The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1902-05-17
TRIP TO CHARLESTON.
some Random Notes Along the Route
and About Charleston.
Icorrsspondence of the Democratic Advocate.

fCorrespOndence OF the DemocIauc AQt0cAtf.I
CHARLESTON, s. c., April 18th, 1902.
We left Baltimore on the 81 train Sunda
over the Pennsylvania Railroad to Washing
ton, making no stops. Changing cars at tina
point, we took the Atlantic Sea Coast Railroad
for Charleston, no other change OF cars BENZ
made until we arrived at the Palmetto City.
II was very pleasant trip, taking all in all
We passed through some very interesting
country. There was Confederate soldie
who sat back of me and he pointed out place
of interest when we passed any historical spot
Governor Smiths train was second section
to ours; we did not wear enough gold lace AMI
had not the state treasury to help us if we go
stranded-we help to fill that treasury though
Nevertheless we were on the regular through
train and the scenery was just as beautiful ane
tie cars ran just as smoothly.
The farming lands were, well, / might say
rather poor and desolate looking, with plenty
of empty negro cabins-maybe not empty
they say here that in summer time the negro
closes the house and has a roaring fire, and II
winter throws open the doors and sits outside
We passed through Richmond and Peters
burg, Va, aud Weldon, N G. The A. G. l.
r. r. is the old Weldon road which gave the
soldiers of both the U. s. and c. 5. Al. sc
much trouble during the war-one side to teal
up and the other to repair.
We slept the latter part of the journey, ar
irving here about o'clock Monday morning
The station we ran TO was rather nnaccommo
dating, and if we asked any questions they
would look az you blankly and say just turn
to vour left. | asked for saloon-you know
| am from Uniontown-and they did not know
what | meant should have asked for a
ssBlind Tiger or an "Open Eye" There
are no saloons here, they have the ssdispensary
law You must go into grocery or tobacco
store and walk back and you will almost al
ways find what you are looking for. We three
hunted our boarding house. 1t was found
near the Battery" the benton portion of the
city--all residences
Our first jaunt was trip to Sullivan's Is.
land, or Island of Palms. We crossed Cooper
river in boa, land then by troily passed through
Mt. Pleasant, Moultrieville, &C., stopping at
palm beach about an hour. The beach IS "a
lovely place and full of small and pretty sea
shells. Fort Moultrie is on this island and
The new fort started during the Cuban war,
and the government is erecting cottages for
the army officers stationed there. Castle
Pinkney and Fort Sumpter are plainly seen
from that point. | do not intend to give any
description of the numerous points of interest,
of which there are hundreds, in Charleston
and vicinity. Every school child should know,
and if they do not know, should be taught the
history of "Our Country" thoroughly, and
then II there is any spare time finish up with
some foreign nation / will venture to wager
a big orange that there is not one in ten OF our
Young generation, sup to the age Of twenty
wears. .. who can tell what happened in Char
lesion harbor forty years ago. The above IS
history, and interesting history, both to North
as well as South.
Several years ago | was coming home from
Manchester, and meeting number OF school
children / asked them who was president OF
the United States, and they could not tell me.
T sunpose if it was today, they would say
either Hoffacker or Ganter Another time
was walking to Uniontown, my adopted dis
trict, and oyeraking young man about hf-
teen or sixteen years old, and i being little
dell in my geography, asked him number
of questions concerning capitols OF states, DC
A few he knew, and a great big lot he did
not know. | suppose they say it is none ct
nv business, but they will find out when they
get away from home that it is to their disad-
vantage.
This is big trucking neighborhood; pota-
toes are nearly ready to dig, beans are grow
ing finely. and strawberries are being shipped
north by the train load. The Kennedy farm
il the principal truck farm here, and supplies
the city with vegetables, &c. They do not
peddle from door to door as our truckers do,
in wagons, but in place the colored women
carry large baskets on their heads, filled with
fresh vegetables.
The negro women seem to be the men
with the hoe You can look in any direction
and Won will see bunch of women hoeiDg
vegetables. / counted twenty four of them in
one small field. There are no fences. Once
49,, 90, coo man q u1ulp and q
plow. They drive with two rope lines, and
use small Barshear pillow to cultivate with.
The women receive forty cents and the men
seventy FIVE cents per day. That is one rea-
son. I suppose. the women do the most farm
work. / do not know where the men get to.
A wheel from the power house demolished
a negro hut near by and killed the woman,
while her husband, standing beside her, was
unframed, which goes to show how men are
taken care of here.
The children are put in the cotton field to
PICK cotton as soon as they are able to handle
a basket. and stay there as long as they are
able to hold it. This refers to the women.
The men work till they reach the age OF dis
erection and retire.
| believe the population CT Charleston is
I9. 900 whites and 10000 blacks, and out of
this number about 500 blacks vote.
We asked if there we're any aligators. The
remark was s'there used to be plenty OF aliga-
tors and no pickaninies, now there are no ali
gators but plenty of pickaninies The col
ored people used them for bait to catch the
aligators with.
lovely spot. The ground was turned into
burning ground in 1851, and today has IL 900
bodies buried there Some very handsome
stones. Roses are growing in profusion; every
lot has four, six and eight rose bushes IN them,
and they are covered with blooming roses, all
kinds and varieties, and the largest flowers |
have ever seen. The bushes are large and
healthy looking, and the leaves are dark
green. We had never seen such sight, and
felt a hestancy in leaving when the time came
for the gates to close. There is live oak
tree in this cemetery which is supposed to be
600 years old. Its limbs cover over space
of go by 112 feet, and the trunk is Il feet in
One of its limbs was broken
off in 1872 and still shows its mark.
We saw Sea Island cotton growing. 1t is
shipped to England aud used in making all
goods.
An old mile stone was pointed out to us
which had on it the year 1888.
ST. Mishael's Church is one of the old land
marks. It was opened for service February
LIST, 1851; the steeple 1913 feet high; bells and
clock imported from England same year; the
organ 1868. There is a fine view from the
steeple. In the adjoining grave yard is
grave having for its mark the head of bed
stead, with the following inscription on it:
eMary Ann Layton, died September 9th, ITO,
q years. 1t was a very odd mark for
grave. The bedstead is Of hard wood and is
now covered with wire netting to keep the
curious from chipping it to pieces. Another
grave is marked with Mordeeai Gist, of Revo-
lutionary fame, died 18th September, 1892,
aged A years, and his youngest son. States
Gist, died 1922, aged 55 years.
During the war the tower of St Mlchael's
was used by the Confederates as lookout
tower,n and had some one stationed there all
the time.
Speaking of St. Michaers reminds me of
one of the streets here. 1t is Legare street,
and is called heaven. 1t is very handsome
place, though the driveway is narrow and high
fences and gates are used. "lf you live on
Legare street and go to St. MichaeFs Church,
and when you die you're buried in Magnolia
Cemetery, you are sure of a place in heaven"
The Battery is the prettiest and most aristo-
cratic portion of the city. The houses are
handsome and the yards and gardens are one
mass of growing roses and smaller flowers.
The rose bushes are trailing over frames fif-
teen. twenty and thirty feet long, and are COW
cred with beautiful flowers, pink, white, yell
low and red, and of the most delicate shades.
Speaking of the city. don't think there
could be enough linseed oil or paint made in
the United States in ten years to cover the
houses which need second or third coat.