The Charleston Study Site highlights South Carolina's
most historic port city. For the greater part of the state's history,
politics, commerce, and cultural activity have all revolved around this
well known metropolitan hub. Charleston has both prospered and suffered
in her role as the Queen City, and later the Holy City. Seven great
fires, seven great hurricanes, an earthquake, two occupying armies, and
countless boom/bust economic cycles have affected the city since its founding
in 1680. Charleston (Charles Towne until 1782) served as the first
capital of South Carolina and has always been its primary seaport.
It presents an excellent example of the tension that exists between progress,
defined as development and industry, and the more picturesque qualities
that attract tourists. The conflict is most visible between people
who want to preserve the special atmosphere created by the historical areas
and those who desire to profit from that historical quality by building
restaurants, hotels and other special attractions.
Background Information Description of Landforms,
Drainage Patterns, and Geologic Processes Characteristic Landforms
of the Coastal Zone
Geographic Features of Special
Interest
Carolina Grand Strand
Santee Delta
Sea Islands
Influence of Topography
on Historical Events and Cultural Trends Coastal Zone Attracts Settlers
Native American Coastal
Cultures
Early Spanish Settlements
Establishment of Santa Elena
Charles Towne: First
British Settlement
Eliza Lucas Pinckney Introduces
Indigo
Pirates: A Coastal
Zone Legacy
Charleston Under Seige During
Civil War
The Battle of Port Royal
Sound
Black Volunteers in Union
Service During the Civil War
The Future of the Coast
Natural Resources, Land
Use, and Environmental Concerns Climate and Water Resources
Soil Resources of the Coastal
Zone
Issues Related to Growth
and Development
Unique Habitats of the Coastal
Zone
Fisheries and the Seafood
Industry
Study Site 9A--Charleston (Historic Port) Brief Site Description
Land Reclamation
Market Vultures and the
Plantation Era
Charleston in the American
Revolution
Charleston's Unique Architecture:
The "Single House"
The Battery
Free Persons of Color
Earthquakes
Harbor Dredging and Spoil
Areas
Charleston Navy
Charleston Today
Activity 9A-1: The Historic
District
