Charleston, South Carolina

A street in the French Quarter

We went to Charleston three times while staying in the campground at Walterboro. What a marvelous old city. We did the Volksmarch, of course. We meandered in and out of the streets (and an alley or two) of the historic district from the visitor’s center all the way to the battery. The Visitor’s Center, by the way, is a fabulously restored train station.

Charleston Visitor Center

At the Pink House, which is an art gallery now, the artist who was “on duty” at the time of our visit allowed us to see the entire house and gave us our own personal tour. Awesome.

The Pink House

College of Charleston

On another day we went to Fort Sumter. I was much more impressed the first time I went there some 25 years ago. This time I was struck mostly by the immense waste of money for the facility. Built as a defense of the city following the War of 1812, construction wasn’t even completed before the Confederates took over. The Union’s attempts to recapture the fort only resulted in its near destruction. Following the Civil War, the Federal government tried to restore what they had destroyed. It eventually became a tourist attraction.

Fort Sumter

Our third trip to the city was for seafood, which we got at Hyman’s Seafood Restaurant. It certainly deserves its reputation as the best seafood in the southeast (a distinction given by Southern Living Magazine). We went in for lunch and were not disappointed.

Before lunch we had enough time to pay a quick visit to Charles Pinckney House. It is a National Park Unit, but the original house of Charles Pinckney, signer of the Constitution, had been destroyed by fire. It is a little disappointing when the real thing is not there; however, the displays, historical artifacts, and short film were all worth while.

Historic Walterboro, South Carolina

When I think of historic towns, often places like Savannah, Charleston, or Jamestown come to mind. Certainly, these are historic places and worthy of our attention. However, there are other places worth exploring for their historic and/or architectural significance. The small town of Walterboro, South Carolina is one such place.

Fripp Fishburne Hiott House

Church of the Atonement

Walterboro was founded by Paul and Jacob Walter in 1784 and the town folk are very proud of their heritage. The Walterboro-Colleton County Chamber of Commerce has done an outstanding job of mapping out a 3-mile self-guided walking tour and publishing a small “guidebook” with extensive descriptions of homes, churches, and other sites along the route. If you are into old churches, there are several along the route. If your thing is architecture, then you won’t be disappointed with examples of lowcountry federal, Colonial Revival, Art Deco, Gothic, Greek Revival, and Neo-gothic styles.

There are two distinct historic districts in Walterboro. The walk, which begins at the South Carolina Artisans Center, passes first through the Hickory Valley area which is located near the original village. Many of the buildings in this area were built in the early 1820s, 30s, and 40s. As was typical of that time and even today, the original house had second stories, piazzas, or even columns added over time. Many buildings were completely or partially destroyed by a cyclone in 1879 and rebuilt, in some cases salvaging doors or windows from other destroyed buildings in the area. The end result of these additions and restorations may be more charming than the original. Of course, gracing it all are azaleas, camellias, and the majestic live oaks.

Colleton County Courthouse

The second historic area is the business district of old Walterboro. In this area, in addition to churches and homes, are schools, government buildings, and the downtown shopping district. City Hall was originally built in 1940 as part of the WPA project. It too has been remodeled and expanded. Perhaps the most distinctive building on the tour is the old jail. The Colleton Museum and Chamber of Commerce occupy this building that looks like an old castle.

Our feet were tired from this little tour, so we stopped in a small bookstore with a coffee bar for a cup of java. On down the street is Hiott’s Pharmacy which features an old fashion soda fountain and a lunch counter. The downtown shopping district is comprised of several antique stores as well as a bookstore and a restaurant.

We took a few minutes at the beginning of your walk to browse the collection of fabulous hand-crafted items in the SC Artisans Center. It is in places like this that I often find that special souvenir I’ve been looking for. In your travels, don’t neglect “Small Town”, USA. Sometimes they are the real treasures of an area.

King's Mountain National Battlefield

South Carolina has its share of battlefields, both Revolutionary and Civil Wars. We spent a cold, rainy day at King’s Mountain National Military Park and a sunny, but very windy day at Cowpens National Battlefield. Both were very interesting (if you are into the Revolutionary War) and had self-guided walking tours of the battlefield.

Gene reading one of the many interpretative panels along the trail.

King’s Mountain is a winner. The facilities and exhibits were all modern and attractive on our visit. The battlefield is small enough to understand the action of 1780. A one and a half mile paved trail around and through the battlefield is easy enough for most.

Picnicking and camping are available nearby in Kings Mountain State Park. The state park also has both horse and hiking trails. The hiking trail loops through the national park as well, forming a loop of over 16 miles.

For a moderate leg stretcher, try the walk to Brown’s Mtn. Register and get the map at the visitor center. A 5 mile round trip on woodland trails, it is an easy out-and-back hike to a high knob overlooking the valley at the edge of the escarpment.

The American Volkssports Association has a local chapter (Tarheel State Walkers Volkssport Assn.) that sponsors a Year Round Event (YRE) at the national park. It is a 10 kilometer walk that includes Brown’s Mtn. and the battlefield walks. Ask for the Walk Box at the Visitor Center. Non-credit AVA walks are free.

Allow 2 hours minimum for the visitor center and battlefield walk.

This Park is worth a visit.