State Capitols - Columbia, South Carolina – Interior

I found the Victorian interior of the South Carolina capitol absolutely charming. Major renovations in the late ‘90 have restored color and vitality to the space.

St. John the Grumpy (26 June 2008)

Dominating the lobby between the two legislative chambers is the statue of who else but John C. Calhoun...the same representation that stands in Statuary Hall in the U.S. capitol. The Senator is revered here for his staunch, states’ rights positions. He was the leading voice of the theory of nullification...that quaint notion that states can ignore federal laws they don’t like. A painting of Calhoun is also front-and-center in the Senate chamber. I have never seen a depiction of the guy that wasn’t stern and glaring. I hope he smiled at his wife and kids occasionally.

Rotunda, South Carolina Capitol, Columbia (26 June 2008)

Behind the statue of Senator Calhoun, the ceiling opens up inside the copula. I do like it when I can stand directly under the center and capture the uniform patterning of the architecture.

South Carolina House of Representatives (26 June 2008)

The House of Representatives has 124 members. Viewing the front of the room in this picture, you can see a display case on the left side near the globe lamps. It contains a mace. Through history, as public civility improved, the king’s bodyguard…actually armed with a real mace weapon, evolved to become the parliament’s sergeant-at-arms who carried a ceremonial mace as a symbol of the legislature’s authority. Made in London in 1756, the South Carolina mace is the oldest one used in this country.

South Carolina Senate (26 June 2008)

The Senate has 46 members and meets in their restored chamber…with St. John ever-present behind the rostrum, glaring back at all of them. I have to give Old Sourpuss his due. In addition to his impressive legislative record, he was our 7th vice president under Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. He was John Tyler’s Secretary of State and James Monroe’s Secretary of War before that.

Joint Legislative Conference Room, South Carolina Capitol, 

Columbia (26 June 2008)

This handsome room was once the State Library and is the only room in the state house that retains its original condition.

It was great to see the ceremonial removal of the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the state capitol this month. Congratulations to the elected officials for finally doing the right thing. After all, this is the United States of America.

State Capitols - Columbia, South Carolina – Exterior

South Carolina Capitol, Columbia (26 June 2008)

Constructed: 1855-1907

Architects: John R. Niernsee, James C. Nielson,

Frank M. Niernsee, Frank P. Milburn, Charles C. Wilson

Admitted to the Union: May 23, 1788 (8th)

Population: 4,625,364 (24th)

The 8th state to join the Union and the first to leave it. In 2008, I visited the capitol on the trip that ended my Dead Presidents Quest and started the State Capitol Odyssey.

It took a long time to complete this capitol, as you might guess from the list of architects in charge. Of course the Civil War was a distraction, especially when Sherman’s troops shelled the building. Reconstruction, despite what we called the period after the war, was slow, what with so much attention focused on restoring white supremacy. One architect died. Another was fired. Stuff happens. Finally, with the dawn of the 20th century, this beautiful state house was completed. And, as luck would have it, major restorations were done just a few years before I visited.

South Carolina Capitol, Columbia (26 June 2008)

The 43-foot columns are each carved from a single piece of stone. The state house brochure considers them to be the largest monolithic columns found on a public building in the country.

Battle Scar (26 June 2008)

Six bronze stars mark the places where 

Union shells hit the building in 1865.

As with most capitols, the grounds include many memorials and monuments to people, events and causes. I regret not seeing the African-American History monument. To the credit of the state, it is the first such commemoration on capitol grounds in the country. Instead, I was entranced by the monument to Strom Thurmond and how it was updated to note the additional daughter he had with one of the family servants. He served in the U.S. Senate on his 100th birthday.

The oldest memorial on the capitol grounds is a cast iron and copper palmetto palm re-creation. It honors the South Carolina regiment that served in the Mexican War. I don’t have a good shot of the monument but I really like the photo below where I framed just a portion of it.

Mexican War Memorial, South Carolina Capitol,

Columbia (26 June 2008)

Confederate Battle Flag, South Carolina Capitol, 
Columbia (26 June 2008)

The recent news from the capitol has shown many views of this flag and most have had it with the capitol placed behind it…the volatile symbol along with the seat of state government as my first picture above displays. Here, however, I was drawn to the uniform patterns of the modern building across the street. I saw this background as an aesthetic and historical contrast...vibrant color against a neutral pattern...then and now...archaic and modern.

If I am going to stick it to South Carolina, I also have to acknowledge what I believe was an extraordinary event. I’m sorry it took the racist murder of nine good, Christian people but the announcement of the new official position on the Confederate battle flag was shocking...and welcome…albeit a century too late. To see the highest ranking politicians and leaders stand together and call for the removal of the flag from the capitol grounds was a genuine feel-good moment.

I like this capitol. It has character. It has history. It is accessible and staffed with friendly, helpful people...which is more than I can say for many other state houses.

More when the next post goes inside.

Places - Charleston, South Carolina – 1 - Introduction

I can think of no other city on the eastern seaboard that has preserved as much of its historical neighborhoods and architecture like Charleston has. I find it utterly charming. “Like New Orleans, only cleaner” has been the way I describe it.

Waterfront Park, Charleston (9 March 2014)

The first time I was there was twenty years ago. It was a business trip and I enjoyed the few minutes of free time that allowed me to see the old quarters. I always wanted to get back there with Beck...even gave her a “Good-fer” one Christmas to get there for her birthday. Finally followed through ten years later. Folks – don’t give your loved ones ‘Good-fers’. The thought may be commendable but actual tickets are better.

Founded in 1670, a mere twenty years later, it was the 5th largest city in North America. Because of the region’s plantations relied so much on slave labor, the city was the premier slave-trading center on the east coast. From the start of the 1700’s to the Northern Migration of the mid-20th century, blacks outnumbered whites in the state.

Charleston Carriage Tour (9 March 2014)

Charleston has been in the news lately…and I did say I would introduce state house portraits when the states made the news. It’s a damn shame the criterion of being in the news usually means something bad has happened. ‘Something bad’ is an understatement when describing the event that put Charleston on the front pages. The capitol in Columbia has also been in the news and that beautiful state house will be shown soon.

Graveyard, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church (10 March 2014)

Call me morbid but I do enjoy wandering through old burial grounds...especially if they contain some notable residents. The large vault in the background holds our 7th Vice President and giant of South Carolina history, John C. Calhoun.

Grave of Charles Pinckney, St. Philip’s Church, 
Charleston (10 March 2014)

I did not know of the murdered pastor and state senator when I was in Charleston. However, I was aware of the prominence of the colonial Pinckney’s. Pinckney Street is five blocks from the Emanuel AME Church. They were soldiers and statesmen instrumental in the writing of our nation’s Constitution…and slave-holders. I imagine the pastor was descended from the slaves who assumed their owner’s name.

The Bowels of Fort Sumter (11 March 2014)

It felt important to visit the place where the War Between the States started. April 12, 1861 began the shooting war, which was four months after the state seceded, which was seven years after Bloody Kansas started and decades after the nation began bickering over expanding slavery into the frontier. The ‘heritage’ supporters of the battle flag say the war was about state’s rights and not slavery. I believe they were barely half right. It was about the state’s right to have slaves.

I really like visiting Charleston. It is eminently walkable and spring time is delightful there when the north is fed up with winter. The low country cuisine is spectacular and the history is fascinating.

Stay tuned for Part 2.