Historic Charleston, South Carolina October 18, 1999
The Old South is a place of tradition and gentility. We decided to treat ourselves and stayed at a B&B in the historic part of Charleston. Here the streets are narrow, as are the sidewalks. Some of the trees are so old that their large exposed roots preclude having a sidewalk. There are hidden little alleyways covered with greenery, and brick-laid streets. The numerous old churches are still in use, some with small adjacent graveyards full of overgrown monuments.
Charleston has two thousand old homes, some from the days before the American Revolution, others from the antebellum South. Most of these are now shops, lawyer’s offices, or homes of the well-to do. Although many of the homeowners are from the South, nowadays quite a few have translocated from the North.
Renovation is a way of life in Charleston. It is driven by a determined obsession for keeping touch with the city’s roots and the periodic destruction that inevitably results from Charleston’s location in hurricane alley. Hugo devastated the town 10 years ago, Hurricane Floyd forced an evacuation a month ago, and we left town during the wee hours to avoid Hurricane Irene. (Yes, we paid our bill.) The city sets strict limits on what can be done to houses in the historic district. For the most part that means not much. The architecture can’t be modified. The windows can’t be upgraded. On some streets even the paint colors can’t be changed. You can still see homes where the windowpanes are made of wavy (old) glass, and the surrounding wooden window frames have been repaired and repainted over and over again.
There are some large old estate homes. Nowadays these are being sub-divided into condos. But most of the houses are long and narrow, 2-story, one-room-wide structures that sit cheek to cheek with their neighbors right at the street’s edge. Behind or to the side we looked for the mostly-hidden, little gardens. We peeked through old wrought iron gates into these quiet places. Some houses had side porches; they were designed to catch the ocean breezes on summer days.
Billy and Francis Platts, who gave us the grand tour, live in the heart of old Charleston in a 4-story structure that has been split into 30 condos. It used to be a school, and Billy’s brother went there over 50 years ago. Billy (and his mom) were born just a few blocks away. The condo’s ceilings are 13 ft high. The floors are old-style 8’’ wide, aged wooden planks. Their place was decorated with scenes of old Charleston, art by Charlestonians, and books about Charleston or the South. It’s clear that the Platts love Charleston.
In his youth, Billy was enrolled at the Citadel, just a little ways down the road. In this town, being a Citadel cadet meant meeting the right people and making important connections. They know (and know about) most of Charleston’s famous citizens. Actually, keeping up on local "gossip" is an important and fun aspect life in Charleston. Today the Platts volunteer at both the Gibbes Art Museum (well worth a visit) and the historic Huguenot church in historic Charleston. They are a part of old Charleston, and they have demonstrated the graciousness of Southern hospitality to us.
The rest of our U.S. trip this year will be through the South as we head from here to Houston. So... Y’all take care now, ya’hear.