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Charleston SC Museums and Other
Interesting Places
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American Military
Museum Located in Aquarium Wharf
adjacent to the debarkation point for
tours to historic Fort Sumter, the
Museum is filled with authentic
artifacts from 14 American conflicts
from the Revolutionary War through the
recent war in Iraq. Visitors marvel at
70 display cases filled with 260
uniforms, 33 flags, medals and hundreds
of military artifacts from the U.S.
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and
Coast Guard. 360 Concord Street,
Charleston SC (843) 723-9620
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Angel Oak/Scarlet's
Tree Reportedly the oldest
thing -- living or man-made -- east
of the Rockies, Angel Oak is a live
oak tree aged approximately 1,500
years. Some locals simply call it The
Tree. It stands in a wooded area
along Bohicket Road of John's Island
outside Charleston, South Carolina.
Angel Oak is a live oak. It is native
to the low country and is not very
tall but has a wide spread canopy.
Lumber from the live oak forests in
the sea islands was highly valued for
shipbuilding in the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries. Angel Oak
stands on part of Abraham Waight's
1717 land grant. Mr. Waight owned
several plantations. The City of
Charleston now owns Angel Oak. There
is no charge to view the tree and is
a must see when visiting Charleston,
South Carolina. The City of
Charleston now owns Angel Oak. There
is no charge to view the tree and is
a when visiting Charleston, South
Carolina. 3688 Angel Oak Road Johns
Island, SC (843) 559-3496
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Francis Beidler
Forest Audubon Sanctuary
When you've looked at all that the
website has to offer, make a date
to come out to the swamp and visit
us! The wildlife, the ancient
trees, the quiet flow of blackwater
as it meanders through the swamp,
they all await you on your trip to
Beidler Forest. 336 Sanctuary Road
Harleyville, SC (843) 462-2150
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The Citadel
Museum The Citadel was
established in 1842 and is one of
the last two military state
colleges in the nation. The
Citadel Museum offers a history
of the military college of South
Carolina and Corps of Cadets from
1842 to the present. 171 Moultrie
Street Charleston, SC (843)
792-6846
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The
Charleston Museum The
Charleston Museum, America's
First Museum, was founded in
1773. Its mission is to
preserve and interpret the
cultural and natural history of
Charleston and the South
Carolina Lowcountry. We invite
you to explore this rich,
varied history at the Museum
and its two National Historic
Landmark houses. All are
located downtown, in America's
Most Historic City. 60 Meeting
Street, Charleston SC 29403
(843) 722-2996
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Charleston
County Park and Recreation
Caw Caw Center
Charleston SC The Caw Caw
Interpretive Center a
654-acre site located within
the Caw Caw Swamp is just 25
minutes from downtown
Charleston, Summerville and
Walterboro. The Center, rich
in natural, cultural and
historical resources, is
comprised of several former
rice plantations that
operated during the 18th and
most of the 19th century.
Here and throughout the South
Carolina Lowcountry enslaved
Africans and African
Americans were forced to
apply their West &
Central African agricultural
experience, technology, and
skills to rice cultivation.
Out of vast, Lowcountry
swamps these men, women and
children successfully
converted thousands of acres
to rice fields. Still evident
today are the earthen dikes,
water control structures
called rice trunks, and
canals-all fruits of their
slave labor.
Today, the Interpretive
Center staff manage former
rice fields and adjacent
areas at the center as a
wildlife sanctuary for over
350 species of plants and 11
major plant communities.
These plant communities
include fresh, brackish, salt
water marshes; cypress-tupelo
swamp; and maritime,
bottomland and beech-holly
forests. These diverse
communities provide habitat
for over 200 species of
birds, 30 species of mammals,
28 species of amphibians, 38
species of fish; and 52
species of reptiles. At Caw
Caw visitors may witness bald
eagles perched or soaring
over the swamp; otters
playing in canals, wild
turkeys foraging in the
forests, alligators sunning
themselves, or dragonflies
darting about the waterways.
For more information abou the
Caw Caw Interpretive
Center.
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Gibbes
Museum of Art The
Gibbes Museum offer
portraits of the Colonial
South to the era of Porgy
and Bess and beyond, the
museum, opened in 1905,
contains a collection of
American and European
paintings reflecting
Charleston’s history.
135 Meeting Street,
Charleston, SC 29401 (843)
722-2706
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The
Hunley In 1863,
news from Mobile of the
successful trial runs of
the Hunley had made its
way to Charleston. Could
this secret submersible
weapon help save
Charleston from the
ever-tightening Union
blockade? With proof of
the submarine's
destructive powers
becoming more known, the
Hunley arrived by train
in Charleston on the
morning of August 12,
1863 and was soon granted
an audience with besieged
Charleston's military
commander, Pierre Gustave
Tousant Beauregard.
Warren Lasch Conservation
Center at Charleston's
Old Naval Base toll free
877-448-6539
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Karpeles
Manuscript Museum
The Karpeles
Manuscript Museum in
Charleston, South
Carolina, is housed
in a grand and bold
Greek Revival
structure of the
Corinthian order
after the Temple of
Jupiter in Rome. The
history of the
building dates back
to 1791 when William
Hammet and a group of
Methodist dissenters
decided to form their
own Methodist
congregation. The new
congregation grew
over the period of 65
years until 1856 when
a larger sanctuary
was needed. Property
was purchased and the
cornerstone was laid
on June 24, 1856. The
church was called St.
James¹ Chapel,
"as he was the great
Apostle of practical
piety". During the
Civil War the
Confederate forces in
Charleston used the
building as a medical
storehouse and
hospital until the
Union Army attacked
and Charleston was
evacuated. The
building was one of
the first attacked in
an effort to capture
the water supply held
in the large cisterns
on the ground floor.
68 Spring Street,
Charleston, SC 29403
(843)
853-4651
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Morris
Island
Lighthouse
By 1673, the
Charles Towne
colony had
authorized a light
to be burned every
night on a small
sandy island, later
named Morris
Island, six miles
southeast of Oyster
Pointe at the mouth
of the harbor. This
simple beacon was a
burning "fier ball"
of pitch and ocum
lit in an iron
basket. Each ship
entering and
leaving the harbor
paid a small tax to
help support the
beacon and its
attendant.
What we know as
Morris Island was
actually three
smaller islands
divided by narrow
creeks. The
northern most
island, named for
Captain John
Cumings, was
Cumings Island or
Cumings Point. The
middle island was
Morrison's Island
and the third,
farthest south,
called Middle Bay
Island. By the end
of the 18th
century, these
creeks were
silted-in forming
one larger island.
The name was
shortened from
Morrison's to
Morris Island. The
main channel into
Charles Towne
harbor near Morris
Island was called
Pumpkin Hill
Channel, thought to
be named after an
early plantation
there.
The "fier" baskets
were utilized into
the 18th century.
By 1716, the keeper
began to use huge
tallow candles. The
candles were a
maintenance
improvement over
the "fier" baskets,
but did not provide
enough light or
cast light far
enough out to sea.
Spider lamps
burning fish oil
soon replaced them.
Folly Beach, SC
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Old
Exchange &
Provost
Dungeon
Few buildings
reflect
Charleston, South
Carolina's early
history as
effectively as
the Old Exchange
Building and
Provost Dungeon.
Considered to be
one of the three
most historically
significant
Colonial
buildings in the
United States,
the Old Exhange
Building is a
"must see" when
visiting
Charleston. 122
East Bay Street,
Charleston, SC
29401 (843)
727-2165
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Patriots
Point Naval
Museum
The centerpiece
of Patriots
Point is the
world famous
aircraft
carrier USS
YORKTOWN, a
heavily
decorated
warship that
was at the "tip
of the spear"
in America's
victory in the
Pacific during
World War II.
Find out more
about the ships
of Patriots
Point, the
magnificent
aircraft, and
the rest of the
exhibits that
make Patriots
Point one of
the most
visited
attractions in
the Carolinas!
Click on the
image to the
right to take a
tour of the
flight deck!
Patriots Point,
Mt. Pleasant,
SC 29464 (843)
884-2727
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South
Carolina
AquariumThe
South
Carolina
Aquarium was
designed to
help
educators
teach
students
about the
aquatic
habitats of
South
Carolina. 57
Hassell
Street (843)
720-1990
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The
Bells of
St.
Michael's
Meeting
& Broad
Streets
Downtown
Charleston
A visit to
the very
heart of
Charleston
and its
"Four
Corners of
Law" with
good
timing, at
Broad and
Meeting
Streets you
may hear
the chime
of mighty
church
bells
ringing
overhead.
The ringing
bells of
St.
Michael's
Episcopal
Church is
one of the
oldest
attractions
and built
in 1761 is
the oldest
church
edifice on
the
peninsula
and the
second-oldest
congregation
in the
city. This
is the
church
where
George
Washington
worshipped
on his
famous 1791
presidential
tour.
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The
Magnolia
Cemetery
70
Cunningham
Street
(843)
722-8638
Magnolia
Cemetery
is the
quiet,
final
resting
place of
many
important
Charlestonians
and other
players
in the
city's
long
running
and
colorful
drama.
This 19th
century
cemetery
is not
far off
East Bay
Street,
which
becomes
Morrison
Drive.
Many of
the
city's
leaders,
politicians,
and
judges
and other
pioneers
in many
fields
are
buried
beneath
the
ancient
live oaks
of
Magnolia.
Among
them are
five
Confederate
brigadier
generals.
There is
a vast
Confederate
section,
with more
than
1,700
graves of
the known
and
unknown.
Eighty
four
South
Carolinians
who fell
at the
Battle of
Gettysburg
are
included.
Magnolia's
gates are
open
daily
from 2:00
to
6:00pm.
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The
Postal
History
Museum
Meeting
&
Broad
Streets
Charleston
Tucked
away at
the
"Four
Corners
of Law"
there
sits a
little
gem of
history
in
Charleston.
The
Postal
History
Museum
is a
special
room
inside
the
Charleston
post
office
showing
visitors
tidbits
of our
colonial
town
postal
history.
This
little
museum
is a
must
for
anyone
who
wondered
how
18th
and
19th
century
mail
was
handled.
It is
open
during
the
regularly
scheduled
post
office
hours.
Don't
miss
the
1896
post
office
building,
elaborately
detailed
and the
oldest
continuously
operating
post
office
in the
Carolinas.
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The
Powder
Magazine
79
Cumberland
Street
Charleston,
South
Carolina
(843)
805-6730
Just
a few
blocks
from
the
market
area
sits
the
oldest
public
building
in
the
Carolinas.
The
Powder
Magazine
was
opened
to
the
public
in
the
summer
of
1997.
A new
interactive
exhibit
interprets
Charleston's
first
50
years
- a
time
when
it
was
still
a
relatively
crude
Colonial
outpost
of
the
British
Empire.
Admission
is
free.
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