I had one more day in Charleston. I was meeting up with Ginny. We got to know each other through Facebook. I saw her name on a mutual friend’s post, and I asked her if she was in my class. It turns out that her daughter was in my class! So, while we probably did meet back in the ’90s, we got to know each other through Facebook.
We met up at the The Charleston Visitor Center. This time I parked in the lot in front of the Center instead of in the parking structure. That was a little easier!
Our first stop was the Charleston Museum, which is one of the oldest museums in the United States. It was founded in 1773 and opened to the public in 1824.
It kind of reminds me of the Cabinets of Curiosities that became popular in Europe during the 17th century. The items on display in the museum seemed to focus largely on the history of Charleston.
There were pottery fragments. I did rather like this inscription, “With all my love fill up the bowl.”
I found this grave marker to be quite odd. It looks to me like it was a headboard for a bed. I guess it was a common way to mark graves. I wonder if it meant that the person died in bed?
More dishes that George Washington used.
This much-repaired basket caught my eye. There is a certain grace to items that have been well cared for and repaired. According to the label, this was in use before the Civil War.
These fragments of baskets were not as lucky, but they sure are old.
They had a rather sizable collection of slave badges for those who were working away from the plantation or the home.
I was quite fascinated by this toilet chair. It kind of reminds me of something I saw in a tiny camper. They put their toilet in an ottoman.
I have to say that I prefer my flushing toilet.
They kind of had odds and ends. I rather liked the roof tile with the cat paw print in it.
Here’s a brick machine. I kind of thought that the clay was formed in molds by hand, but I guess people are always looking for better ways to do things.
They had a variety of bricks on display.
I thought this printing plate for “Bonnie Blue Flag” was interesting. Really, they kind of had a hodgepodge of things. Of course, I was chatting with Ginny while I was looking at the displays, so maybe it had a stronger through-thread than I detected.
Speaking of random, there was a whale skeleton hanging in the lobby.
This was a forty-foot male Atlantic Right Whale that swam into the Charleston Harbor on January 7, 1880. It was pursued by an “armada” composed of four steam tugs, fifty to sixty rowboats and several other watercraft. It was killed and exhibited in Charleston for several days. Gabriel Manigault, who was the curator of the museum, collected and reassembled the whale’s skeleton and it has been on permanent exhibition ever since.
The whale’s baleen served to strain out the krill it lived on. It was also used to make the stays that were used in whalebone corsets. On the left side of the picture, you see the stays.
The stays were part of an exhibit on fashion. We had been in the museum for quite a while, so we kind of skimmed through. Lunch was beckoning.
These red silk breeches, from about 1750, were thought to have been worn by Charles Pinckney. Yes, the same Charles Pinckney I’ve been writing about in the last few posts. The vibrant red color was most likely achieved with cochineal dye.
They also had a small display about pearl buttons that were made in Muscatine, Iowa around 1915. During the early 20th century, Muscatine was considered the pearl button capital of the world. Interesting.
Our last stop before leaving the museum was the restroom. Even the restroom had a display.
Chamber pots. How appropriate!
Our next stop was lunch. Luckily, my former student, Kira, was able to join us!
Lunch was tasty. In fact, everything I ate in Charleston was delicious!
I had the chicken fried steak – or was that the chicken fried chicken? Whichever it was, it was good!
Thus restored, we had one more stop to make – the Joseph Manigault house, which was built in 1803.
I assume this is the front door. We went around to the back.
I have always been partial to porches.
Gracious touches like these also catch my eye.
We met out guide inside and she showed us the rooms that were restored to their former glory
This is the drawing room. It’s on the second floor to take advantage of the breezes. Also, the mosquitoes were less likely to fly that high.
I like that the windows have a portion on the bottom that opens up to permit people to walk out on the porch.
We were moving pretty quickly though the house, so I didn’t take a photo of every item of interest. I thought that the rice motif on this bedpost was appropriate, as rice was a major source of wealth.
We passed beneath the chandelier and headed out. Ginny and I parted ways. It’s always so good to meet up with friends!
I got back to the campground and got packed up. On my way out, it’s time to hit the trash dumpster and then empty the tanks.
Next stop, Savannah!