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Each state has a unique story, but none more internationally impactful than South Carolina. Theirs is a tale that begins with the establishment of the colony and has resonated throughout the centuries and the legacy of enslavement has been entwined throughout the culture in both overt and covert ways. This history that often makes people uncomfortable, but is necessary none the less, to relate a “round unvarnished tale.” The best way to understand South Carolina’s story is to immerse yourself in the sounds, smells, soundtrack and sites of the area that are a blend of all cultures. @Discover_SC Spanish explorers arrived in the South Carolina area in 1516. They were met by numerous bands of Native Americans, the largest being the Cherokee. In 1526 the Spanish started a settlement that failed almost immediately. They were followed in 1562 by the French Huguenots. English colonists founded the port City of Charleston in 1670 and it was named Charles Town in honor of England’s King Charles II. In 1690 the first shipment of black slaves arrived from Barbados and the systems and laws used to control institutional slavery were based on the Barbados model. The long awaited International African American -82- | ExtendedWeekendGetaways ~ December, 2023
The Greatest Stor
Museum (IAAM) opened on Gadsdens’ Wharf, a historic site of trauma and modern reconciliation. Now home to an international museum it was the point of arrival for an estimated 45% of the United States enslaved Africans. The museum is creatively designed to reflect all aspects of these experiences. A comprehensive tour begins on the exterior. The building looms 13-ft. above the wharf and the African Ancestors Memorial Garden. The structure is suspended by 18 cylindrical pillars covered in oyster shell tabby, representing an important building material in the colonial era. Additional heritage elements in the garden include a wall of slave tags and sea grass garden of the type used in weaving baskets. In the East Yard an outline of the slave house that was there at the time can be seen. The house was used to quarantine the captives. The approximately 700 individuals who died there are memorialized with carved sculptures in the house. The iconic display, The Tide Tribute, is based upon a diagram of the Brookes slave ship. Based on the tide the water of the wharf reveals etched figures of the enslaved forever held beneath the
