Charleston Currents #13.07 | Dec. 14, 2020
VIEW FROM JAMES ISLAND. Charleston’s Marvin Jones took this photo of the Charleston peninsula recently from James Island to highlight the beauty of the region. Thanks, Marvin!
FOCUS: Charleston has rich, eclectic history in past Decembers
COMMENTARY, Brack: Beasley sets great S.C. example for world to see
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Morris Financial Concepts
NEWS BRIEFS: RiverDogs have a new Major League partner
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
MYSTERY PHOTO: Interesting Lowcountry plant
CALENDAR: Charleston Restaurant Week is back in January
Charleston has rich, eclectic history in past Decembers
Image from an 1878 book of the Best Friend of Charleston. Via Wikipedia.
Staff reports | Our handy little book about Charleston-area history, the aptly-named 350 Facts About Charleston, includes lots of cool stuff about happenings during the holiday season.
- Book is a perfect holiday stocking stuffer. Order online today or ask your local bookseller.
Here’s an eclectic mix of Charleston’s history and trivia to enjoy:
Nation’s first passenger rail service started on Christmas in 1830
The Best Friend of Charleston was a steam-powered locomotive that powered the nation’s first passenger rail service following an inaugural run on Dec. 25, 1830, on a six-mile route starting in Charleston. Ironically, the Best Friend also became another first — the first locomotive to experience a boiler explosion in an accident on June 17, 1831. Rail service continued with another locomotive with what became a 136-mile-long route to Hamburg, S.C., then the world’s longest continuous railroad. A 1928 replica of the locomotive is on display at the Best Friend Train Museum, 23 Ann St..
December 1860: South Carolina is the first state to secede
Just after 9 p.m. on Dec. 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the United States in South Carolina Institute Hall after a “Convention of the People,” called by the General Assembly, in St. Andrew’s Hall on Broad Street. The original convention was meant to be held in Columbia, but fears of a smallpox outbreak led the 169 delegates to move the meeting to Charleston. Posters entitled “The Union is Dissolved,” flooded the streets and joyful crowds celebrated after the decision.
One year later: Fire destroys 575 homes in downtown Charleston
Two years before the Union bombardment of Charleston began and eight months after the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter, fire ravaged the city. The conflagration began Dec. 11, 1861, at the intersection of East Bay and Hasell streets. Fourteen houses on Queen Street were destroyed to create a fire block and save the Marine and Roper hospitals, the Medical College and the Roman Catholic Orphan House. The fire burned itself out by noon Dec. 12, 1861, after it had consumed 540 acres, 575 homes, five churches and numerous businesses. The fire is considered the worst in the city’s history.
When Charleston didn’t become a Christmas gift
During the American Civil War, there was one name that struck fear in the hearts of Southerners across the Confederacy: William Tecumseh Sherman. The Union general led his troops out of what remained of Atlanta on Nov. 16, 1864, and rumor had it that he was headed toward Charleston on what became known as the March to the Sea. In truth, the only thing anyone knew for sure was that he was marching toward the ocean, but locals in the Lowcountry assumed that the Holy City was his target because the first shots of the Civil War were fired here. As it happened, Sherman made it to Savannah, which he “gave” to President Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas present in 1864. His forces then headed north to Columbia, leaving Charleston to fate.
Charleston’s only world fair started in December 1901
The city of Charleston hosted the only world’s fair in the history of South Carolina from December 1901 to May 1902. The South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition, also known as the Charleston Exposition, attracted 675,000 people to the Cotton Palace. The palace and many of the other structures built for the expo no longer stand. The only buildings that remain are a bandstand at Hampton Park and Lowndes Grove, which was the exposition’s Women’s building. The regional trade show was held on 250 acres of land that is now home to The Citadel and Hampton Park. Famous visitors during this time included President Theodore Roosevelt and inventor and businessman Thomas A. Edison, who took panoramic video of the expo, now available through the Library of Congress.
Youtube’s Angry Grandpa died in December 2017 in Charleston
Charles Marvin Green Jr., better known as Angry Grandpa, was an American internet personality before his death in December 2017 due to cirrhosis of the liver. The West Ashley resident’s YouTube channel, “TheAngryGrandpaShow,” was just shy of 4.5 million subscribers in 2020, and his videos have been featured on Dr. Drew, TruTV’s Most Shocking, Rude Tube and MTV’s Pranked. The channel is still being updated, and more previously-filmed but unreleased videos of AGP were still being uploaded as recently as May 2, 2020. The content was filmed previously and had yet to be released.
Sixth of White’s Tradd Street series was about Christmas
Born May 30, 1964, in Tulsa, Okla., Karen White grew up in London and now lives with her husband near Atlanta. She is known for her Tradd Street mystery series, which is based in Charleston. This first book in the series, The House on Tradd Street, was published in 2008. There are six books in the series, the most recent being The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street, published in 2019.
Writers Lindsay Street, Skyler Baldwin and Andy Brack contributed to this story. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@charlestoncurrents.com
Beasley sets great S.C. example for world to see
Beasley. Photo: WFP/Rein Skullerud.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | All South Carolinians should be proud of the display of leadership and the example set by former Gov. David Beasley when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the United Nations World Food Programme.
“Waking up in this wealthy, modern, technologically advanced world, it’s hard to imagine us going through a famine like that,” Beasley said during a Thursday ceremony in Rome. “But my tragic duty today is to tell you: Famine is at humanity’s doorstep. For millions and millions of people on earth. Failure to prevent famine in our day will destroy so many lives and cause the fall of much we hold dear.”
Beasley, 63, served as South Carolina’s governor from 1995 to 1999. Eighteen years later, after a business career mixed with missionary work, he became the executive director of the WFP, the world’s largest humanitarian agency. It helps 100 million people in 88 countries to battle hunger every year.
In the past, we’ve described Beasley as the Palmetto State’s version of Jimmy Carter for serving as a leader making a larger difference on the world stage after years in public office.
“All of the darkness of the world can’t put out the smile on a face,” Beasley told us in 2017 just months after taking the job that jets him from hunger-sapped country to European capitals in search of funding to help more people. “This job brings humanity down to the core level. When you see a hungry person, you don’t see a Democrat or a Republican, a black or white. You see a brother or sister who is struggling to survive. That transcends politics. All you want to do is help them.”
On Thursday, Beasley reinforced the WFP’s humanitarian mission by representing 19,000 people who work to alleviate hunger across the world.
“Thank you for acknowledging our work of using food to combat hunger, to mitigate against destabilization of nations, to prevent mass migration, to end conflict and… to create stability and peace,” he said in Rome. “We believe food is the pathway to peace.”
Lisa Pelletti Clark Co-President, International Peace Bureau Nobel Peace Laureate 1910 ,delivered the prize to Beasley on behalf of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee. Photo: WFP/Rein Skullerud
Unfortunately, there’s much more work in the business he and his colleagues are in. Some 600 million people go to bed hungry every night, he said. Of those, 270 million are “marching toward starvation” and 30 million — more than everyone who lives in Texas — depend on the U.N. program for 100 percent of their survival.
In his acceptance speech, Beasley recalled the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
“Like Dr. King, from a very young age, I learned this teaching from Jesus of Nazareth, as he taught from the Torah: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’” Beasley said. “I have come to understand that a better translation of what Jesus actually said was ‘Love your neighbor as your equal. Think for a moment what that really means.
“Imagine every woman, man, girl and boy we share this planet with is our equal and if we would just love them as such. Imagine what that would do to war, to conflict, to racism, to division, and to discrimination of every kind.”
He said he is heartened because his agency helped “100 million of my equals – my neighbors” stay alive and avert famine.
“What tears me up inside is this: this coming year, millions and millions and millions of my equals – my neighbors, your neighbors – are marching to the brink of starvation.”
Pathways to avert hunger is fueled by money from wealth, which continued to grow by trillions of dollars as the world reeled from the coronavirus pandemic. He said another $5 billion would save 30 million people from famine.
“’I don’t go to bed at night thinking about the children we saved. I go to bed weeping over the children we could not save. And, when we don’t have enough money, nor the access we need, we have to decide which children eat and which children do not eat, which children live, which children die….
“In the spirit of Alfred Nobel, as inscribed on this medal – ‘peace and brotherhood’ – let’s feed them all.”
Thank you, governor, for reminding us about the fragility of humanity around the world during this season of giving. Keep up the great work.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Charleston Currents, and publisher of the Charleston City Paper. Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
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RiverDogs have a new Major League partner
By Skyler Baldwin, Charleston City Paper | The Charleston RiverDogs announced a player development contract Tuesday with the Tampa Bay Rays, a team with a history of cultivating major league talent like Josh Hamilton, Carl Crawford, Roccol Baldelli and Delmon Young.
“The RiverDogs are thrilled to welcome home the defending American League Champion Rays,” Jeff Goldklang, president of the RiverDogs’ ownership group, said in a press release. “The quality of prospects and on-field success of their farm teams is unmatched, and we can’t wait for our fans and partners to enjoy the Rays experience.”
The two have been linked in the past, before the RiverDogs signed on with the New York Yankees. That partnership, however, ended in November this year, opening the two up for a new opportunity to work together after the 1997-2004 deal.
The Rays are one of Major League Baseball’s most dynamic franchises, according to a press release from the RiverDogs, known for consistent on-field excellence. The club’s focus on player development is considered the gold standard in Major League Baseball.
The new agreement is a part of sweeping minor league changes that include slashing between 25 and 33 percent of teams below Class A level to cut costs and trim travel schedules in light of hardships brought on by the pandemic.
RiverDogs fans can still expect the same entertainment at the Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park according to a press release, despite the change in partnership. Fan-favorite promotions like dog days, $1 beers, Segra Club events and more aren’t going anywhere.
Also in recent news from staff reports:
Griffin removed from city commission after apology over rally. Charleston City Councilman Harry Griffin was removed last week from a city committee charged with eradicating institutional racism after he issued an apology over involvement with a Dec. 5 rally attended by the Proud Boys, a nationwide hate group. In a joint announcement Friday, Councilmen William Dudley Gregorie and Jason Sakran, who co-chair the city’s Commission on Equity, Inclusion and Racial Conciliation, did not mention the rally specifically. The decision to remove Griffin, they said, was made to ensure the group “is able to complete its work without further distractions.” Griffin has said that after initial discussions with organizers, he withdrew his participation before the event and did not attend. Read the full story from the Charleston City Paper.
PSC flexes muscle by rejecting Dominion plan. The S.C. Public Service Commission (PSC) on Wednesday sent Dominion Energy back to the drawing board in what is being interpreted as a new spirit of oversight, Rodney Welch reported Friday in Statehouse Report. Under the 2019-passed Energy Freedom Act, the state’s electric utilities were required to make a three-year Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for managing future growth and to explore adopting sources of renewable energy and solar expansion. Read the full story, which one environmentalist calls a “bold move” for the reconstituted PSC, now comprised of members with two years or less experience. Read the full story.
Law school ranked nationally. The Princeton Review recently ranked Charleston School of Law as the nation’s 8th-top law school in the nation with the greatest resources for women. The ranking, based on student answers to a survey question on whether all students are afforded equal treatment by students and faculty regardless of their gender, also took into account the school’s demographics. Charleston School of Law is 57 percent female and 44 percent male, according to a press release.
NEW CRANES. These 15 rubber-tired gantry cranes arrived in North Charleston last week from China marking the most rubber-tired gantry cranes loaded by ZPMC onto one vessel bound for the United States. The cranes, now at home at the new Leatherman Terminal container yard, are part of a build-up for the new terminal that opens next year when Charleston starts routinely handling the world’s largest container shops. Photo via S.C. Ports by English Purcell.
Port shows continued strength. SC Ports handled 207,066 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) at Wando Welch and North Charleston container terminals in November, up 12 percent year-over-year. SC Ports has handled more than 1 million TEUs thus far in fiscal year 2021, which began July 1. “SC Ports had a truly remarkable month with a record November for containers handled, as well as impressive results in our vehicles and inland ports segments,” SC Ports President and CEO Jim Newsome said. “We also recently celebrated Walmart breaking ground on its near-port, 3-million-square-foot import distribution center in Ridgeville, S.C., which will boost port volumes by 5 percent once it is operational.”
Unemployment benefits set to expire for over 100,000 S.C. residents. An initial wave of roughly 24,000 people losing financial aid by the end of thee this week is expected as part of the expiration of unemployment benefits for more than 100,000 by the end of the year. More: The Post and Courier.
State’s high court affirms decision against governor’s aid spending. In a unanimous affirmation, the S.C. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that spending $32 million in federal coronavirus relief to provide tuition grants for private schools is against the state’s constitution. It was the second time the court has rebuked the move. More
First Black U.S. House member commemorated in exhibit. Joseph Rainey represented South Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1870s. He was the body’s first Black member. This year marks the 150th year of Black representatives in the House, and Rainey has been commemorated in a congressional exhibit. More: The Post and Courier
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Interesting Lowcountry plant
Here’s an interesting Lowcountry plant because it is reportedly the only one in North America with this characteristic. What is the plant and what is the characteristic? Send to editor@charlestoncurrents.com. And don’t forget to include your name and the town in which you live.
Our previous Mystery Photo
Our Dec. 7 photo, “Hers, not his,” showed a sign for a West Ashley grocery store, Doscher’s, that was missing a few letters. But lots of readers — including several who had never before guessed a mystery photo — identified the stores, which is next to Whole Foods on Savannah Highway. One person even wrote that it was her favorite place to buy chicken feet!
Congratulations to those who identified the store: Chris Brooks of Mount Pleasant; Jay Altman of Columbia; Bruce Jayne of Saluda, N.C.; Joe Mendelsohn, Colette Wilkerson, Christopher Gilliard, Jeanette Burton and Sharon Shaw, all of Charleston; Barry Shear, Marian Greely, Bobby Thomas and Jama Tuck, all of West Ashley; Opal Moorehead of James Island; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Joan Simocat of North Charleston; Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas; Marnie Huger of Richmond, Va.; Bill Segars of Hartsville; and Darren Spencer.
Peel, after apparently looking at historical pictures of the sign, correctly concluded that the first four letters of the sign were knocked off after a wind event earlier this year: “While I cannot be 100 percent certain as to when this photo was taken, it was most likely shot sometime after one of the last major storms to hit the area on May 20, 2020.”
Segars saw the funny side of the sign: “I wish that this grocery store was near me. When my wife and I got married 41 years ago, one of the few rules that I laid down was ‘I don’t go to the grocery store, I’ll pay for groceries, but I don’t go get them.’ Well you can imagine how long that rule stood. Until our first child came, which were twins. Debbie then told me that if I wanted to eat, she’d suggest that I’d pay for the groceries and go get them. The twins are grown and gone and I still know my way around the grocery store. But if I had one named ‘Hers,’ I could at least try my rule again, probably with the same results.”
- Send us a mystery: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send it along to editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
Charleston Restaurant Week set for Jan. 7-17
Staff reports | Charleston Restaurant Week — a period when diners can get special deals at restaurants all over town — is scheduled to return on Jan 7 for 10 days.
This culinary dream, executed by Explore Charleston, is one of the most highly anticipated culinary events in the Charleston area,” according to the visitors’ bureau website. “It is an opportunity to enjoy the world-renowned cuisine of the Lowcountry as participating restaurants offer prix fixe lunch and dinner menus.”
More than a dozen area restaurants are participating so far. More are expected.
Also on the calendar:
Free parking in Charleston. From now until Jan. 1, 2021, the city is providing two hours of free parking downtown with this year’s Holiday Magic in Historic Charleston parking voucher. Download the voucher.
Virtual HoLiDaY: Noon to 3 p.m., Dec. 20. Holy City Vintage Market will offer a virtual holiday market on Instagram @holycityvintagemarket. Shop vintage galore and more from a dozen vendors, safely from the warmth of your home. How it works: We’ll repost items for sale in our IG story from noon until 3 p.m. Customers can click through to the original seller to purchase items and set up contact-free pickup or postage. (The HCVM does not sell anything; we are merely facilitating the market.) Questions: holycityvtg@gmail.com
Two exhibits in one: Through Dec. 31, City of North Charleston’s Park Circle Gallery. North Charleston photographer Dawnita Hall’s exhibit, Signs of Life, is a series of nine metallic print photographs of found signs and lettering. More: DawnitaHall.com. Painter Susan Irish of Charleston offers a series of abstract impressionist, mixed-media paintings with color palettes and compositions inspired by nature In her exhibit, I See You in My Garden. Free. More: SusanIrishArtist.com. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays to Fridays, and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
Holiday Festival of Lights: Through Dec. 31, 2020. The annual event, now in its 31st year, opens Nov. 13 and will offer a dazzling array of displays and about 2 million lights at James Island County Park. The festival will be open every evening nightly from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. You can take a heartwarming cruise along the three-mile display of glimmering lights with your closest companions. The driving tour features over 700 light displays, most of which were created in-house by park staff. For details, visit HolidayFestivalofLights.com.
- If you have any online events, drop us a line (editor@charlestoncurrents.com) and make sure to put “Online event” in the subject line. Similarly, if you’ve got cool ideas for stuff to do while in isolation at home, send them our way.
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As more people stay home to deal with the coronavirus crisis, people are looking for things to do. You can find some fun things to do online in our calendar section below, but let us also encourage you to FORWARD your issue of Charleston Currents to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. It’s got a great price, as you know: Free! We hope they’ll enjoy our coverage.
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