Church Photo in Lieu of Attendance - St. Michael's

St. Michael's Church, Meeting & Broad St., Charleston, SC

St. Michael’s Church is the oldest church edifice in the City of Charleston, standing on the site of the first Anglican Church built south of Virginia. In the 1680’s a small wooden church, the first in the new town of Charles Town, was built on this spot for the families of the Church of England, and named St. Philip’s. By 1727, the town had grown too large for the small church and a more spacious one was built of brick on Church Street, later destroyed by fire in 1835.By 1751, St. Philip’s had again proved too small for the increasing population, and another church was authorized by the General Assembly of the Province, to be built on the old site and to be known as St. Michael’s. The cornerstone was laid in 1752 and in 1761 the church was opened for services. Except for the addition of the sacristy in 1883 on the southeast corner, the structure of the building has been little changed.

It is simply too hot in Charleston. I need another weekend. Hope y'all have had a good one!

The garden of Charleston

Meeting St., Charleston, SC 

"Come quickly! I have found Heaven!"

Artist Alfred Hutty wrote to his wife from Charleston

1877 - 1954

Wisteria Hysteria

Wisteria blossoms, Meeting St., Charleston, SC 

I can't resist directing my morning walk towards this wisteria display on Meeting St. each year. It is one of the annual traditions I look forward to and would hate to miss. I've been busy lately and my Magnolia annual pass needs to be renewed but I made sure to enjoy some spring blossoms this morning.

Charleston Halloween Party in Progress

Halloween, Charleston, SC  

 I check on this house every year on my Halloween photo op rounds and it never fails to delight. Enjoy!

 

Wisteria Party

Wisteria blossoms, Charleston, SC   

There are pop-up wisteria parties all over the lowcountry at the moment and this display is one I always make a spring visit to on Meeting St. I believe I could stay there all day taking pictures of tourists in front of the wall of blossoms. Charleston is a garden at the moment. Enjoy!

Rooftop view - Central Station

Central Station, Meeting St., Charleston, SC 

I am late to the game keeping up with all of Charleston's new restaurants but was recently invited to a birthday brunch for my dear friend Andre in the rooftop restaurant of the Grand Bohemian Hotel. Most pictures I have seen from the hotel have been of people lounging in the outdoor terrace but it was too cold for that the day I was there. I did go out to see the view and reached my cell phone over to grab this shot of the fire stations on Wentworth and Meeting St. Researching more information I came across a wonderful directory of historic Charleston fire stations with the background information below: 

Wonderful directory of historic Charleston fire stations: 

Central Station: 262 Meeting Street
Built 1887-88
On August 31, 1886, the city of Charleston was struck by an earthquake. 2,000 buildings were damaged, and between 60 and 100 people were killed. Many fire stations were also damaged, the city built a trio of larger and more strategically located fire stations. The three buildings were each designed by Daniel G. Wayne and built by Colin M. Grant.
The largest of the three was a double "double house" that opened at the corner of Meeting and Wentworth Streets in 1888. Considered the most important station in the city, because of its central location and straight passage from each end of the city, the new station housed four steam engine companies when it opened. 
In 1900, a drill tower was built beside the station. The 70-foot structure was replaced in 1916, and closed in 1935.
Since  1976, Central Station has housed the Fire Chief's Office. It presently houses two engine companies, a Battalion Chief, an Assistant Chief, and several pieces of antique fire apparatus.
The outdoor pavilion, built on the site of an 1846 Artesian well, includes monuments to fallen Charleston firefighters, and the bell from the Cannon Street station watch tower. Mike Legeros photo.

Violators will be dealt with accordingly

Parking sign, Meeting St., SC  

These folks are exceptionally gracious about parking violations. "Violators will be dealt with accordingly". Hmmm. I wonder what accordingly is? I tend to collect No Parking signs. 

Lock it up!

Jantzen Lock & Safe, Meeting St., Charleston, SC   

People tend to look down when they pass Jantzen's Lock shop because random keys are embedded in the pavement. When you spot the first one you think it is a mistake and then you realize it is part of the decor.  The lock and safe shop has been in business for 150 years.

Jantzen Lock & Safe Company has been key-master locksmiths since 1864. With over 150 years of experience as a family-owned and -operated business, you can be sure that you are working with the most trusted locksmith in the region.When you need to change your locks or repair your safe, call Jantzen Lock & Safe Company. We're located in the historic part of downtown Charleston, South Carolina, at 276 Meeting Street. We're best known for our symbolic front sculpture, which contains hundreds of cement-embedded keys in the front sidewalk of our building. This attracts thousands of tourist each year.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Wentworth Fire Station, Meeting St., Charleston, SC   

If the dog is sleeping things must be calm at the fire station, right? It did make me do a little research on the connection between dalmatians and fire stations. This is what I learned.

Dalmatians: Because of the dog/horse bond, the dalmatian easily adapted to the firehouse in the days of horse-drawn fire wagons. Since every firehouse had a set of fast horses to pull the pumper, it became common for each group of firefighters to keep a dalmatian in the firehouse to guard the firehouse and horses. When the alarm came in, the dalmatian led the way for the horse-drawn pumper. In this way, the dalmatian became the firefighters' companion and a symbol of the fire service. Today, dalmatians are still found in many firehouses in England, Canada, and the United States.

Open season on wisteria photography

Wisteria, Meeting St., Charleston, SC   

It's like hunting season - open season on wisteria photography. We come home pleased if we've bagged a keeper shot. One of the prime locations is lower Meeting St. where the blossoms flow over a white fence. Glorious! Many thanks to the home owners. I would be happy if they put a tip jar out. I'd contribute a little each year to their maintenance costs.

The bottom photo is from another location on King St.

Meeting St.

Meeting St., Charleston, SC 

 

I posted this picture last night and then fell to sleep. Busy days, kids!

 

Every once and a while you just need a pretty Charleston picture because that is what we fell in love with in the first place, right?  

With the car or without?

Joseph Manigault House, Charleston, S.C.

I am torn about cars and people in my pictures. I usually wiggle around trying to get a shot without vehicles in it and yet I love to see them in old pictures. The vehicle style and period clothing help date photos. In my pictures people usually seem to be wearing baggy shorts and t-shirts and the cars don't seem to add any charm. Maybe they will matter years from now. What do y'all think?

This is the Joseph Manigault House which is one of the Charleston Museum tour homes. The web site gives a great pictoral tour of the mansion.

Charleston's Huguenot House: One of Charleston's most exquisite antebellum structures, the Joseph Manigault House, built in 1803, reflects the urban lifestyle of a wealthy, rice-planting family and the enslaved African Americans who lived there. An exceptional example of Federal period architecture, this elegant townhouse, a National Historic Landmark, was designed for Joseph Manigault by his brother Gabriel, who is also credited with designing Charleston’s current City Hall. A striking spiral staircase accents the impressive central hall, and many of the rooms are restored to their original color schemes.

G'night kids. It has been a busy day. I have my electric blanket turned on high for our coldest night of the year.

Church Photo in Lieu of Attendance - Second Presbyterian

Second Presbyterian, Charleston, S.C.

It has been a chilly weekend but the sun has had it's moments. At least we don't have snow like the rest of the country.

This is the Second Presbyterian Church in a photo taken in 1892. Look how the avenue of oak trees has grown and filled in over Wragg Square. It is a beautiful park and the foliage can make it difficult to get a good picture of the church.

The church, built in the Jeffersonian style is the fourth oldest church structure in the city. The brothers James and John Gordon were both the buildings and the architects. The church's steeple was not completed due to structural issues that developed in its tower. The church bell was given to the Confederacy in 1862 for use as cannon metal. Before the Civil War, the galleries were used by the church's more than 200 black members. The sanctuary was completely renovated after a fire in 1959. Situated on one of the highest points in the city, the church appeared on mariners' maps as "Flynn's Church," so called after the first pastor.

Remolding Jestine's Kitchen

Jestine's Kitchen, Meeting St., Charleston, S.C.

Jestine's Kitchen drew a lot of attention when it closed abruptly during the middle of the day leaving people to wonder what had happened and long time employees scrambling for jobs. Here is the scoop from the Post & Courier.

So, instead of seeing a long line wrapped around the corner yesterday I saw this sign in the window. I took the picture because I giggled at the use of "Remolding" instead of Remodeling. I assumed it was a typo but apparently not. You can remold a building.  Ya learn something every day.

Re`mold´    (rē`mōld´)

v. t.

1.

To mold or shape anew or again; to reshape.

Through the trees

Meeting St., Charleston, S.C.

With some of the leaves off the winter branches houses that are normally tucked away are more visible and all of sudden you see things a different way. Hello beautiful mansion!

So many people sick. Yikes. I've been washing my hands every few minutes, holding my breath after passing folks hacking and coughing in the hallways and avoiding crowds. What do you think about wearing a burka just for flu season? It would be like a full length mask, right? Stay healthy my friends. 

 

Christmas Elves hard at work in Charleston

Meeting & Tradd St., Charleston, S.C.

How perfect was it that I was walking up Meeting St. as this glorious house was being decorated? Perfect, perfect, perfect. This scene will be in a thousand photographs just as it is at Halloween but mine will be the first because I stood on the sidewalk with the owner of the property as she watched her elves adjust the hat designed by a sail maker for her house. What a gift of joy she gives to Charleston each year with the creative and original decorations. Thank you Rebekah!

Charleston Halloween

Meeting St., Charleston, S.C.

Every in Charleston has this picture. I love these people who go to all this trouble to delight me. They did the same scene last year so now we look forward to it.

It's been a lovely day today after all the rain yesterday. I am watching Hurricane Sandy as it gets closer and closer to the coast and it is making me almost as nervous as if it was heading towards us. Hang in there folks. Stay as safe as you can.

Ride 'em Charleston!

Meeting St., Charleston, S.C.

Clearly I can have waaaaay too much fun by myself with a $5 plastic toy from the market. Tourists thought I was nuts posing my little plastic soldier for photographs as he insisted on galloping around Charleston.

The first shot is in from of the Market building from Meeting St. and the second is in front of the powder magazine. I couldn't prop him on top of curved parking meters so I had to keep my eye out for newspaper boxes and there aren't too many of those. Goofy fun.

The Hump Bar - Get Over It

The Hump Bar, Meeting St. Road, Charleston, S.C.

Shall we meet for a drink at The Hump Bar?

Get over it, because it isn't a real bar. It is a set for the series Army Wives. In between seasons the windows get boarded over and it looks abandoned but right now flowers are blooming and it would be easy to imagine cars pulling up expecting it to be open rather than the facade that it is. Interior shots are filmed somewhere else entirely. No drinks for you :(. Sorry.

Sunset on Meeting St.

Meeting St., Charleston, S.C.

I admit I didn't take it this evening since it is raining at the moment. This was Thursday evening when the light was so pretty.

These famous paintings improved by cats cracked me up: Famous Paintings Improved By Cats

Need to get your business online - for free? Google is sponsoring a one day workshop on Tuesday at Memminger Auditorium. Get the info here: americagetonline.com/south-carolina

Eugene reviewed the new Heart Woodfire Kitchen on James Island.  Eugene always makes me hungry.

An Apology for My Twenties by a gentleman blogger in his thirties.

Wow. A couple of big new apartment complexes planned for Charleston. I'd better go take some "before" pictures quick.

Did everyone go get wild at the Southeastern Wildlife Exhibition today? I walked through Marion Square so early they actually asked me to leave the tents since they were still setting up. Oooops.