In 1663, a group of eight aristocratic Englishmen received an amazing gift from their king: a giant piece of North America’s Atlantic coastline called ”Carolina”. King Charles II’s land grant gave these men – known as the ”Lords Proprietors” – millions of square miles of land between present-day Charleston and the Pacific Ocean. According the the king’s degree – but without permission from the native people already living here – these group of English lords assumed almost king-like power over the soon-to-be-formed colony of Carolina.
It was 1670, when the Lords landed here and went on to establish the birthplace of the Carolina colony. Aboard their ship, were a group of free men and a few women, as well as slaves brought from Barbados, but descended from centuries-old cultures and kingdoms of West Africa.
Today, Charles Towne Landing is a State Historic Site introducing visitors to the brutal beginnings of Charleston – a city built on slavery and land appropriation – with an exhibition space appealing to history aficionados of all ages, a replica 17th-century cargo ship one can board and explore, wonderful gardens with an oak alley, trails for hiking, a natural habitat zoo… in short so interesting, they had to kick us out at 5 p.m. because they closing!
Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site
Charleston, SC
April 13th, 2018
The Humble Fabulist 
A wonderful post about this remarkable place. We would love to visit on one of our future drives south. I was particularily intrigued by the “Fundamental Constitutions,” specificallt #3, “Religious Freedoms,” as we have just returned from the Norman Rockwell Museum Stockbridge, Mass, me being so impressed with the “Four Freedoms,” expressed so well in his paintings, and the descriptive plaque cards. M 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
And we would love to visit the Norman Rockwell Museum – now that we know about it, thanks to you! Charles Towne Landing is full of historical facts (and artefacts) on top of the beautiful gardens and trails. Useful to learn exactly how the grand mansions, some of which still belong to the same wealthy families, came to existence.
LikeLike