Saturday & Sunday Tours
Charleston, SC
Eutaw Springs and Monck’s Corner with Mark Maloy & Rob Orrison
Visit one of the bloodiest battlefields of the Revolutionary War, Eutaw Springs, which was fought on September 8, 1781. We will then visit the grave of the one most famous Patriots of the Revolutionary War, “The Swamp Fox," Francis Marion. After that, we will explore the important Revolutionary War crossroads of Monck’s Corner in Berkeley County, SC. We will see the locations of some of the numerous skirmishes, a well-preserved British fort, and the Berkeley County Museum.
Sites Included: Gravesite of Francis Marion, Monck’s Corner, well-preserved British fort, Berkely County Museum.
Walking Level: Less than 1 mile of walking on flat surfaces.
Guides: Mark Maloy and Rob Orrison
Amidst the Maelstrom: The British Attacks on Charleston, 1776 and 1780 with Dan Davis and Carl Borick
Join Dan Davis, the Trust's Senior Education Manager, and Carl Borick, historian, and Director of the Charleston Museum as we explore Revolutionary War Charleston. One of the largest and most prosperous cities in North America, Charleston became a target of the British as they attempted to put down the rebellion in the thirteen colonies. In the spring of 1776, a force under Maj. Gen. Henry Clinton attacked the city, only to be turned back in a gallant defense by the Continentals on Sullivan's Island and at Fort Moultrie. Four years later, following the turning point at Saratoga and a shift in Crown strategy, Clinton returned. This effort resulted in the largest surrender of Continental troops during the American Revolution.
Sites Included: Breach Inlet, Fort Moultrie, the Charleston Museum, and other sites related to some of the most pivotal days of the War for Independence.
Walking Level: This will involve walking through the streets of Charleston, on some flat, and some uneven, surfaces. This tour is not recommended for attendees who prefer limited walking tours.
Guides: Carl Borick and Dan Davis
Photos, Forts, and Fighting (and more Photos!): Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie with Garry Adelman and Rick Hatcher
At the few intersections where great military events, documentary coverage, and preserved places come together, there is always an abundance to learn and ponder. Charleston offers great opportunities at Forts Moultrie and Sumter. Join former NPS historian Rick Hatcher and Trust chief historian Garry Adelman for a journey in time from the perspective of those who were there, including artists and photographers. The history of these places spans centuries and we will break it all down while allowing some time for self-guiding at these famous places. Expect a boat ride, 3-D glasses, and an in-depth look at places so closely associated with the Revolution and especially the beginning of the Civil War.
Sites Included: Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie
Walking Level: Limited walking on varied surfaces at each fort.
Guides: Garry Adelman and Rick Hatcher
The Fight for Charleston Harbor: Fort Johnson and Secessionville with Dr. Kyle Sinisi
Description coming soon …
Sites Included: Fort Johnson, Secessionville, as well as Batteries Pringle and Tine which sit along the Stono River in the Dill Sanctuary on James Island.
Walking Level: This tour will require a medium amount of walking on uneven terrain, and isn’t recommended for those who prefer limited walking.
Guide: Dr. Kyle Sinisi
LECTURE with Gordon Rhea on “Stephen A. Swails: Black Freedom Fighter in the Civil War and Reconstruction” Stephen Atkins Swails is a forgotten American hero. A free Black in the North before the Civil War began, Swails exhibited such exemplary service in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry that he became the first African American commissioned as a combat officer in the United States military. After the war, Swails remained in South Carolina, where he held important positions in the Freedmen’s Bureau, helped draft a progressive state constitution, served in the state senate, and secured legislation benefiting newly liberated Black citizens. Swails remained active in South Carolina politics after Reconstruction until violent Redeemers drove him from the state. After Swails died in 1900, state and local leaders erased him from the historical narrative. Gordon C. Rhea’s biography, one of only a handful for any of the nearly 200,000 African Americans who fought in the Civil War or figured prominently in Reconstruction, restores Swails’s remarkable legacy. Swails’s life story is a saga of an indomitable human being who confronted deep-seated racial prejudice in various institutions but nevertheless reached significant milestones in the fight for racial equality, especially within the military. His is an inspiring story that is especially timely today.
Sites Included: N/A
Walking Level: N/A
Speaker: Gordon Rhea
Footsteps of Photographers with Garry Adelman
Footsteps of the Photographers Charleston hosted the opening of the Civil War and the War’s first photographs. At least seven photographic firms were operating on and around King Street when the War broke out and they captured scores of photos of the city within a mile of our hotel. Join the Trust’s chief historian Garry Adelman for a brief indoor presentation followed by a staff-guided walk around the city to stand where the photographers stood. Trust staff will escort small groups to the spots and meet docents at the ready with 3-D glasses along the way!
Sites Included: Various stops around downtown Charleston.
Walking Level: This will involve walking through the streets of Charleston, on some flat, and some uneven, surfaces. This tour is not recommended for attendees who prefer limited walking tours.
Guide: Garry Adelman
Middleton Place Plantation with Mark Maloy & Rob Orrison
Be transported back in time as we visit one of the most popular Southern plantations in South Carolina: Middleton Place Plantation. Home of one of the wealthiest families in South Carolina, this was the plantation of both a Signer of the Declaration of Independence and a Signer of the Ordinance of Secession. We will learn about the Middleton family, visit the famous gardens started in 1741, visit the family tomb, and see the beautiful grounds used as a backdrop in the movie The Patriot.
Sites Included: Middleton Place Plantation
Walking Level: About 1 mile of walking on flat surfaces.
Guides: Mark Maloy and Rob Orrison
Below the Waves of Charleston Harbor: A Visit to the CSS Hunley Interpretive Center
From the Friends of the Hunley: Visiting the Hunley is one of the most unique experiences available in Charleston, and includes history, forensic science, archaeology, and conservation. Tour features:
• See the Hunley upright in her 75,000-gallon conservation tank.
• Feel what it was like to be on the Hunley crew through interactive exhibitions.
• Artifacts found onboard during excavation, including the legendary gold coin that saved the captain’s life.
• Facial reconstructions of the crew.
Sites Included: CSS Hunley Interpretive Center
Walking Level: Limited walking in a museum setting.
Guides: Staff with the Friends of the Hunley
Revolutionary Charleston: The Powder Magazine and Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon
Visit the Powder Magazine Museum, the oldest government building in South Carolina. Completed in 1713, it was used to store gunpowder and defend the city of Charleston during the American Revolution. Here you will learn more about the Colonial Period in the last standing component of Charleston’s original fortifications. Built in 1771 as a commercial exchange and custom house, the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon Museum offers a wide range of exhibitions on the top two floors and the bottom floor cellar, also known as the dungeon.
Sites Included: The Powder Magazine and Provost Dungeon
Walking Level: This tour involves walking through two museums with multiple levels.
Guides: Staff at the museums