The second owner was Charles Alston, the son of one of the wealthiest planters in South Carolina. He updated the house by adding the porches; the parapet, with his coat of arms along the roof; and the cast-iron balcony that graces the front of the house. Federal goes Greek Revival.
You purchase your ticket inside and then are moved out on to the porch to wait for your tour guide. While you are there, you will be irresistibly drawn to the jogging board. I have been trying to figure out where I could put one at my house. They are a ball. You sit on this longboard and bounce. It was the only exercise most Southern ladies ever got.
Carol was our guide. We begin our tour in the front parlor, where we got to look at some paintings of the house before the Alston’s altered it. Ninety percent of the contents of the house are from the Alston period, including the library. In the hall, we saw some excellent examples of pendant and ball molding, and in this case, in the form of acorns. One interesting fact we learned was that the Charlestonians have been compared to the Chinese. Both love rice and honor their ancestors.
This house has seen some very important visitors. General P.T. Beauregard watched the attack on Fort Sumpter from the piazza on April 12, 1861, and Robert E. Lee sought refuge here when a fire made his hotel unsafe in December 1861. There is an original copy of the Ordinance of Succession in the house, as well as Race Week memorabilia in the dining room. Every year in February, Charlestonians have race week.
The tour takes about a half-hour. You are not allowed to linger, because there will be another tour coming right behind you.
Photos courtesy of Charleston CVB
This is one house I've tried to visit twice before when in town but the first time we got a flat tire pulling up and the second time they were closed. Maybe third time will be the charm!!
ReplyDeleteIt is well worth being persistent.
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