The Ocala banner., 1906-10-19
OUR VISIT TO CHARLESTON.

bUOu as tHS bOdJ iduucu ihOoI VI Inc
passengers disembarked and started
for a stroll around the city. AS 1t
was Sunday evening we first went to
st. Michaels church, the Oldest
church in the south, but to our dis
appointment we found that there
were no services in the church that
evening.
We visited the postofice and the
Charleston holel and found thcm both
to be magnificent structures and OF
which any city either in the north or
south might well be proud.
After second good nights rest on
board the Arapahoe in the beautiful
Charleston harhor we started out I'M
mediately after breakfast to see
more OF the city of Charleston.
This is one of the quaintest cities
IN ibe south and is full of interesting
places for tourists to visit. There are
many spots of unusual historical in
terest, IL being at Fort Sumter, near
the city, that on January ninth,
eighteen hundred and sixty-one that
the first gun of the civil war was
fired.
The Charlestonians are exceeding
ly proud of their city, as well they
might be. and they are trying to pre-
serve all the old landmarks just as
they were before and during the civil
war.
We visited the city market, which
was erected many years before the
civil war and extends from street
to street, covering several blocks.
Formerly large numbers of buzzards
were given the freedom of the mark
ct" under the supposition that they
weie handmaidens to the board of
health because they acted as scav-
engers but this freedom is now de-
MED them and. we saw only one buzz
gard, who looked quite lonesome.
We had the good pleasure of meet
ing Col. Armstrong on the streets and
with that generosity and hospitality
for which he is noted he invited Capt.
kimbalL of the, steamer Arapahoe,
and a number of others to go with
him TO the Charleston Country Club
and other places Of historic interest
IL. the city.
Col Armstrong will be pleasantly
remembered as having been a visitor
to ocala at meeting of the Con-
feinrat. Veterans at the same time
that Mr. Charles Hemming. who af-
terwards erected the Hemming monu-
meflt in Jacksonville. was guest Of
the Marion county camp. Col. Arm
strong was the orator of the occasion
AMI the address he delivered is still
ren .embered for it's wit, humor, pa
thcs. hrilliancy and patriotism. He
inaired after number of his Ocala
friends and seemed quite interested in
our city.
Col. Armstrong, who is true Irish
man, holds his years well and is
still bubbling over with pleasantly and
wit the same as he was when he was
a younger man. He carried us
to several ct the places of interest in
this unique city. Among other points
he escorted us TO the Hibernian Hall
and besides numerous other things
showed us a pyramid of rocks taken
FROM the Giants Causeway" in Ire
land. He said that these rocks were
genuine and were taken directly
from the walls and said that wher
showing this pyramid to a lady some
time before she said that she did moi
believe that they were geunine.
"Why not" said COL Armstrong
in surprise?
Because" she said. "you have 81
many shamrocks in Ireland"
And Col. Armstrong kept firing of
these sallies of wit throughout tn
morning.
Next he took us to the countr!
club. 1t is a mile or more from tn,
city and is reached in few minute.
on the cars.
This club was in ante-bellum day
the Belvedere plantation and is 1
grand cid place. The approach to tn
house, which is about a quarter o
a miIe. consists of four avenues of i'm
mense live oak trees. These trees
are over hundrd years old and ar,
M IRE beautiful than any picture eve
shown on canvas. The walks ar,
h tered with chrysanthemum bushes
which grow there quite luxuriousl,
and the large grounds are beautifully
kept and contain many lovely plant
and flowers. There are now elegan
golf links. tennis court, ETC.. on tn
grounds, which cover many acres.
The club house. which was the orig
inai home Of the Belvederes is an ey
eellent example of the old southerl
homes before the war. 1t has beel
kept as nearly as possible as it wa