I see in the Newspaper that the Best Friend of Charleston
has come home from Atlanta! It’s great that this important piece of America’s Industrial
Revolution history is back home. It was the first train to offer regularly scheduled train passenger service and
originated from Charleston on December 25, 1830. The South Carolina Canal and
Rail Road Company's new steam locomotive, Best Friend of Charleston,
"flew" 141 brave souls along six miles of wood and metal rails at
speeds of 15-25 miles per hour. Part of the wreckage of that train was later
used to cast the first cannon to be built in the Confederate States.
Of course, Charleston was, early on, a progressive city and
there are a number of things that happened here first. I had some guests on my
walking tour last week who had just retired to Charleston, into a downtown townhouse they purchased some 25 years ago when they last
lived here. Their son was fascinated by Charleston ‘firsts‘. That prompted me
to brush up on some of those firsts, and so here I share my latest list with
you!
America's first free library was established in
Charleston in 1698.
Henrietta Johnston, original name Henrietta Deering (born before 1670, probably
Ireland—buried March 7, 1729, Charles Towne, South Carolina , was the first female professional portrait artist in
America, paid for her work in Charleston as early as 1708.
The first mutual fire
insurance company, Friendly Society for the Mutual Insurance of Houses, was
established in 1735.
The first opera
in American was performed in Charleston on February 18, 1735.
The Charleston Chamber of Commerce, established in 1773, was
the first city Chamber of Commerce and the longest in continuous operation.
The Charleston Museum, America's first public museum, was organized on January 12, 1773.
The first time a
British flag was taken down and replaced by an American flag was in
Charleston in 1775.
The first independent
government among American colonies was formed in Charleston in March 1776.
The South Carolina Golf Club—now chartered as the Country
Club of Charleston—was founded in 1786 and has been recognized by no less an
authority than GOLF Magazine as the nation's
first golf club.
The first cotton mill
was built on James Island in 1789.
The College of Charleston, chartered in 1785, became America’s
first municipal college on April 1,
1838.
On the night of February 17, 1864, eight men led by Lt.
George Dixon entered an experimental vessel that was to become the first submarine in world history
to successfully sink an enemy ship. That night, the H. L. Hunley
entered the dark waters off Sullivan's Island and rammed her spar torpedo into
the hull of the USS Housatonic
In April 1737, Dr. John Lining recorded the first systemic scientific recording of weather
information,
taking observations of Charles Towne's weather three times a day from his home
on Broad Street. He recorded temperature, rainfall, atmospheric pressure,
humidity, wind direction, and wind speed.
In 1762, The St Cecilia Society was founded in Charles
Towne as the first organization with a
mission of supporting music and the arts.
Chartered in 1785, the College of Charleston is the oldest
municipal college in America. Additionally, it is the only college in America
to have four signers of the Declaration of Independence as founding members. It
became America’s first municipal college
in 1838.
Construction of the first
fireproof building in the United States began in 1823 and was completed
four years later. This building, which is located at 100 Meeting Street, was
designed by Robert Mills to house state records. Robert
Mills, the first trained native born American architect, was himself a
Charleston original.
The
First Reform Jewish
Congregation, known as the The Reformed Society of Israelites,
was founded in Charleston on Nov. 21, 1824 by 47
members of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim after their petition to change the
Sephardic Orthodox liturgy was denied.
The first artificial
ice was made in Charleston by John Gorrie in 1851.
The nation’s first historic
preservation ordinance was passed by Charleston City Council on October 13,
1931.
