Many people are surprised to learn that the Declaration of Independence was not signed on July 4, 1776, by the 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress, made up of Patriotic representatives from the 13 colonies. The document was initially presented to the...
Listen to Rick Hatcher, author of Thunder in the Harbor, a new history on Fort Sumter in the Civil War, discuss his book with the Friends of Charleston National Park. Rick was the Historian of Fort Sumter from 1992 until his retirement in 2015 and was inspired to...
The week of July 10-18, 1863, was among some of the bloodiest days in Charleston’s history: the Civil War battles of Battery Wagner, fought on the southern tip of Morris Island. This battery was a vital target for the Union Army, for the key to taking Charleston was...
Charleston’s Mosquito Fleet was a group of hardy African-American men who, for nearly two centuries, braved the winds, waves, and weather to supply city residents with fresh fish and seafood each morning. Seeing them sail into the harbor with a day’s catch was one of...
When it comes to the life and trial of Denmark Vesey, about the only thing most people agree on is that little about him is actually known, though much is rumored or alleged. Still, “[t]he Vesey affair, though failed,” opined Converse College Professor William I....
