St Matthew’s and the farmer’s market
As mentioned previously, we LOVE Charleston. The city claims to be the most popular tourist destination in the US, if not the world. I don’t have any references to back that claim and it has some tough competition in Las Vegas, Orlando, New York, LA, Paris, London, Dublin… name a few more. But after spending 5 nights in Charleston I have to agree that it is in the running.
I took a lot of photos, which partially explains why it took so long to complete this post. Just editing the photos and selecting the ones to use took some time. I chose to lead with a photo of a church – St Matthew’s Lutheran Church – because I was struck by the sheer number of churches in Charleston. Churches of all denominations, all in buildings strikingly beautiful and all seemingly historic in some way. St Matthew’s is notable for its 300-foot spire and its location on Marion Square, the Central Park of Charleston. Another notable church, on the other side of the square, is “Mother Emmanuel” – the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal church which was formerly known for its standing as the oldest A.M.E. church in the southern US but lately has been more famous (or infamous) as the site of the June, 2015, Charleston church shooting in which 9 people were assassinated during bible study.
Emmanuel A.M.E. from the tour bus
Methodist church
We took two bus tours of the city – a generic one on Sunday and a “black history” tour on Monday. The black history tour was a bit of a disappointment as it covered many of the same sites as the generic tour, but did offer additional insights into slave life in Charleston before the Civil War. But the most interesting aspect of that tour was the focus on the Simmons gates, the beautiful wrought iron gates created by Phillip Simmons, a black artisan. The town is filthy (not the right word) with Simmons gates, each more beautiful than the last. We also visited Simmons’ house and workshop, now operated by his nephew (Simmons died in 2009). The house is shockingly shabby and his workshop is nothing more than a small wooden shed. It is hard to believe that works of such beauty had such a humble birth. When we return to Charleston (and we will), I want to spend a day wandering the city seeking out these gates. Maybe several days. There must be hundreds of these Simmons gates in the city.
Simmons’ home
Simmons’ workshop and our guide
Other highlights:
- Marion Square. This is a beautiful urban park, surrounded by beautiful buildings, including the original site of The Citadel. We visited on a perfect day and enjoyed the Saturday farmer’s market that was there that day. It is also the site of the iconic statue of John C. Calhoun – known as “Killhoun” by the slaves of the era.
- The Fort Sumter National Landmark which offers scenic harbor vistas as well as interesting exhibits on Fort Sumter and the Civil War. It is arguably more interesting than the fort itself.
- The market area which was vaguely reminiscent of Faueuil Hall Marketplace in Boston, but more authentic. We had dinner at Tommy Condon’s which is an Irish pub/restaurant. I had, for the first time ever, shrimp and grits. Very tasty.
- The South Battery – the southern tip of the peninsula – which offers both views of Fort Sumter and many historic mansions.
- The Building Arts building, which, ironically, looks like an abandoned (and about to collapse) jail.
Anyway, we had a very fine time in Charleston. We will be back.
Parking lot cemetery
Shrimp and grits
Calhoun statue
Building Arts building
Battery mansion