Charleston, South Carolina is a place where history and heritage are still very much a part of everyday life.
Inside a city that seems untouched by the ravages of time and nature is a 300-year-old culture of Europeans and Africans that permeates the city's architecture, the visual arts, and its customs.
For the past three centuries Charleston has survived wars, fires, earthquakes and hurricanes - and despite it all, retained both her beauty and her dignity.
Today Charleston stands as a model of historic preservation, restoration and artistic expression.
The Old and Historic District, which traces its origins to the 1670s, contains some 3,000 historic buildings. This is no accident. Instead, it is the result of the ongoing and dedicated efforts of people working together to preserve Charleston's distinctive character.
While over 12,000 buildings in South Carolina have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, fewer than 80 have been designated by the US Department of the Interior as National Historic Landmarks – the highest possible designation for a historic site. Charleston’s Old and Historic district is a National Historic Landmark, as are most of the individual member properties of the Charleston Heritage Federation. We recommend that you make a point of discovering all of them …they truly are “The Essential Charleston.”
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The houses and museums listed here are conveniently located in Charleston's Old and Historic District. They are easily accessible on foot...more.
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The two National Historic Landmark plantations on the Ashley River are just a short drive from the Old and Historic District. They interpret over 250 years of rural life in the Lowcountry...more.
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This section features the tours, festivals and facilities of organizations that have played a critical role in researching, restoring and preserving historic Charleston...More.
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From Slave to Sharecropper: African American Experiences in the Lowcountry after the Civil War
Location:The Charleston Museum
Phone: 843-722-2996
Dates: Now through August 31, 2009
Web Site: http://www.charlestonmuseum.org
Centered around the recollections and memories of Lowcountry descendants of slaves and sharecroppers, the exhibit will include artifacts and images of African American experiences in the Lowcountry after the Civil War from the Museum's collection.
Drawing from the Museum's vast photography archives, From Slave to Sharecropper will introduce museum-goers to the people and living conditions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The powerful images demonstrate the austere circumstances under which African Americans lived during this period, but also reveal the strength of character of the subjects that allowed them to overcome these tough times. Artifact highlights, meanwhile, include period farm equipment such as plows, scythes and burlap "croaker" sacks used to gather cotton, a large Spartina grass basket used as a bassinet, a "red shirt" worn by a supporter of Governor Wade Hampton, who helped hasten the end of Reconstruction in South Carolina, and a fire helmet worn by a member of an African American fire company.
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