Charleston Currents

Features

NEW BOOK: Ever wonder where the Atlantic Ocean started?

According to old-time wags and natives who see Charleston as the epicenter of the world, the Atlantic Ocean actually starts in Charleston harbor at the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper rivers. (See Robert Ariail’s cartoon at right that’s the cover of the book.) The late U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings, born in the Holy City in 1922, often was heard saying, “Every great city has a great river. London has the Thames. New York has the Hudson. Washington has the Potomac. And Charleston, Andrew, Charleston has two great rivers — the Ashley and the Cooper — and that’s where the Atlantic Ocean starts.”

by Charleston Currents · 08/31/2020 · Comments are Disabled · Features, History

NEW BOOK: Learn about the palmetto flag, college’s impact and a big loss

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

by Charleston Currents · 08/24/2020 · Comments are Disabled · Features, History

NEW BOOK: More Charleston firsts

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.

by Charleston Currents · 08/17/2020 · Comments are Disabled · Features, History

NEW BOOK: Charleston firsts on golf, Black official, fire insurance

With this issue, we begin publishing excerpts from a soon-to-be-published book, 350 Facts About Charleston. As you may know, the Holy City is celebrating the 350th anniversary of its founding this year. The staff at our sister publication, the Charleston City Paper, compiled lots of interesting facts that we think you’ll find entertaining and compelling.

by Charleston Currents · 08/10/2020 · Comments are Disabled · Features, History

Halifax County, N.C., 1938. Public domain photo via Wikipedia.

PALMETTO POEM, Mungin: Jim Crow

By Horace Mungin, special to Charleston Currents

Jim Crow where truth can’t go

Jim Crow where freedom can’t fly

Jim Crow where light can’t shine

Jim Crow where Justice is denied

by Palmetto Poem · 07/13/2020 · Comments are Disabled · Features, Palmetto Poem

PALMETTO POEM: Praise

By Angelo Geter, special to Charleston Currents Today I will praise. I will praise the sun For showering its light On this darkened vessel. I will praise its shine. Praise the way it wraps My skin in ultraviolet ultimatums Demanding to be seen. I will lift my hands in adoration Of how something so bright Could be so heavy. I […]

by Andy Brack · 06/08/2020 · Comments are Disabled · Features, Palmetto Poem

Notre Dame burns in 2019, via Wikipedia.

POEM: Dresden’s Frauenkirche weeps for Notre-Dame de Paris

By Eugene Platt
“Paris horrified” hollers the headline
of my faraway city’s daily the day after
a wartime-like fire jolts the joie de vivre of spring
and ravages the regal Notre-Dame de Paris.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 02/17/2020 · Comments are Disabled · Features, Palmetto Poem

HISTORY: Barbecue

S.C. Encyclopedia | South Carolina barbecue is slowly cooked, hand-pulled or shredded pork that is flavored with a tangy sauce and usually served with side dishes such as rice, hash, coleslaw, sweet pickles, white bread, and iced tea. Barbecue often is served on festive occasions such as holidays, family reunions, weddings, church and community fundraisers, football tailgating parties, and political meetings. It varies widely across the state with respect to cooking methods, cuts of pork, sauce type, and side dishes served. Barbecue is often the topic of friendly debate since many South Carolinians have strong preferences for particular types that reflect the cultural character and identity of specific regions or places.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 11/04/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Features, S.C. Encyclopedia

Dozens of bouquets lined a sidewalk in 2015 after the shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

FOCUS, Campbell: Book on Emanuel shootings is important to read

A review by Reba Hull Campbell, special to Charleston Currents | Rarely does a book appeal to all my “reading” senses – well written, important message, compelling story and human connections. “Grace Will Lead Us Home” about the shootings at Emanuel A.M.E. Church was one of them.

Back in June, I listened to an interview on the SC Lede podcast on SC Public Radio with the author of the book, Jennifer Berry Hawes. She’s a reporter for The Post and Courier who witnessed first-hand many of the details surrounding this tragedy.

After hearing Hawes’ podcast, I knew I had to read the book. And I knew I had to buy it and not just borrow it from the library or listen on Audible. I had a feeling it would be one of those books I’d want to mark up and re-read.

Once I got started on the book, I just couldn’t stop. …

by Special to Charleston Currents · 08/05/2019 · 1 comment · Focus, Good news, Reviews