A Brief History of Charleston, SC

In many ways, current day Charleston has remained as she once was in the beginning
of time for the United States of America: cobblestone streets, horse and carriage
rides, gas lamps, gated courtyards - all maintaining the regal charm of
yesteryear. She's come through mighty wars, hurricanes, and earthquakes and like
many women with grit and determination; she has emerged in all her finery, a
stronger and more productive city than ever before.

1600's -

In 1663, Charles II of England granted the chartered Carolina territory to eight
of his loyal friends known as the Lord's Proprietors. This took place after
Charles II was restored to the British throne following Oliver Cromwell's
Protectorate. These men were granted the lands for their loyalty with the single
proviso that they settle the lands in the name of King Charles II. It took seven
years before the Lords could arrange for settlement, the first being that of
Charles Towne; literally in the king's name.

Founded in 1670 as Charles Towne in its original location on the west bank of the
Ashley River, the city was moved ten years later to Oyster Point where it was
established by one of King Charles's Lord Proprietors, Anthony Ashley-Cooper. In
its new location the city flourished, fulfilling Cooper's vision for Charles Towne
as a great port city. It remains, still today, the largest city and county seat of
Charleston County. Its present name, Charleston, was adopted in 1683.

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1700's -

Charleston is know as the Holy City due to the prominence of numerous church
steeples that can be seen rising above the cityscape skyline. In fact, Charleston
was one of the few cities in the original thirteen colonies to provide religious
tolerance to the French Huguenot Church and later home to a mixture of ethnic and
religious groups. As a result, varying societies were formed by several different
ethnic groups: the South Carolina Society, founded by French Huguenots in 1737;
the German Friendly Society, founded in 1766; and the Hibernian Society, founded
by Irish immigrants in 1801. Some wealthy Charlestonians, who wished to keep up
with the modern scientific and philosophical issues, established The Charleston
Library Society in 1748. This group also helped establish the College of
Charleston in 1770, the oldest college in South Carolina and the 13th oldest in
the United States. This early development of diversity put down a lasting
foundation for industry, education, culture, and fullness of religious
investigation.

The community's cultural and social opportunities multiplied as Charleston grew.
The country's first theater was built in Charleston in 1736. The building was
later replaced by the Planter's Hotel named for the wealthy planters who stayed
there during Charleston's horse racing season. Now named the Dock Street Theatre
and once again home to performances, that building is known as one of the oldest
active theaters built for stage performances in the United States. Continuing the
cultural advancement, the first American museum opened to the public on January
12, 1773 in Charleston.

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1800's -

By the mid-18th century, Charleston had become a successful trade center, bringing
in goods from the mainland, Europe, and the northern ports it had become the
center of the trade for the southeastern colonies. By 1770 it was the fourth
largest port in the colonies following Boston, New York and Philadelphia. With a
population of 11,000, Charleston became the wealthiest and largest city south of
Philadelphia. Not only did the port allow for rare and luxury imports, but also
rice and indigo had been cultivated by slave-owning planters for export as well.
Those and naval stores were exported in an extremely profitable shipping industry.
With the invention of the cotton gin in 1793, cotton's production was
revolutionized and it quickly became South Carolina's major export.

Cotton plantations relied heavily on slave labor. Slaves were also the primary
labor force within the city, working as domestics, artisans, market-workers or
laborers. With this dependence on slave labor, Charleston had become the cultural
and economic center of the south. Knowing their way of life, built on the backs of
slaves was in jeopardy, on December 20, 1860, the South Carolina General Assembly
made the state the first to ever secede from the Union. On January 9, 1861,
Citadel cadets fired the first shots of the American Civil War when they opened
fire on the Union ship Star of the West as it entered Charleston's harbor. The
Civil War interrupted the everyday business of Charleston and shattered the
prosperity once enjoyed by Charlestonians who had very much depended on the slave
trade to support their industries.

After the Civil War concluded, slowly, industries brought the city and its
inhabitants back to a renewed prosperity and growth in population. As
Charlestonians worked to restore their community institutions, the city's commerce
improved and eventually, Charleston was able to once again function in the post-
war years. But the African population of Charleston, without money, standing in
society, or paying positions found themselves in abject poverty. Many black
Charlestonians spoke Gullah, a language that was a testament to the melting pot
community, based on combinations of African, French, German, Jamaican, English,
Bahamian and Dutch words. In post war times, many former slaves and people of
color turned to the Charleston Market, which was founded in 1807 to come back from
poverty. Once a place where slaves labored, it became a center for trade for the
African-American community, with many former slaves and free people of color
staffing stalls, selling artistic wares, carving, woven baskets and cotton
material goods.

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Present Day Charleston

Today the Charleston Market draws many thousands of tourists a year and Charleston
is a major tourist destination with all one would expect of the upscale historic
city. Charleston's amenities include overnight accommodations with variety enough
to suit any wallet, ranging from luxury hotels, bed and breakfasts and inns to
more modestly priced hotel chains. The shopping offers experiences from the
Charleston Market with a festival outdoor atmosphere to the finest names
associated with high-quality shops. Dining in Charleston is equally as diverse,
presenting with a large number of award-winning restaurants in varying price
ranges. The city is well-known for its grand live oaks draped with Spanish moss,
the Cabbage Palmetto, which is the state tree of South Carolina, cascading window
boxes bursting with color, wrought iron gates keeping secret gardens in courtyard
allies and Rainbow Row, a community along the waterfront where there is a string
of beautiful, historic pastel-colored homes. The city is still an important port,
boasting the second largest container seaport on the East Coast and the fourth
largest in North America.

For those considering relocation to the Charleston area, it is fast becoming a
prime location for information technology jobs and corporations moving toward the
technological age but without forgetting her roots, steeped in cultured events,
Charleston is also an important art destination, named a top 25 arts destination
by AmericanStyle magazine. Charleston offers a multitude of options to view and
purchase two and three-dimensional art from early and contemporary folk art to
classic and modern style in museums and galleries throughout the city. Music in
the arts is also evident in all the back room bars, sidewalk cafes and bistro type
establishments from which an eclectic range of music can be heard drifting on the
balmy night air. This diverse burst of appreciation for the arts and technological
innovation has created yet another renaissance for Charleston to which people are
flocking.

Come and join 'The Friendliest city in America', 'The All American City', and 'The Tennis City'.

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