Friday night was party time, in celebration of mama's birthday. Worth and Karen joined us, we cooked oysters. Too much recent rain made the oysters not-so-tasty, and the rain Friday night chased us in to the porch from the deck, but it was fun, and even an ordinary oyster is better than none at all! Martha and Billy came by, briefly, and it will be fun to see the pictures Martha took. Mostly of the piles of oysters on the table, waiting to be shucked!
Stuart and I finally got on the road Monday morning, Joe was waving good-bye from the porch. It is a good feeling, to know that he is there while we're gone. And, he's looking forward to some winter beach time.
Stuart found that the James Island County Park, just south of Charleston, SC has a light festival right now. We discovered James Island several years ago, when we stayed there on our way back home. It's a nicely run county park, even though we're not interested in the water park and stuff, we liked the hiking trails and the climbing wall. And, they run a shuttle service from the part to downtown, making parking a non-issue. The campsites are wooded, and far enough apart to make it feel spacious, it's off the highway and there are full hook-ups. So, even though it's not really on the way to the gulf coast from home, we headed for Charleston. And, we will eat at our fav restaurant, Five Loaves! Cloudy day, but no rain. Just about the time we got to Mt. Pleasant, the sun came out, and we found a rock 'n roll station on the radio. As we crossed the beautiful Coooper River Bridge, the sun was making the water sparkle, traffic was light, and ZZ Top was singing, "Jesus just left Chicago, on his way to New Orleans" on the radio. I think we have a good beginning for the trip.
I'm reading Slaves in the Family, by Edward Ball. It's the story of fortunes made, and family connections to the plantation lifestyle of the late 1600's. Elias Ball arrived here from England, and immediately began trading slaves and building a plantation. Most of the plantations are in the area between the East and West Cooper River, the first was Comingtee Plantation. The area is now rural, with gates closing off dirt roads that lead down paths closed off by woods, or long, wide drives lined with centuries-old oak trees. There was no farming that we could see. We found the entrance to Rice Hope Plantation, Kensington, Hyde Park, Silk Hope and others. Some are private homes now, and I don't know how many original houses still stand. The land close to Mt. Pleasant is being gobbled up by bulldoziers, gated housing developments are leaking from Mt. Pleasant, but the more remote property is eeriely off-limits to the casual observer. We stumbled on Childsbury Towne, at the Strawberry Ferry, close to Comingtee Plantation. There, we found a 400 year old Episcopal Church, surrounded by a cemetery. Vandals had apparently caused the church and graveyard to be fenced and locked. Too bad, I would like to have read some of the tombstones. The town didn't survive long, ever-successful local plantations spelled the decline of the town almost immediately. The ferry, however, was put to good use, hauling crops and goods downriver to Charletston. The river was an easier trip in those days, the roads were either non-existant or non-passable. We did walk down to the river, to the old ferry landing. It's now a State historic site. This is the church, from outside the fence. I read that it's still used three times a year for services. It's called the Chapel of Ease.
We found the entrance to Limerick Plantation, one of the largest of the Ball family plantations. We drove to the house, which is new, sitting on a ridge close to the river. There is nothing here open to the public, so we quickly turned around and left.
Rice, indigo, cotton, naval stores and lumber were shipped out of here, but the quiet money maker was native slaves. Native americans kidnapped and shipped to Barbados and back to England, and Africans, mostly from Angola, were shipped in. Charleston rivaled northern cities like Philadelphia for the sale of humans to other humans. Little remains to document those days, except a few plantations like Boone Hall and Middlebury. Boone Hall is trying to grow some sweet grass, which some local women use for the beautiful baskets sold along the roadside and at the market downtown.
Part of Comingtee Plantation is now, apparently, a big hunting club. The rest is privately owned lots along the river, mixed styles of houses enjoying the giant live oaks and river views. There is even a bed and breakfast not far from Cordesville. And, you need a GPS to find Cordesville!
Stuart and Karen, at Strawberry Ferry Landing, Berkeley County, SC
We stopped at Mepkin Abbey, but the rain prevented us from seeing the gardens there. Trappist monks keep gardens for the public, and grow mushrooms to support themselves. Another trip....it sure was pretty, what we could see from the truck in the rain. Lunch at Brown's Bar-be-que in Monck's Corner, and back to the campground. Cold, rainy day. Sounds dreary, but it was an interesting day!
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