From Georgia, we headed northeast into South Carolina. After a brief stop for lunch on Jekyll Island, we reached Colleton State Park in Walterboro, SC, our address for the week. Colleton State Park is just an hour from Charleston, Beaufort, and Savannah, making it convenient for exploring the area.
Our Bible study friends recommended stopping in Beaufort and we were glad they did. This little city is filled with picturesque homes and Civil War history. We stopped by the Reconstruction Era National Park. There we learned about Robert Smalls, a heroic figure who overcame his circumstances.
Robert was born a slave to the McKee family who lived at 511 Prince Street in Beaufort. By the time he was 13, he was working aboard boats in the Charleston Harbor. When the Civil War started, Robert piloted the CSS Planter steamboat for the Confederate government. One night in May, 1862, the captain and the crew of the Planter went ashore, leaving the ship in the hands of the slaves. Robert seized the moment. He piloted the ship through Charleston Harbor past Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie, picked up his family and friends, and sailed to the Union blockade. Under the white flag of surrender, he gave the ship to the Union fleet. Robert’s bravery and skill gained the freedom of every slave aboard the ship. Impressed by his daring feat and knowledge of the waterways, the Union made Robert a captain in the US Navy. After the Civil War, Robert fought for racial equality and against segregation. He served in numerous public offices, including the US House of Representatives. In the ultimate twist, Robert used the prize money he received for capturing the Planter to purchase the McKee house at 511 Prince Street where he and his mother had been born into slavery. When Mrs. McKee’s health failed, Robert welcomed her to stay with the Smalls family in her former home. Robert Smalls truly was a great man. A memorial quote at Tabernacle Baptist Church (where he attended and is buried) reads, “My race needs no special defense for the past history of them in this country proves them to be the equal of any people anywhere. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life.” His words are powerful and relevant for today.
One unanticipated delight of our travels has been the variety of trees we have seen. In Beaufort, the moss draped trees and lush gardens nearly outshone the well-maintained homes.
How many generations of children have climbed their stately boughs that swoop low to kiss the ground?
More magnificent trees stand as sentries guarding Beaufort National Cemetery where both Union and Confederate soldiers lie beneath their spreading shade.
Near Charleston at the Old Sheldon Church ruins, weathered tree roots eerily snake under and around the ancient gravestones. These trees have witnessed history and they will stand long after our generation is gone.
In Charleston, we explored stately neighborhoods, historic structures and locations, and sampled delicious southern cuisine. We visited the graves of two signers of the Constitution, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and John Rutledge.
We went to Fort Moultrie but it was closed due to Covid. The Seminole Indian Chief, Oceola, died at the fort in 1838 while imprisoned for leading his warriors in skirmishes against the troops seeking the forced removal of Oceola’s people.
We took a ferry to Fort Sumter which is on an island in Charleston Harbor. There we saw original cannons, Civil War shelling damage, and slave-made bricks with little finger marks in them.
Slave labor and slave-made bricks built Drayton Hall, an unrestored plantation outside of Charleston. The home was built in 1738 and survived the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.
After the Civil War, the Drayton family went to Texas so they rented the plantation to a phosphate mining company. Several former slaves remained on the estate to work in the phosphate industry and to care for the plantation. These caretakers were proud of what their ancestors had built and accomplished in spite of their enslavement.
In South Carolina, we tried many Lowcountry foods.
Although boiled peanuts seem to be a local favorite, we were not fans of the mushy legumes.
Shrimp and grits was a creamy comfort food. Our favorite dishes included she-crab soup and stuffed hushpuppies.
While we were in Charleston, some land popped up for sale near Holt, Missouri. After looking at the photos, we thought it might fit our land wishes. We set up a FaceTime call with the listing agent. On our way back to camp from touring Drayton Hall, we sat on a curb in a CVS parking lot while it sprinkled and had a video tour of the land. We liked what we saw so we sent our son and daughter-in-law to the property to get their thoughts. They affirmed our positive impression of the land so we submitted an offer. The seller needed to research some details before deciding about our offer so we left South Carolina without knowing the seller’s decision. Since we were in limbo, we decided to wind our way back toward Kansas City just in case the seller accepted our offer. We took comfort in the knowledge that God would provide property for us in His time, whether or not this was the land for us. That’s one lesson we have been learning. God provides what we need, just when we need it!
