NEW BOOK: More Charleston firsts

Here are three more factual snippets from the new book, 350 Facts About Charleston:

Nation’s first historic zoning district

Ever wonder why so much of old downtown Charleston is preserved?  It’s because the Charleston City Council established the nation’s first historic zoning district on Oct. 13, 1931, when it created the “Old and Historic District” as well as a Board of Architectural Review, which continues to serve as an authority on new projects in an effort to preserve and protect historic neighborhoods. “Today, there are more than 2,000 restored old buildings, many having tiered porches called piazzas lining narrow brick alleys, cobblestone streets and walled courtyard gardens. These architectural treasures dating from the 1600s to the Civil War have been preserved and restored under the leadership of the Preservation Society of Charleston,” according to a 1989 story in The Los Angeles Times.

First paid woman artist in America

Henrietta de Beaulieu Dering Johnston (ca. 1674-1729) was the first professional woman artist in America.  Born into a Huguenot family that moved to London in 1687, it is unknown how she learned to paint portraits, although they are in the style of a popular English artist of the time.  She and her second husband, the Rev. Gideon Johnston, moved to Charleston in 1708 after he was appointed bishop’s commissary in South Carolina by the Bishop of London.  Compared to earlier works, her portraits in America “are lighter, simpler, and smaller, indicative of the preciousness of her materials, all of which had to be imported. … Each sitter’s posture is erect, with the head turned slightly toward the viewer.  Typically, large oval eyes dominate the subject’s face.” About 40 portraits remain.  The Gibbes Museum in Charleston has 10, the largest collection of her work.

Oldest public gardens — and first Charleston tourist destination

Magnolia Plantation, founded by the Drayton family in the 1670s, is the oldest plantation on the Ashley River.  It also “has earned the distinction as the oldest public garden in the United States,” according to Explore Charleston.  “The Rev. John Grimké Drayton expanded the gardens in the 1840s, opening them three decades later to steamboat passengers. As a result, Magnolia also enjoys being Charleston’s first tourist destination.”  In 2019, the attraction hosted “Lights of Magnolia,” a Chinese lantern festival illuminating the gardens for the first time in its history.

350 Facts About Charleston, a new book of historical facts commemorating the 350th anniversary of the city of Charleston, will be available in print in mid-September.  Published by the staff of sister publication, Charleston City Paper, you can pre-order a copy today.

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