Charleston, SC--Charlestown Landing

Charleston was founded in 1670, but not on the current site. They first settled on Albemarle Point on the Ashley River. The local Native Americans welcomed them at first because they were small tribes and were hoping the English would ally with them against their larger enemies. Well, it didn't work out quite the way they were hoping. The English stayed there for ten years and then moved to the peninsula they currently occupy because it was easier to defend. Today, the place is a park that you can visit. They've rebuilt some buildings (none of the originals remain), have a replica of a period boat, and also a sort of zoo where you can see the animals the settlers found when they arrived. You wouldn't expect it, but there were cougars and buffalo in SC in the 1600s. The alligators are still there, and part of the natural wildlife, not bound by the zoo boundaries.

A replica of the Adventure:



Houses currently on the property, including a wide path lined with live oaks:



Examples of what the building was like in the colonial period:





And sometimes the visitors are interesting to observe as well: