Category: charleston

Charles Towne Landing

The Humble Fabulist2 Comments

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

Private Edgar Perry [aka Edgar Allan Poe]

The Humble FabulistLeave a comment

The time Poe spent on Sullivan’s Island may have been short but it stayed with him forever, feeding his imagination and stories he wrote years later, such as “The Gold-Bug,” published in 1843. A story that follows Mr. William Legrand, a man of an ancient Huguenot family who found refuge on Sullivan’s Island where he was bitten by a bug of a brilliant-gold colour… or, was it real gold…?

But Sullivan’s Island didn’t forget Poe either; for all these years later, we can still walk along Poe Avenue, or Raven Drive, or even satisfy some of our basic needs with a hamburger and a beer, in Poe’s Tavern.

Poe’s Tavern @ Sullivan’s Island, SC

April 12th, 2018

Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island

The Humble FabulistLeave a comment

Where on June 28th, 1776, William Moultrie, commander of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment, and 400 soldiers, bravely fought off British warships trying to occupy Charleston during the American Revolution.

Where an 18-year-old Poe, enlisted in the Army under the pseudonym Edgar Allan Perry, was stationed for 13 months, until December 1828.

And where the water is so dangerous you must stay out of it, or be fined $1040 – not a penny more, not a penny less.

Fort Moultrie, Sullivan’s Island, SC

April 12th, 2018

Charleston || The Dock Street Theatre

The Humble FabulistLeave a comment

”On February 12, 1736 the Dock Street Theatre opened with a performance of The Recruiting Officer. Built on the corner of Church Street and Dock Street (now known as Queen Street), the Historic Dock Street Theatre was the first building in America built exclusively to be used for theatrical performances. Flora, the first opera performance in America, took place at the Historic Dock Street Theatre.”

In the mornings, when there is no show, you can walk inside, take a sit and enjoy the silence.

Dock Street Theatre – Charleston, SC

April 12th, 2018

Charleston || Perspectives

The Humble FabulistLeave a comment

Looking up, ahead and into the night. Charleston is always dressed to the nines.

An evening walk along Church Street and The Battery; grand mansions, gas lights, a classic car casually parked outside, feather bow ties. The iconic Hat Man on Church Street corner with 47 Broad Street. Look carefully: how many hats can you count?

Charleston, SC

April 11th, 2018

 

Bring Back the Large Coffee Cups

The Humble FabulistLeave a comment
*Resident Posting* on the bulletin board of my building’s website:

BRING BACK THE LARGE COFFEE CUPS – Please complain to building management

Friday, February 8, 2019 9:25:00 AM · in Topics > General

”Fellow residents,

To the huge disappointment to fellow coffee drinkers, the building management has decided to move to a meager 8oz cup to limit our consumption of coffee from the machine in the lounge. This is a critical bottleneck when we are trying to grab a cup of latte on the run, only to be limited to a meager 8oz beverage. I’ve asked them to bring back the larger cups but they have refused.

If you want the larger cups brought back, please complain directly to [name deleted for prevention of sanity].”

***

A great day to you, my friends, from the entitled and rightfully outraged residents, here at the top of the Hell’s Kitchen Towers!

PS: photo from the lovely cafe at the The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC

April 11th, 2018

Dude, did I hear you say Art…?

The Humble Fabulist1 Comment

A woman smoking a cigar (an absolute no-no in her time), a ”dude” throwing disapproving looks at her under his bowler hat, an innocent girl stoically enduring the scene, Joshua carrying a ram’s horn, all set to ”sound the trumpets of Jericho”, a faceless denture literally showing its teeth; they all seem to enjoy themselves, totally oblivious to a pair of cats silently judging one and all… 

A gallery of art that loves life – and the feeling is mutual…! Chalkware Cats, 1850-1900
Possibly made in Pennsylvania

Trust in God, ca. 1836
By Lorenzo Bartolini (1777-1850)
Marble

Dentist’s Trade Sign, ca. 1890
Tulip poplar and paint
Made in New England

In an era when the most common remedy for a toothache was extraction, this dentist’s trade sign promoted dentures as an aesthetically pleasing alternative to a mouth with missing teeth.

Girl of the Period, 1870-85
Possible by the workshop of Samuel Robb (1851-1928)
White pine and paint
Made in New York, New York

This sculpture is an example of what trade figure carvers called the ”Girl of the Period”. Sculptures such as this advertised tobacconist, milliner and dressmaker shops. Although it was taboo for women to smoke cigarettes in the 1880s, a sculpture of a stylish young woman holding a cigarette placed outside a tobacconist shop may have enticed male customers. It may have also appealed to progressive women.

Dude, 1885-1900
White pine and paint
Made in New York, New York

Carvers of trade figures often created caricatures of an urban type known as a ”Dude”. Stylish dudes of the late 1800s sported sizable moustaches and fashionable clothes. This dude is unique in comparison to others, because he appears careworn and lacks a broad smile. He may depict a portion of the American population that was now struggling despite previous success. As such, this quality makes this particular dude both an advertisement and a commentary on contemporary urban life.

Joshua at Jericho, 1950
By Willard Hirsch (1905-1982)
Red Oak

The Gibbes Museum of Art, Permanent Collection

Charleston, SC

April 11th, 2018