building. It was built in 1713 by the British and was used to store loose gun powder.

2) St. Philips Church (Episcopal)

Originally built in 1680 at a different location (corner of Meeting St. and Broad), St. Philips Church was an Anglican church originally built in the English colony of Charles Towne. In 1710, a hurricane destroyed the church and it was rebuilt at it's current location. In 1713, another hurricane almost erradicated the ongoing construction of the church; however, the second church was completed by 1723. In 1835, a fire burned the second church to the ground, resulting in construction of a third church (the one you see in the pictures). Over the years, earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes (including Hurricane Hugo in 1989) have caused destruction to the church, resulting in many restorations and enlargements.

3) Dock Street Theatre

This theatre was built in 1736 and was the first official theatre in America. It is currently under renovation, which will be completed in the spring of 2010.

4) John Calhoun's Gravesite

John Calhoun was a southern politician and the nation's 7th vice president. He was a huge advocate for slavery, states' rights, and secession from the United States. That's all I'm going to say about this man.

5) The Battery
Battery Street is located across from the Charleston harbor and has many old homes and historic buildings. At the end of the Battery is Battery Park (see next entry).

5) Battery Park

I love how Charleston tourism material brags that Battery Park is the most romantic spot in the city. They fail to mention that pirates were hung on a regular basis 250+ years ago in this same area. Creepy. There are many monuments attributing to the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. You can get a great view of the harbor, Fort Sumter, and Sullivan's Island from the park.

6) Other Neat Sights

Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon, beautiful old homes/offices, gardens located in between homes, cobblestone and brick roads, ornate gates guarding some of the historic homes.

**Warning: all information in this blog posting was gleaned from various websites, including Wikipedia. Fact check me before you repeat any of this. :)