A few photographs, taken at random on a sunny day.
Every direction you look has a skyline of old churches. Charleston is called the ‘holy city’. Some may debate that, but there are church spires everywhere.
Starting in the 1600’s the town was a destination for every religious order seeking a haven.
BTW, I was wrong. From this vantage point you can only see the church skyline from three directions. The fourth is the harbor. This day the view blocked by a monster cruise ship.
On February 12, 1736 the original Dock Street Theater opened with a performance of George Farquhar’s play The Recruiting Officer.
The noted 19th Century actor Junius Brutus Booth father of famous actors Edwin and John Wilkes Booth (assassin of President Lincoln) was associated with Dock Street.
Standing in the dark shadows you can feel the history.
I often call the old homes in Charleston a ‘Grand House’, because they were just that. These houses were from a time when there were a few wealthy people, all the rest not even close. Quite a few even slaves.
The homes woodwork and other treatments point to how much a house like this cost to build, and maintain. Especially in that time period.
A building like this is a treasure since it is preserved as a snap shot in time.
When photographing these homes every corner (and ceiling) has something begging to be documented.
I do love this town, you never know what you will find.
The classic 1935 musical by George Gershwin, Porgy and Bess, was written in Charleston. Many of the songs and scenes were based on life here (Porgy was a book by Dubose Heyward). Many scenes were in a place called ‘Catfish Row’… Cabbage Row being the actual Charleston location.
Found this the other day.
Recently we stopped by the grounds of the Cypress Methodist Camp. We were passing and looked to see if the wildflowers had taken the meadow over. We missed it.
I did get to shoot a wide image capturing both the tabernacle and camps.
As a review; this site was started in 1794, traveling preachers held week long meetings in rural locations like this. Campsites such as this one formed because worshipers would stay in tents for days to experience the revitalizing preaching while also enjoying a sense of community. Hence the name ‘revival meetings’.
The wooden cabins are still called tents and some are hundreds years old.
Each year, in September, a week long camp meeting continues the tradition.
There are several campgrounds like this still active in South Carolina.
The beauty of being in a rookery is that sooner or later one of the locals will cooperate.
The building, which was built as a hotel in 1809 and converted to a theater in 1935, occupies the site of the first building in the Thirteen Colonies designed for use as a theater. The first opera performed in the new country was at the first Dock Street theater.
It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973.
And yes, some nights you can even get a drink. I believe they still serve Planters Punch here in the Planters Hotel bar (now the Dock Street Theater).
During the Civil War the hotel was one of many buildings severely damaged and was almost torn down. The town of Charleston finally repaired it.
If there are no activities or shows the doors are opened and you can walk in and visit around the old rooms upstairs as well as the theater itself.
This was a random shot, on a random corner, in Charleston, South Carolina. Oh, taken on a random walk.
It really is a wonderful town.
