The Sea Island Charm

Travel the Historic Plantation Highway
A Southern Experience - Ashley River Plantations

The She-Crab Signature
Distinctively Charleston

The Rest of the Story
One the Water - Harbor Tours

What do pirates, slave traders, submarine warfare, and the first shots of the Civil War have in common? The Charleston Harbor, to be sure.

Walking through historic Charleston only gives you half the story. Get out on the water to find the rest. The views from Charleston Harbor tell the story of a port city that has seen tremendous commerce, epic battles, historic blockades, and the tragic slave trade throughout it’s nearly 400 year history.

Pirates were often seen in Charles Towne. They would come through the Harbor to spend the moneys they stole and sell the booty they plundered. The infamous Black Beard himself made a stop here in 1718. Shutes Folly Island near Charleston was a place where many captured pirates breathed their last. Had you sailed into the Harbor in the early 1700s you may well have seen bodies of pirates hanging as a warning to pirates.

Unfortunately, Charleston Harbor also played a part in one of the darkest sides of our nation’s past. Thousands upon thousands of slaves were sold in and around Charleston after having been brought aboard trader’s vessels from West Africa.

By the mid-1800s, Charleston Harbor was the economic and military center of the South. Its influence proved to be pivotal when shots fired on Fort Sumter in 1861 (the first shots fired of the American Civil War) resonated throughout the nation. The Confederacy seized the fort and held it for the next four years of the war.

Many other important naval engagements in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars took place on the waters off Charleston. In 1863, a small Confederate steam powered submarine sank the USS New Ironsides, thus bearing witness to the new era of submarine warfare.

To insure you have the whole story of the history of Charleston, make sure you take a tour of the Harbor. Guided sightseeing tours are available - on classic double-decked cruise vessels, schooner-rigged sailing ships, or canopied catamarans. You can also take narrated nature tours, sunset and dinner cruises, and even ghost tales and pirate lore cruises.

For more information on trips, see Charleston Harbor Tours, Fort Sumter Tours, Nature Adventures, Sandlapper Water Tours, Schooner Pride, and Spirit Line Cruises.

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The Sea Island Charm

Charleston lies in the midst of a string of charming coastal islands known as the Sea Islands. This chain of islands runs down the Atlantic coast of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, from Murphy Island north of Charleston to Amelia Island near Jacksonville.

These islands have influenced the culture and commerce of Charleston since it was in its infancy. The Seewee Indians of the Isle of Palms swam out to meet the ships of the first white men to land on the islands. Centuries later, in the 1800s, the Isle of Palms came to be used as a beach vacation destination.

Today people travel from all over to stay on the island that is known as a world class destination. Sullivan’s Island is perhaps the most well known island, as well as the one with the most storied history. Historian and author Peter H. Wood refers to Sullivan’s as the “black Ellis Island”. It is estimated that nearly 50% of African Americans have an ancestor who came into our country as a slave through Sullivan’s Island.

Sullivan’s is also the home to Fort Moultrie, the first protector of Charleston. It was unsuccessfully attacked by the British during the Revolutionary War, a date (June 28) that is still celebrated as the local holiday “Carolina Day”.

Wadmalaw Island is a laid back and quiet place. Known as “Charleston’s back porch.” If you want a change of pace from the bustle of downtown Charleston, a trip to Wadmalaw may be just what the doctor ordered.

Regardless which island you choose to visit, keep in mind that you could be standing where Native Americans once lived or slaves were quartered. The heritage and history of Charleston is intimately connected to these beautiful islands.

When visiting the Isle of Palms, contact Coastal Expeditions. Take a trip Wadlamaw Island to visit the Charleston Tea Plantation and the Irvin House Vineyards. For kayak tours of the Sea Islands, contact Nature Adventures Outfitters.

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Travel the Historic Plantation Highway
A Southern Experience - Ashley River Plantations

Fourteen miles and less than half an hour northwest of downtown Charleston is Ashley River Road, a designated National Scenic Byway that has been in existence as a major transportation route since at least 1691.

Traveling westward on Ashley River Road (Highway 61) you first come upon Drayton Hall, built between 1738 and 1742.   Seven generations of Draytons were connected to this home – from its builder John Drayton to Charles and Frank Drayton who sold it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1974. As a National Historic Landmark, it is the oldest preserved plantation house that is open to the public.  It is considered probably the oldest example of Georgian Palladian architecture in the United States.

In 1679 Thomas Drayton sailed from Barbados and eventually built neighboring Magnolia Plantation.  His son, John, bought and developed the Drayton Hall property.  It has withstood the test of time, surviving the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, numerous earthquakes and hurricanes, and even 20th century urban sprawl.  Today it is the only pre-Revolutionary War plantation house remaining on the Ashley River Road.

There are no furnishings in the house, but you'll see - and feel - the living past everywhere you look, from the aged paint on the walls to a faint growth chart etched in a doorway's molding.  This architectural masterpiece has been meticulously preserved and lovingly maintained putting it in near original condition.

Professionally guided house tours are conducted daily year around.  Also offered is a 45-minute program that traces the story of African-Americans, and an interactive DVD landscape tour produced by the History Channel.  Also available are self-guided walks along the river and marsh, a visit to a sacred African-American cemetery, and a browse through the artisan-inspired Museum Shop.

Drayton Hall is open daily year around.  Hours and tour times vary according to season.  There is an admission fee. 

Along this 11-mile stretch of two-lane highway you will pass two historic plantations which together, as National Historic Landmarks,  represent a compelling and authentic portrait of 18th and 19th century plantation life.

Middleton Place is one of South Carolina’s most enduring icons.  From 1741 to 1865, this majestic plantation on the banks of the Ashley River was the family seat of four successive generations of the distinguished Middleton family.  Even then, the graciously landscaped gardens welcomed visitors from all over the world. 

Today, Middleton Place invites visitors to explore the 65 acres of sweeping vistas, intimate garden rooms and ornamental ponds that made Middleton Place the most unique and grand garden of its time.

Tours of the House Museum introduce visitors to the distinguished and influential Middleton family who made Middleton Place their home for over two centuries.  Henry Middleton (1717-1784) was a President of the First Continental Congress.  Arthur Middleton (1742-1787) signed the Declaration of Independence.  A second Henry Middleton (1770-1846) served as Governor of South Carolina and as Minister to Russia, and Williams Middleton (1809-1883) signed the Ordinance of Secession. 

The House contains one of the finest collections of family-owned artifacts. Expect to see Middleton family furniture, paintings, books and documents dating from the 1740s through the 1880s. In the Plantation Stableyards, costumed interpreters tell the story of life on a self-sustained 18th and 19th century plantation.  Here, visitors can see the blacksmith, potter, carpenter and weaver at work in their shops, and learn about the sheep, horses, water buffalo, goats and other animals that live and work at Middleton Place.  African-American history is interpreted in a permanent Slavery exhibit in Eliza’s House, and through daily African-American Focus Tours.

Middleton Place is open daily year around.  Admission fees support the preservation work of Middleton Place Foundation, a non-profit educational trust. 

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The She-Crab Signature
Distinctively Charleston

Architects have signature buildings.  Writers and artists have a signature piece of work.  Chefs, and even cities, have a signature dish.

In the case of Charleston, “she-crab soup” is that totally unique and identifiable menu choice that hollers Lowcountry cuisine and genuine Southern hospitality.  You’d be hard pressed to find a Lowcountry restaurant in South Carolina that does not offer its own version of this splendidly enticing dish.

The term “she-crab” refers to the female crab that offers up the savory orange roe (eggs) that are the main ingredient and what gives the soup its characteristic color and depth of flavor.  It is often garnished with a sprinkling of the orange roe, lump crab meat, or a dollop of fine, dry sherry.

History

It is generally accepted by food historians that she-crab soup was originally a seafood chowder brought to the American colonies by Scottish settlers in the early 1700s.  They called it “partan-bree”, a crab and rice soup.  Because its two main ingredients were abundant in the Lowcountry, the soup soon became a popular dish at elegant Charleston society banquets. 

Then, at some point in the early 1900s, crab roe was added.  As local legend has it, William Deas, the butler and cook to Charleston Mayor R. Goodwyn Rhett, was asked to “dress up” the pale crab soup in honor of a visit from then U.S. President William Howard Taft.  With a single stroke of genius, Deas’ addition of the orange-hued crab eggs gave birth to the iconic Charleston delicacy known as she-crab soup. 

Although the bit about President Taft may not be entirely accurate, it is accepted that by the 1930s the soup became known as William Deas’ soup, and was a staple on the menus of fashionable homes and restaurants in the Charleston area.  Deas eventually went on to work at Everett’s Restaurant on Cannon Street where he worked until his death in 1961.  Although both Deas and the restaurant are long gone, the city benefited from the legacy of Deas’ she-crab soup, Charleston’s signature dish.

Recipes

Deas’ original recipe was first published in 1930 in Two Hundred Years of Charleston Cooking, compiled appropriately enough by Blanche Rhett, the mayor’s wife.  As put forth, the mixture calls for one dozen she-crabs, two cups milk, one-half cup cream, one tablespoon butter, one small onion, black pepper and salt, one-half teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, one teaspoon flour, and one tablespoon sherry.

Today there are as many variations on the original recipe as there are chefs.  Some recipes feature a thicker roux (blended flour and butter that thickens the soup).  Some use lump instead of pureed crab meat.  The soup can be made with sherry in the mixture or served on the side.  Chefs have been known to add a variety of other vegetables, spices ad herbs, but all agree that this soup must be rich.  A demitasse makes for a generous hors d’oeuvre; a bowlful will suffice as a satisfying supper.

AW Shucks (843-723-1151), located at 35 Market Street on The Market, makes their she-crab soup as a rich creamy blend of blue crab meat and fresh roe.  Chef Mike Jackson said his soup has a tasty crab flavor, hint of sherry, and a dash of local zing -  Tobasco sauce (just a wee bit) and Worcestershire sauce. 

Charleston Crab House serves a she-crab soup that is creamy and sweet, made with fresh crab meat and crab roe.  The Crabhouse’s award-winning dish can be found at all three of their locations:  Downtown Charleston on Market Street (843-853-2900), on James Island on Wappoo Creek Drive (843-785-1963), and in Mt. Pleasant by Towne Center (843-884-1647).

Locklear’s she-crab soup is a signature award-winning blue ribbon dish. Chef William Alston says it is “like New England Clam Chowder with a hug.”  It’s secret?  “It’s made fresh daily and every cook must have the recipe open during its creation to insure consistency.”  Locklear’s operates out of two locations: on Coleman Boulevard in Mt. Pleasant (843-884-3346) and on the Folly Beach Fishing Pier (843-588-6412).

As a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and Magnolia’s (843-577-7771) top chef, Donald Barickman has published two books featuring his restaurant’s signature dishes, including his she-crab soup that features the flavor of bay leaf and the addition of blue crab claw meat.  Magnolia’s is located at 185 East Bay Street.

Although popular for its authentic Irish pub atmosphere, Tommy Condon’s (843-577-3818). located at 160 Church Street, made a name for itself with its Lowcountry dishes, including it’s she-crab soup.  Their version is a local favorite, maybe because they add peppers! Chef Joe Boone reports that customers take his soup “to go” by the gallons.

The only way to tell which one rates Number One with you, is to try them all for yourself! 

Bon appetite!!

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