Our first Charleston outing found us walking under slightly gloomy skies. However, we had a successful first class field session and left with a great introduction to Charleston under our history belts. We were first met by Dr. Nic Butler, Manager of the Charleston Archives at the Charleston County Library. We were given a quick review of the many interests Dr. Butler has concerning Charleston's history and ideas that he has for incorporating them into the public sphere. Dr. Butler is also the Historian for the Walled City Task Force which aims "to further the study, identification, protection, and interpretation of the Walled City of Charleston." Follow link to http://walledcitytaskforce.org/ for more information. After Dr. Butler's presentation he led us on a tour in which we followed a part of Charleston's wall. Before our walk he gave us a crash course in the history of Charleston as a walled city and of the wall itself.
The British at Charles Town sought some measure of fortification as early as 1680. In 1696-1697 monies were appropriated to build Granville's Bastion. By 1703, with the Spanish an increasing threat, the city increased its might by a legislative act that specified the creation of a fortification with curtain walls, corner bastions, eight redans, and a ravelin to be positoned on 62 acres of high land around Charles Town. The walls were earthen work and canon mounted. The constructed Half Moon had 6 canon with 4lbs shot and the Battery had 3-4 canons with 3 lbs shot.Between 1703 and 1730 the wall was built with additions as needed. By 1730 much was destroyed and in 1784-1785 Granville's Bastion was knocked down. In 1745-1746, during King George's War, Charleston saw the construction of new fortified city lines that created a northern line of defense. During the French and Indian War the fortifications were expanded along the Ashley River and the Battery. Earth, brick, tabby, and Palmetto wood were used in this construction. The Hornwork, a 30 ft. tall wall with 18 canons, was constructed during the American Revolution. By the end of the Revolution, the wall was gone. Now the wall can be found mostly through archaeology. One known location is the Tradd Street redan site at South Adgers Wharf. The King Street gate is available for further research along with the 1739 Watch House at Broughton's Battery.
Left to Right: Facade of Russell House and members of our class enjoying the joggling board in the Russell House gardens.After lunch we gathered at the Nathaniel Russell House to learn about its restoration. Owned by the Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF), the Nathaniel Russell house is a beautiful Federal style ca. 1808 home that is now operated as a house museum. Nathaniel Russell was a merchant and worked with all major New England slave traders as a trader himself. Here is the link to the home by way of the Historic Charleston Foundation at http://www.historiccharleston.org/.
We met Valerie Perry, Associate Director of Museums with the HCF, who led us on a tour of the house to discuss various topics like the challenges of interpretation and preservation. The Nathaniel Russell House is a beautifully kept house with a great deal of history to interpret. Unfortunately, as we discussed, generation gaps in the docents and the historians often lead to problems in the interpretation of the African-American influences. No one wants to talk about slavery, but slavery needs to be talked about to visitors! Valerie Perry makes sure that those giving tours present all of the story--white and African American. HCF is serious about the training of their docents and holds lectures and field trips to further educate.
The house is interpretated as it was between 1810 to 1820. It is furnished from other homes and some pieces are original to the Russell family. The withdrawing room is very high Federal in design--high design being the correct term for even the family rooms. I was taken by the beautiful suspended staircase and decadent moldings throughout.
The slaves owned by the Russell family lived over the kitchen and carriage house area. The carriage house is now gone, but archaeological findings do show an active slave prescence. One of the Russell slaves, Tom Russell, a skilled blacksmith, made the iron spears and pikes used in the 1822 Denmark Vesey revolt in Charleston. Tom Russell owned a blacksmith shop while enslaved to Nathaniel Russell and had white apprentices. He was convicted and hung in 1822 for hisalleged part in the uprising.
Ms. Perry discussed the management plan that is in place in case of a natural disaster and she went over some of HCF's curatorial issues. There is no restoration ongoing on the third floor. Overall, I look forward to another visit to the Russell House. I would like to go on a regular tour to see what, if any, interpretive issues should arise.
