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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


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

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Postcard
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East Battery Parade, Charleston, S.C.

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Postcard
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City Hall & Court House

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Postcard
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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
  • News  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

    www.worldatlas.com/ webimage/ countrys/ namerica/ usstates/ sctimeln.htm
  • News  1780 - May 12 - British capture Charleston, SC

    May 12, 1780
  • News  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
  • News  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...

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

    WeatherForYou.com
    August 25, 1885
  • News  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
  • News  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...

  • News  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...

  • News  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
  • News  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
  • News  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...

  • News  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
  • News  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...

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

    The Weather Channel
    September 11, 1960



Discover Your Roots: Charleston Ancestry

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

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

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female ancestorMary Lide LLOYD (1699, Charleston, South Carolina, USA - 1 May 1772, Charleston, South Carolina, USA)
female ancestorMary ELLIS (1710, Charleston, South Carolina, USA - 13 June 1781, James Island, South Carolina, USA)
female ancestorMarguerite RICHARD (16 May 1712, Annapolis Royal, Annapolis, Nova Scotia, Canada (Port Royal, Acadia) - 1756, Charleston, South Carolina, USA)
male ancestorGeorge WRIGHT (1718, - aft. September 1779, Charleston, South Carolina, USA)
male ancestorJean Baptiste LANOUE (23 October 1738, Annapolis Royal, Annapolis, Nova Scotia, Canada (Port Royal, Acadia) - 24 August 1781, Charleston, South Carolina, USA)
male ancestorSouthway NELSON (1750, Charleston, South Carolina, USA - 27 September 1836, Washington, Tennessee, USA)
male ancestorAshbel BUTLER (1784, - 12 July 1807, Charleston, South Carolina, USA)
male ancestorJames HIBBEN (24 August 1799, Charleston, South Carolina, USA - 1 February 1871, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA (Florence))
male ancestorErastus S. BACON (1820, - 20 September 1864, Charleston, South Carolina, USA)

Ancestors Who Were Married in Charleston, South Carolina, USA

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

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male ancestorZachariah STORY (27 June 1706 - 14 February 1732) and female ancestorMary ELLIS (1710 - 13 June 1781) married 10 March 1729
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