History of Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Office of the Augusta Chronicle.
April 28, 6 o'clock, P.M.
We learn with the deepest regret, by passengers from Charleston, who arrived here this evening, by the Carolina Railroad, that the city of Charleston has been visited by one of the most awful and destructive fire that has ever visited any city in the U. States. One-third of the city was laid in ashes at the departure of the cars this morning at 6 o'clock, and the fire was raging as if it would consume at least one-third more.

The fire broke out last night at a quarter past eight o'clock, in a paint store, on the western side of King Street, corner of Beresford St. The wind blowing strongly from the southwest, blew the flames diagonally across King Street, and at the time of the departure of the cars, the whole section of the city above Beresford Street, up to Society Street, and east of King Street, to the Bay, was burnt down or burning. From Beresford to Society are four Streets - from King street to the bay about as...

Charleston, a port of entry, capital of a district of its own name, and the largest city of Sooth Carolina, is situated on a tongue of land between the rivers Ashley and Cooper, which unite immediately below the town, and form a spacious harbour, communicating with the ocean at Sullivan's island, 7 miles below. It is 118 miles N. E. from Savannah, 580 S. W. from Baltimore, and 540 from Washington. Lat. 32° 46', N. Lon. 79° 67' W. Cooper and Ashley rivers are from 30 to 40 feet deep, the former 1400, and the latter 2100 yards wide. The ground on which the city is built is elevated 8 or 9 feet above the level of the harbor at high tide, which rises about six feet, flowing by the city with a strong cur rent, thus contributing to its salubrity. A sandbar extends across the mouth of the harbor, affording, however, two entrances, of which the deepest, near Sullivan's island, has 10 feet of water at low tide. The harbor is defended by Fort Pinckney and Fort John son, each on an island, the...

using a spar torpedo in Charleston Harbor, becoming the first submarine to sink an enemy ship, although the submarine and her crew of eight are also lost.

An earthquake of between 7.3 and 7.6 on the Richter scale hits Charleston, South Carolina, leaving 40,000 homeless.

Charleston, a port of entry, capital of a county of its own name, and the largest city of South Carolina, is situated on a tongue of land between the rivers Ashley and Cooper, which unite immediately below the town and form a spacious harbor, communicating with the ocean at Sullivan's Island, 7 miles below. It is 115 miles by rail N.E. of Savannah, 580 miles S.W. of Baltimore, and 540 miles from Washington. Lat.32°40' N.; lon. 79°57' W. Cooper and Ashley Rivers are from 30 to 40 feet deep, the former 1400 and the latter 2100 yards wide. The ground on which the city is built is elevated 8 or 9 feet above the level of the harbor at high tide, which rises about six feet, flowing by the city with a strong current, thus contributing to its salubrity. It has a water-front of 9 miles. A sandbar extends across the mouth of the harbor, affording, however, two entrances, of which the deepest, near Sullivan's Island, has 18 feet of water at low tide. The harbor is defended by Castle Pinckney and ...

...Results Of The Storm In South Carolina.
Charleston, S. C., Feb. 9. --The blizzard has brought complete disaster on truckers, all tender plants above ground having been killed. Strawberry blossoms are killed, and the berries will be delayed four weeks beyond the usual time. It will be April before the first berries ripen. The cabbage crop will average only 25 per cent of a crop. Lettuce, marrowfat peas and other smaller vegetables are killed. The destruction is universal over the southern trucking sections and extends to Florida...

In Pompeii, the tourist, looking from blank wall to dusty floor, wonders what there is to see in that little ball, but a native goes down upon his hands and knees; with a few brisk passes of his hand the sand is brushed away, and a Numidian lion glares forth from the tesselated pavement." VIRGINIUS DABNEY'S Don Miff

FORTY FIVE years before the English colonization of Virginia, fifty two before the Dutch settlement of New York and fifty eight before the Puritans landed at Massachusetts Bay, Captain Jean Ribaut, of Dieppe, commanding the first Huguenot emigration to North America, on the 1st of May, 1562, entered the beautiful harbor of Port Royal, South Carolina.

In his journal, as translated in one of Hakluyt's black letter tracts, he describes the country as "full of hauens Riuers and Hands of such fruitfulness as cannot with tongue be expressed...the fairest, fruitfullest, and pleasantest of all the world."

Internal dissensions weakened the infant Huguenot colonies, and...

Special to The State

Charleston, June 2 - Train No. 52 of the Atlantic Coast Line bound for Columbia, sideswiped freight No. 350 en route to Charleston at the Ashley Junction this morning shortly after 6 o'clock, resulting in the engine of No. 52 and four cars of the freight train being ditched and engineer J. B. Hammond and fireman R. Buckley of the passenger train being slightly injured. The freight train had taken to the siding when the passenger train came along with the result that the time and distance had not been accurately measured and the big puffing leviathan struck the freight cars a mighty blow, leaving the track and toppling over with four of the long train of laden cars. Engineer Hammond and fireman Buckley owe their lives to their jumping from the train. When they saw the collision was inevitable they leapt form the cabs and saved themselves from being pinioned under the engine and perhaps killed or seriously injured. The injuries of Hammond and Buckley were...

Charleston, a port of entry, capital of a county of its own name, and the largest city of South Carolina, is situated on a tongue of land between the rivers Ashley and Cooper, which unite immediately below the town and form a spacious harbor, communicating with the Atlantic Ocean at Sullivan's Island, 7 miles below. It is 115 miles by rail NE. of Savannah and 580 miles SW. of Baltimore. Lat. 32° 46' N. ; Ion. 79° 57' W. A sandbar extends across the mouth of the harbor, affording, however, a deep-water channel near Sullivan's Island ; since the late harbor improvements, safe entry is given to vessels of 23-24 feet draft. The harbor is defended by Castle Pinokney and forts Sumter and Ripley, each on an island, the first-named 1 mile and the last 6 miles below the city, and also by forts Moultrie, on Sullivan's Island, and Johnston, on James Island. Charleston is regularly built, but retains, in its architectural features (lofty piazzas, etc.) and old landmarks, many of the peculiarities ...

Damage Estimated At $2,000,000 As Tornado Strikes Historic City Unawares; Vast Scenes Of Wreckage; St. Michael's Church Battered; Fine Trees Uprooted in Battery; City Hall Roof Blown Off; Colleges Not Hit.

CHARLESTON, S. C., Sept. 29 - (AP) - A destructive tornado whipped through Charleston early today, killing at least 25 persons, injuring an estimated 340, and doing property damage unofficially estimated at $2,000,000.

Striking shortly after 8 a. m., the storm threw the city into confusion. Telephone and telegraph communication was disrupted.

Traffic through city streets was impeded by fallen trees and by live electric wires. The city power station failed completely.

Many historic landmarks were damaged, some severely. An undetermined number of small cabins were leveled. The number made homeless was unestimated. Most of them were Negroes.

A portion of the old city market crumpled. Several of the identified victims met death here.

Fifteen dead were identified....

By Jack Leland
News and Courier Staff Writer

Memorandum to the Editor:
You said to write a funny story about Income Tax day having come and gone.

Well, it's gone and with it has gone most of my money and apparently that of most Charlestonians. Also gone - as far as I can find out - is everyone's sense of humor.

There just isn't anything funny about taxes this year.

Not funny, "Ha-Ha," nor funny, "peculiar."

Perhaps it's just that they're all smiled out. Last week, you know, was National Smile Week and maybe everybody bared their teeth to the winds so often that they are just tired of smiling. Whatever the cause, there just weren't any people smiling yesterday.

Especially when asked about taxes. Of course, the income tax people say March 15 really should be a day of joy for at least half the population. It seems, according to the tax boys, that at least half the taxpayers get refunds. Two years ago, this amounted to nearly $2 billion or some $60 for every one with a ...

Historic Downtown Charleston:

Take a stroll through the historic district with its cobblestone streets and antebellum architecture.

Visit Rainbow Row, a series of 13 colorful historic houses on East Bay Street.

Waterfront Park:

Relax in this beautiful park with fountains, gardens, and fantastic views of the Cooper River.

Charleston Tea Garden:

Explore the only tea plantation in North America. Learn about tea production and enjoy a guided tour.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens:

Wander through lush gardens and explore the historic plantation. Don't miss the beautiful plantation house.

Fort Sumter National Monument:

Take a boat tour to Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.

Angel Oak Tree:

Marvel at the Angel Oak, a Southern live oak tree that is centuries old and absolutely stunning.

Charleston City Market:

Shop for local goods, art, and crafts at this historic market, one of the oldest in the country.

Battery and...