Thursday, October 8

Tour day of the Charleston area. Left on the historic city tour in the morning. This took us past the several houses built in the early 1700s. They with stood the Revoluntionary war, the Civil war, the earth quake of 1889 and the hurricane Hugo in 1989. They are large, 3 or 4 stories with verandas or piazzas for the cool breezes off the water.
Originally Charleston was a walled city, but that dissappeared when the city burnt. It was also the home of many pirates, including Black Beard. In the afternoon we took the harbor cruise. This took us past the original Custom's house and piers where international trade occured. Ships would load cargo from the US, take it to Europe and for return ballast, load their hulls with rocks. These rocks were then used for the cobblestone streets. The cruise alsot took us past Ft Sumpter. This is a star shaped fort used to protect the harbor. It is also the sight of the starting of the Civil war. Shots were fired into the Fort and it all began.