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flag  History of Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Journey back in time to Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Visit Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Discover its history. Learn about the people who lived there through stories, old newspaper articles, pictures, postcards and ancestry.

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Charleston, South Carolina, USA - A Glimpse of Charlston and Bay, From St. Michaels Church  Picturesque America: Or, the Land We Live In. A Delineation by Pen and Pencil of the Moun

The walls of the American fort on Sullivan Island, in Charleston Harbor, were made of spongy Palmetto logs. This was helpful in protecting the fort because the British cannonballs bounced off the logs.

50states.com

There is MUCH more to discover about Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Read on!

Charleston Nostalgia: Vintage Photos, Ads, and Postcards

A Glimpse of Charlston and Bay, From St. Michael's Church

Picturesque America: Or, the Land We Li
Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Artwork
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A Glimpse of Charlston and Bay, From St. Michael's Church

Picturesque America: Or, the Land We Live In. A Delineation by Pen and Pencil of the Mountains, Rivers, Lakes... With Illustr. on Steel and Wood, by Eminent American Artists, Volume 1
William C. Bryant
Appleton, 1872
East Battery Parade, Charleston, S.C.
Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Postcard
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East Battery Parade, Charleston, S.C.
City Hall & Court House
Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Postcard
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City Hall & Court House
Y.M.C.A. Building
Charleston, South Carolina, USA

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Y.M.C.A. Building

Discover Charleston: History, News, Travel, and Stories

Add informationAdd History/News/Story
1670 - Charleston, South Carolina, founded, soon becomes early cultural center.

The World Almanac of the U.S.A, by Allan Carpenter and Carl Provorse, 1996
1700 - Hurricane struck Charleston, 98 killed

www.worldatlas.com/ webimage/ countrys/ namerica/ usstates/ sctimeln.htm
1732 - First Newspaper in South Carolina
"The South Carolina Gazette," printed at Charleston at the beginning of 1732, was the first issued in that province.

colonialwarsct.org/ 1755.htm
1733 - January 13 - James Oglethorpe & 130 English colonists arrive at Charleston, SC

historyorb.com
1752 - Hurricane devastates Charleston, S.C.
The 17-foot storm surge destroyed the town's fortifications and over 500 homes.

Hurricane timeline: 1495 to 1800
Sun Sentinel
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
www.sun-sentinel.com
1776 - June 28 - Charleston, SC repulses British sea attack

historyorb.com
June 28, 1776
1778 - Major fire in Charles Town destroyed many building, arson suspected
In 1778, Charleston, South Carolina, had two hundred buildings consumed.
The Deseret News
Salt Lake City, Utah
July 3, 1861
1780 - May 12 - British capture Charleston, SC

May 12, 1780
1782 - December 14 - Charleston, SC evacuated by British

historyorb.com
December 14, 1782
1783 - Charles Town renamed Charleston

www.worldatlas.com/ webimage/ countrys/ namerica/ usstates/ sctimeln.htm
1786 - Capital moved from Charleston to Columbia

January 10, 1800 - Savannah, GA, received a foot and a half of snow, and ten inches blanketed Charleston SC. It was the heaviest snowfall of record for the immediate Coastal Plain of the southeastern U.S.

WeatherForYou.com
1824 - November 21 - 1st Jewish Reform congregation forms, Charleston, SC

historyorb.com
1830 - First steam locomotive in U.S. began passenger route service between Charleston and Hamburg, South Carolina

www.worldatlas.com/ webimage/ countrys/ namerica/ usstates/ sctimeln.htm
1838 - AWFUL FIRE IN CHARLESTON.
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... Read MORE...

1843 - July 2 - An alligator reportedly fell from the sky onto Anson Street in Charleston, SC, during a thunderstorm.

WeatherForYou.com
July 2, 1843
1854 - Charleston
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... Read MORE...

1860 - April 23 - Democratic convention in Charleston SC divided over slavery

historyorb.com
1864 - February 17 – American Civil War: The tiny Confederate hand-propelled submarine H. L. Hunley sinks the USS Housatonic (1861)
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.
wikipedia.org
February 17, 1864
1865 - February 18 - Evacuation of Charleston, SC

historyorb.com
1876 - September 6 - Race riot in Charleston SC

historyorb.com
1885 - August 25 - A severe hurricane struck South Carolina causing 1.3 million dollars damage at Charleston.

WeatherForYou.com
August 25, 1885
1886 - August 31 - 1st major earthquake recorded in eastern US, at Charleston SC, 110 die
An earthquake of between 7.3 and 7.6 on the Richter scale hits Charleston, South Carolina, leaving 40,000 homeless.
historyorb.com
August 31, 1886
1893 - August 24 - Tornado destroys coast of Savannah & Charleston, about 1000 die

historyorb.com
August 24, 1893
1895 - Charleston
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 ... Read MORE...

1895 - Blizzard - THE STORM STILL HOVERS OVER THE UNITED STATES. IT IS SEVEREST IN THE EAST. TRAFFIC ALMOST ENTIRELY AT A STANDSTILL -- RAILROAD TRAINS BLOCKADED -- BUSINESS PARALYZED -- PEOPLE FROZEN TO DEATH AT SEVERAL PLACES...
...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...
The Delphos Daily Herald
Delphos, Ohio
February 9, 1895
1900 - Charleston by Yates Snowden
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... Read MORE...

1910 - TRAIN WRECK AT CHARLESTON - Engineer Hammond and Fireman Buckley Slightly Injured in Smashup on Coast Line
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... Read MORE...

1916
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 ... Read MORE...

1925 - New dance craze in Charleston's pubs, dance halls began, spread across nation, named "Charleston"

www.worldatlas.com/ webimage/ countrys/ namerica/ usstates/ sctimeln.htm
1933 - May 6 - Charleston, SC, was deluged with 10.57 inches of rain, an all- time 24 hour record for that location.

The Weather Channel
May 6, 1933
1938 - 25 DIE, 340 HURT IN CHARLESTON STORM. MANY FAMOUS OLD LANDMARKS BLOWN DOWN BY TORNADO.
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.... Read MORE...

1940 - August 11 - A major hurricane struck Savannnah, GA, and Charleston, SC, causing the worst inland flooding since 1607.

WeatherForYou.com
August 11, 1940
1953 - June 19 - WCSC TV channel 5 in Charleston, SC (CBS) begins broadcasting

historyorb.com
1954 - Tax Payments - And Humor Gone March 15
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 ... Read MORE...

1960 - September 11 - Hurricane Donna produced wind gusts to 121 mph at Charleston SC.

The Weather Channel
September 11, 1960
2023 - Here's a list of places to go and things to do in Charleston, South Carolina:
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... Read MORE...

Discover MY Roots: Charleston Ancestry

Ancestors Who Were Born or Died in Charleston, South Carolina, USA

We currently have information about 19 ancestors who were born or died in Charleston.

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Ancestors Who Were Married in Charleston, South Carolina, USA

We currently have information about ancestors who were married in Charleston.

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Genealogy Resources for Charleston

Our Charleston Gift Ideas

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Updated: 3/21/2024 3:55:10 PM