How We Love Charleston!! Come See Us!

Here is a great music video designed to inspire you, gentle reader,  to come visit Charleston!

So many things to see and do! We're about done with the sultry dog days of  summer, and one of Charleston's best kept secrets is that September is wonderful weather and the city is empty!
Eventsin September include Charleston Restaurant Week --great food at bargain prices. Participating restaurants include the very best in town, with prix fixe menus at $20, $30, and $40 the week of September 3-September 10). Charleston Watersports Week offers 10 days  of continuous opportunities to enjoy one of  Charleston's greatest assets--the water! Events include competitive sports, leisure activities and special water tours for your getaway trip to Charleston.The Charleston Maritime Center offers a Watersports EXPO September 12-14.
As if Restaurant Week were not enough to satisfy the most discriminating gastronome, , the Southern Living Taste of Charleston will be held September 26-28 at one of my favorite venues, Boone Hall Plantation.Fifty of Charleston's best restaurants will showcase their creations with sample plates. There is also entertainment to keep the kids busy!
And to round it out, the MOJA Festival,  a celebration of African American and Caribbean culture, it is in its 30th year here and brings to Charleston the vibe of the Islands, doncha know? Find out more at  http://www.mojafestival.com/ . I will be offering my Charleston Slavery and Freedom Walking Tour daily during the Festival.
Ya'll come down now, you hear?

Preservation Society of Charleston Annual Awards Program

This past Thursday night I attended the Preservation Society of Charleston’s Annual Carolopolis Awards Presentation at the old Riviera Theater on King Street. For those of you not familiar with the Preservation Society, it was founded in 1920 and pioneered the modern preservation movement in Charleston. I hate that I forgot my printed program at the meeting, (it really was informative), but they awarded at least 10 Carolopolis Awards this year, a number of them to homeowners who restored by repairing or replacing original fabric with like kind. As an old school preservationist I have been an advocate for sensitive and authentic work and I was pleased to see such efforts being held up as a “Gold Standard”.

For all you oyster fans, the Preservation Society of Charleston  is holding their Membership Oyster Roast this coming Saturday, February  4  from 2:00-5:00 at the historic Quarters A at the old Navy Yard in North Charleston. For $35, you get oysters, music and fun---chili too I guess? –PLUS an annual membership to the Preservation Society! Hey, you gotta do it! For more info and to purchase tickets go to http://preservationsociety.org

Edwin Augustus Harleston: African American Master of the Charleston Renaissance Arts Movement and Vanguard Civil Rights Leader

We who know the history of the Arts in Charleston are aware of Charleston Renaissance Artists such as Alfred Hutty, Elizabeth O’Neill Verner and Alice Smith.




Boone Hall, by Edwin Harleston

 But today is the Birthday of the greatest and perhaps only African American member of that movement. His name is Edwin Harleston  Born March 14,1882, in Charleston, SC. Edwin Augustus Harleston was one of eight children. His father was a rice planter, a sea captain, and owned a funeral home.

Harleston received a scholarship to study at the Avery Normal Institute in Charleston and graduated valedictorian in 1900. For four years he attended Atlanta University where he played football and sang in a quartet. He relocated to Boston in 1905 to attend the art school of the Boston Museum of Fine Art where he studied under William Paxton and Frank Benson until 1913.

The seven year course was formed under the Beaux Arts tradition and formed the foundation of his style. With a passion for his art, he reluctantly returned to South Carolina to help in his father’s funeral home. It was during this time that he became active in local civil rights groups and eventually became president of the newly formed Charleston branch of the N.A.A.C.P. He led an effort that soon forced the public school system to hire Black teachers.He married Elise Forrest in 1920. She was a photographer , and two years later they opened a studio, which featured both of their works.

Influenced by of much of her work, he developed a highly realistic and academic technique of portraiture; many of his works were commissioned. His patrons included prominent national figures including the president of Atlanta University, philanthropist-Pierre S. Dupont, and the president of the Atlanta Life Insurance Co. Harleston's character studies include The Bible Student (1924), and Miss Bailey with the African Shawl (1930)..

At the request of Aaron Douglass, he assisted in painting murals for Fisk University that depicted a panoramic view of Black history from slavery onward. This work was completed in 1931 the year that he died. Shortly before his death Edwin Harleston received the Alain Locke Prize for portrait painting for his work The Old Servant at an exhibition of the Harmon foundation.



Edwin Augustus Harleston,self portrait


Source: African American Registry

Preservation Society of Charleston Fall Tours are around the corner!

Hard to believe it now, but the cool air of Fall will soon be here, and that means the return of the Preservation Society of Charleston’s Annual Fall Tours of local Homes and Gardens. I like the new format that they use for tours. For those of you who love seeing  old homes and beautiful gardens, the Saturday tours focus on neighborhoods, and will provide an eclectic choice of homes in targeted neighborhoods. This is also great for those who want to concentrate their time in a limited area.

However, on other days the tours have themes, such as “Charleston’s Cosmopolitan Legacy”.,  Colonial Charles Towne, Homes of the American Revolution, and The Civil War. I love the description for Charleston’s Cosmopolitan Legacy:

“….explore the diverse cultural influences that shaped life in 18th and 19th century Charleston, the rich ethnic traditions, skills and religious ideologies that blended together to establish Charleston as the cosmopolitan hub of life in America.”

Note the uncanny similarity to the description for our Charleston Old Walled City Walk! Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery I always say!  The thematic tours relate to eras in history and provide not only the opportunity to see lovely old homes, but to learn about eras in Charleston’s storied history. The tours commence October 2, so you might want to purchase your tickets now while they are readily available, because they just might sell out if you wait too long! Check out the tour descriptions at  http://www.thefalltours.org/.

If you would like to volunteer as a docent in the houses, you can call the Preservation Society of Charleston at 843-722-4630 or check out the many programs and volunteer opportunities available at http://www.preservationsociety.org/.

Hoppin' John, Collard Greens and Carolina Gold Rice -- Happy New Year!

Hoppin' John, Collard Greens and Carolina Gold Rice! Happy New Year Everyone!

 I made traditional Hoppin' John yesterday using Carolina Gold rice. For those of you not in the know, Carolina Gold was deemed the gold standard in rice for generations and was the strain that created great wealth in Charleston and the Carolina Lowcountry. Boiled rice tends to be gummy, so many folks use a rice steamer. But my stovetop boiled Hoppin' John turned out perfectly using Carolina Gold. Perhaps its short grain allows for less surface area for it to stick together. Unlike short grain rices used for sushi or rice pudding, I suspect it has a lower starch content as well.

Here in Charleston, we use field peas or cowpeas to make traditional Hoppin' John.  Eaten with collard greens, this is the traditional meal for New Years Day eaten in humble cabins and grand mansions. The old saying is that the Hoppin' John is for good luck and the collard greens for cash!
These dishes have deep roots in African American cooking. Despite that claim, the name Hoppin' John is most probably a derivative of the French phrase pois a pigeon, "pigeon peas", which when said quickly sounds like "Hoppin' John. It is theorized that this West African dish was brought to Charleston in the late 18th century  with the French Refugees and their slaves fleeing  Haiti and introduced into the general culture.

If you feel inspired to make your own Hoppin' John, the recipe in Charleston Receipts is classic.
I boil the field peas up with half a small onion finely diced, fried out salt pork or fatback, and salt and pepper. I make the Hoppin' John using the pot likker from the beans and always keep enough beans and pot likker aside to dish some over the Hoppin' John for those who so desire. The peas are quite tasty all by themselves!

For the collard greens, fill a tall pot with water one third  up, a tablespoon each of vinegar and  white sugar, and Lawry's Seasoning to taste and put to boil.. Put in a pound of seasoning meat. I use pork neck bones but smoked turkey is a good alternative. Scrub and rinse the greens, then slice in ribbons horizontally, discarding large stems. Place prepared greens in the boiling water and force them down into the water if it looks like you have too much for the pot. Don't worry, they will wilt and greatly reduce in volume in no time. Cover and simmer for at least two hours.

Enjoy!