Furman University Journals

Well, I guess the best way to explain the last week is to say that it was a tiring mad dash to the finish line which included completing my project for my internship, writing our papers for the course, and taking the final exam. This was tempered for the class by going to Andolini's Pizza with David Cobb, a lawyer and Furman alum in Charleston (sadly I didn't make it). After the final exam on Thursday, we were treated to dinner by Dr. O'Neill and Mark Mitchell (a Furman classmate of Dr. O'Neill's) at Mr. Mitchell's house on Isle of Palms. It was a lot of fun and it was a great way to say bye to my classmates who are either going to be in Europe studying abroad like me or will be taking classes at Furman this fall term. If I had to recommend this course, I would do it without hesitation. It was a great way to spend two months of your summer. Not only do the class and the internship give you a better grasp of history, but it was also wonderful getting to truly live in another city and more specifically a city like Charleston. It is hard to say for me that there are many places comparable to Charleston, but it would be a great experience for any Furman history major. I know that the business students were having just as much fun and that they got to also experience Charleston in many ways that would otherwise would be impossible without the support of Furman. All in all, this summer has been a great opportunity and the experiences both inside and outside the classroom have been great. I am sad to see that the summer has ended in Charleston, but now we have a little time to collect ourselves and wait for yet another challenge to be thrown our way

With the end of the program nearing, one would think that things would start to wind down, but the Charleston program has been anything but that. While I scanned photos for most of the beginning of the week for my internship, we prepared to meet Mayor Joe Riley, a fixture of Charleston history and government, on Wednesday. Before meeting him on Wednesday, we went on an afternoon tour of Magnolia Plantation where we found the graves of many of the people we had been reading about during the course. Wednesday, we not only got to talk with the mayor about both the past (his election and his mentality on the Civil Rights Movement) but we also discussed the present and the future of Charleston (progress vs. preservation). We were indeed impressed by our time with Mayor Riley and also within the City Hall and museum-like City Counil Chamber. One other opportunity we were lucky to partake in was a sailing tour of Charleston Harbor aboard the new Spririt of South Carolina. We got a wonderful view of the harbor while helping to hoist the sails. We also were exposed to aspects of Charleston history that our vantage point on the water provided for. Everyone seemed to have a great time on our three hour sailing tour. Friday, we took a van and toured the Port Authority facilities on the waterfront of Charleston. This was great for both the business and history students since it really applied to both of us. Afterwards, we headed to the French Santee region north of Charleston where we got to visit McClellanville. We took a look at their city museum and enjoyed a lunch at a local seafood restaurant. Afterwards we got to drive on an original piece of the King's Highway which used to link all of the thirteen colonies in the 18th century. After a few miles, we arrived at the St. James Santee Parish Church which is an 18th century church that serviced the rice growing community that populated the region. Our final stop was Hampton Plantation which was the home of SC poet laureate Archibald Rutledge. It was originally the site of the Horry family rice plantation and it was inherited by Rutledge who wrote his famous Home by the River there. It is a little bitter sweet that the course is coming to a close soon, but at the same time we are all too busy to worry about that with the final exam nearing.

My internship continued to go well this week even if it has been a bit time consuming with transcription. Class is now focusing on Reconstruction era Charleston and the effects it had on the city. Tuesday we went out and tried our hand at crabbing at the northern tip of Folly Beach with Dr. O'Neill, Will Cook, and Dr. Peterson. We actually caught a few but the experience was really what was great. The sun setting and the glistening water offset by the defiant Morris Island Light House was a great way to spend an evening. We had a great time afterwards at Taco Boy with Will Cook who was far to kind and paid for our very tasty meals. Thursday after class, we met and went to a Charleston Riverdogs game which was a shut out for the Kannapolis Intimidators (in other words they weren't too intimidating). It was still a lot of fun and they gave out free loafs of bread as you left the stadium so what more could you possibly ask for. On Friday morning, we went to Fort Sumter where Joel Prather and Mary Upchurch are interning for the summer. They did a great job even through some tough questioning. After lunch, we went and toured the George Maniguault house and the Aiken-Rhett House which were both very interesting, but were presented and preserved in very different ways. As the end and with it the final approach we are all staying busy but at the same time it continues to be a great way to experience Charleston.

Having left Patriot's Point, I am now working on a project for my boss which entails compiling, transcribing, and meetings. To be more specific though, I am working on a project that is for a WWII veteran of the 13th Air Force in the Pacific. He was the pilot of a bomber and flew 58 missions against the Japanese from mid 1943 to April of 1944. It has been a great but trying experience working with him since he has his expectations and I am trying to fill them. In the other spectrum, class started the week off with our midterm exam which consisted of the history from 1670 to 1865 in Charleston and the low country. We have been reading a general history of Charleston for the course along with two books and news articles from the Charleston Post and Courier. After our midterm on Tuesday, we were able to relax in the beautiful home of Will Cook who is a Furman alum and a professor at the Charleston School of Law where we are taking our classes. We had a great time talking and enjoyed a lot of great food.  Thursday, we went to the home of Dr. Eddie White who is a classmate of Dr. O'Neill's and is an alum of Furman. Getting to meet some of Furman's alums in the lowcountry has been very nice.This was a great way to unwind Thursday evening and we were treated to the expert cooking of Dr. O'Neill and his famous Frogmore Stew (Low Country Boil). Getting to meet some of Furman's alums in the lowcountry has been very nice.Friday's trip consisted of taking a guided tour of Charles Towne Landing with Miller Yoho and Andrew Hoke who are both interns at the park. They even did a 17th century firing demonstration. Afterwards, we went to Magnolia where the class toured the site and got to go see the Slavery to Freedom archeology and cabins. Charleston continues to be rewarding but very busy.

My last at Patriot's Point was all in preparation for giving a tour of the USS Laffey (a destroyer) to my class on the 4th of July. I had been reading a book written by the captain of the Laffey about her WWII experience. The week prior, I was lucky to get to meet with some of the former crew of Laffey and get their prespective as they worked on keeping the ship in good condition. I gave my first real tour this week to a group of two and then jumped up to a group of around 35 or so for my second tour. July 4th at Patriot's Point is one of the busiest days of the year. We had visitors from all over the country and the world visiting the ships. Dr. O'Neill and the class showed up and I gave them their tour. I feel I did alright since they seemed to enjoy it. Class continues to be good, but busy since we have a good amount of reading to do weekly. We didn't have a trip this Friday, so I got to start celebrating my birthday early in the great city of Charleston.