Old Orangeburg House Succumbs to Time and Nature

FEBRUARY 2018

Since traveling to Orangeburg to teach at SC State- wow it has been 10 years now- I daily pass this old homestead. I see it when I take Exit 149, leaving Interstate 26 to get on Highway 33 (Russell Street) heading to Orangeburg. About a mile down on the left, there it stands in the distance just past the Garden of Prayer Church. 

I took these photographs in February 2018. It is accessible after parking on a piece of road in front of a gate that is easily walked around. The house is a few hundred yards back in the woods. At that time the road to the property was pretty open and clear. 

Whimsical Grave For a Boy Tragically Killed

 

This past Sunday I spent quality time at one of the Charleston area’s most unique and unusual grave sites. 

This is a story of a death that has taken a life of its own. 

I wrote about this colorful, elaborate grave in my 2022 book, “Stories from the Underground: The Churchyards of Charleston.” It is in fact, deliberately, the last story in a 230-page book that has hundreds of stories about mostly 18th and 19th-century Charlestonians. Herbie’s story is among many I feature in the book’s last chapter that is about the Charleston Historic Cemetery District, an area anchored by Magnolia Cemetery that has 20 or so cemeteries. My book is available for order through this site and my Amazon author's site. 

Little Herbert Alonzo Brown was just a few weeks shy of his fifth birthday in 1983 when on March 14 he was struck and killed by a truck on Highway 174 near Edisto Beach. Herbie’s foster mother stopped at a gas station/market, and went inside without the boy who apparently wandered off onto the highway. 

What a cute boy he was! 

The background story, according to various sources, was that Herbie was at some point taken away from his parents by social services. I don’t know why. When he died in the horrible accident (called a hit and run by one news source), a social services worker sought to get him a proper funeral and burial. 

This YouTube video by a guy who posts "Fascinating Graveyards" is really good. 

Back on the Trail Deep in the ACE Basin

 

Two days before Thanksgiving worked out well for a visit to the ACE Basin, the Lowcountry treasure of vast wilderness and wildlife. 

With the Donnelley and Bear Island state nature preserves closed for seasonal hunting I made the 50-mile drive to the Ernest F. Hollings National Wildlife Refuge, which prohibits hunting.

This refuge near Hollywood and Meggett was established in 1990. It consists of 11,815 acres. The ACE in ACE Basin stands for three rivers- the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto that run and drain through a protected system of 350,000 acres representing one of the largest undeveloped wetland ecosystems remaining on America’s East Coast. Ernest Hollings (1922-2019) of Charleston was a longtime and colorful political figure as a South Carolina governor and U.S. senator. 

Among the features is the Grove Plantation house that was built in 1828 by George Washington Morris (1799-1834), grandson of Lewis Morris, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The late Federal-style structure is one of the few antebellum mansions in the region to survive the Civil War. Today it serves as offices for U.S. Fish and Wildlife staffers who maintain the vast property. 

The front of the house faces toward the Edisto River. Back then the river was a key mode of transportation and transport so when friends, family, or business associates arrived by boat they would see the front of the home. 

New Bird Feeder Camera is Busy This Fall!

This weekend Baltimore Orioles have been frequenting my feeder that has a small dish of grape jelly just for them.

See the little pop of orange in the feeder? That’s an Oriole. 

Here’s a better look at the vibrant, beautiful male Baltimore Oriole and a better look also at the camera feeder I purchased in October. 

My first camera feeder was a gift last Christmas from my son Joseph. What a great surprise that was and I quickly got into seeing the daily short video clips it recorded of a wide variety of birds we have in the Charleston, S.C. Area. 

But that device stopped charging last summer. I finally bought a new one last month and I’m glad I did. Here is what I acquired. I’ve shared this link with a few folks who have asked after some bird video posts I’ve made on our neighborhood’s Facebook site. 

Here’s a fun screenshot I made today from an Oriole video. 

And below is a 15-second video recorded today. I like the picture and sound quality. 

Birds Galore at Magnolia Cemetery!

 

The photographer got photographed on Nov. 8 at Magnolia Cemetery! 

Gary Eaton snapped this image of me doing my thing from my perch on the bridge. A few years ago Gary founded the popular Facebook site “Magnolia Cemetery Photographer’s Group.” I was pleased to meet Gary on this day as well as another photographer named Catherine. 

There were quite a few birds to see from the long bridge at Magnolia Cemetery. Here are a pair of Wood Storks, a trio of White Ibis and a Black-crowned Night Heron. 

It had been a while since I’d seen a Black-crowned Night Heron. 

Fall Crafts Fair Fun!

Saturday, Nov. 2 was a bright sunny day- nice weather for my neighborhood’s annual arts and crafts fair. I was there with my books and sold eight, mostly copies of “Nature-ly Fun: Bird Photography from A to Z.” 
 

This is a fun book that I am so proud to have authored. I use the 26 letters of the alphabet to espouse nature, the great outdoors and, of course, birding as an interesting and enriching hobby. 

One way I promote the book is to say how it is a great way for young children to learn the alphabet, learn to read, and learn about the glorious variety of birds in the world. This is excellent material for parents and grandparents to read to their youngsters at bedtime. 

I’m so glad to have a small lightweight table perfect for events like this. 

To follow are photos I took of the 17 other Coosaw Creek neighbors who also had the chance to showcase their creative talents, creations and endeavors. 

Fall Magnolia Cemetery Visit

 

We stopped by Magnolia Cemetery last Saturday after a nice lunch downtown at Fleet Landing. 

It was such a pretty day I thought it would be fun to walk off our big meal at the cemetery.

Joseph took this photo of me at the iconic Smith Pyramid, eternal home to William Burroughs Smith, a wealthy banker who died in 1892. 

The pyramid and hundreds of other gravesites and the people interred in them are featured in my 2014 book, "In the Arms of Angels: Magnolia Cemetery- Charleston's Treasure of History, Mystery and Artistry." Check it out as well as my other books for sale on Amazon. My book information is also available at the top of this blog. 

On this sunny fall day I also wanted Joseph to see the spot we are purchasing in the mausoleum at Magnolia Cemetery.

I still have a number of monthly payments to make. But once that is accomplished we can have our names inscribed on the outside. Kind of creepy I know, but kind of cool too! 

Here are some of the pictures I took as we walked around the venerable150 acre burial grounds. Someone put a tiara on the lovely figure on the tomb of "Little Annie" Aiken who was just shy of 3 years old when she died at 1856 of diphtheria, a bacterial disease that a vaccine today can cure and prevent. 

Home Talk a Neat Treat!

The calendar finally flipped to Oct. 1 meaning I would finally give my talk at Coosaw Creek Country Club. 

The “Meet the Author” event was originally set for early August but was postponed due to Tropical Storm Debby. The week before the new date, Hurricane Helene struck. The Charleston area got off easy from Helene compared to other parts of South Carolina not to mention North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.

The clubhouse dining room was set up nicely for my talk and for the few dozen neighbors who RSVPed. light appetizers were served before I took to the podium. 

It was a good experience to speak to an audience of friends and neighbors! 

I delivered my “Tales of a Taphophile” PowerPoint, adding a part about the Ladson family, due to our neighborhood's proximity to Ladson and Ladson Road. 

The first Charleston Ladson, John, came here in 1679 from Barbados by way of England where he was born. Some Barbados men were granted large tracts of land in the Carolina Province and would become very prosperous with their rice plantations and enslaved African laborers. The Ladsons became very wealthy and prominent Charlestonians.

I signed and sold several books after my talk including copies of “Stories from the Underground: The Churchyards of Charleston” and “In the Arms of Angels: Magnolia Cemetery- Charleston’s Treasure of History, Mystery and Artistry.” 

The Ladson story is in the Charleston churchyards book. 

Many thanks to Ruth Norton for suggesting the “Meet the Author” event and to Coosaw Creek Country Club GM Chris Mitchell for inviting me and having such a nice AV and seating arrangement. Dan Montero, the club’s food and beverage director, made everything work just right. 

And thanks and ❤️ to Alesia for her help, support and photography. 

I'll have a table at the upcoming Coosaw Arts & Crafts Fair. It will be held Saturday, Nov. 2 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Keep on Shipping--- Dock Workers Strike is Suspended

 

It was a wistful outing to Sullivan’s Island on Sunday, Sept. 29 amid news that at midnight Tuesday port dockworkers from Maine to Texas would go on strike. 

The strike did happen but the good news as I begin this post Thursday at 7 p.m. is that it was just announced that the strike is suspended and International Longshoremen Association union members will return to work tomorrow morning. The ILA represents 85,000 longshoremen in the U.S., eastern Canada, Puerto Rico and the Bahamans.

So these big container ships will soon again be loading and offloading precious cargo at Charleston’s several ports. 

Hopefully things will quickly settle down at grocery stores where many shoppers have been stocking up on food and supplies, fearing shortages a long strike could cause. Plus people and organizations have been buying water, food and other products to help those suffering from the wrath of Hurricane Helene. 

We were fortunate to only have lots of yard debris caused by Helene's winds in our area.

Right as we arrived on the beach just before noon two APL ships passed in the harbor. The Southampton entered the harbor…

Delivered: My New, Expanded “Birds of Magnolia Cemetery” Book!

When UPS left this box at my door on Sept. 12 it felt like a late birthday gift or early Christmas present! 

Whoop! My books are here! 

I worked with My Book Printer of Madison Heights, Michigan on my latest publishing project. 

In 2023 My Book Printer featured my "Birds of Magnolia Cemetery" book. Click here to read the interview. 

Magnolia Cemetery is a beautiful Victorian rural cemetery on the outskirts of Charleston that opened in 1850.

In 2014 I published a book that showcases the fine monuments and landscape of this final resting place of so many prominent Charlestonians and regular folks too. 

That book is titled "In the Arms of Angels: Magnolia Cemetery- Charleston's Treasure of Mystery, History and Artistry."

And in 2022 I wrote "Stories from the Underground: The Churchyards of Charleston." 

Back to the birds...For a while, I had been thinking of doing an update to my first book, 2011’s “The Birds of Magnolia Cemetery: Charleston’s Secret Bird Sanctuary.” 

So beginning in May of this year the work began. I started laying out the pages in Adobe InDesign. This is the software I’ve used for writing and designing each of my books since the first one that I wrote in PowerPoint (a really long PowerPoint). In 2011 a local printer transformed the manuscript into a format so it could be printed and bound. 

I wanted my first book to also be set up in InDesign. And I also wanted, using Adobe Photoshop, to try to make the photographs sharper. So that’s what I did this summer, working on it, page by page, for three or more hours on most weekdays and between trips to Boston and our big Colorado-New Mexico trip in June. 

Before too long in the reformatting process, I decided this project would be a second edition “Birds of Magnolia Cemetery” book. 

I decided to keep the same image on the cover since it has so much meaning to me. Why? Buy the book and find out! 

Note the “Second Edition” on the thick branch below the Wood Stork. Under my name I mention two other cemetery books I have written. 

The Best of the Beach Summer 2024

Now that Labor Day has come and gone, I’d like to share my favorite photos from several enjoyable Charleston area beach visits (with Alesia and a couple times with our son Joseph). 

From my comfortable beach chair I watch the world go by. On a hot summer day there’s nothing better! On Sullivan’s Island we usually set up near the old Sand Dunes Club at Station 17 or 18. 

I have called Sullivan’s Island the intersection of commerce and recreation. These photographs show you what I mean. 

Boston Photograph Receives Stacks of Exposure!

 

Our first day in Cambridge, Mass. during Memorial Day weekend I snapped this picture of a very unique piece of architecture. 

I spotted it across the Charles River. We were on the Cambridge side and this building is in Boston. 

My research later determined this to be a fairly new building at Boston University. 

Here’s a link to my post from our interesting and amazing Boston visit. This was my first time in “Beantown.”

Fast forward to August 11- my birthday! I’m reading the Sunday paper and see the next reader photo contest topic is “stacks.” 

Right away this image came to my mind. 

I had a good feeling my photo would be selected by the contest’s editor. As you can read in the caption, this is Boston University’s Center for Computing and Data Sciences. It opened less than two years ago in December 2022.

“Iconic and Iconoclastic” is the headline of a BU post about the 19-floor building with “convention-bending design inside and out that makes it an iconic presence on Central Campus.”  The address is 665 Commonwealth Ave. 

This is the 12th photograph of mine, over the years, to be included in the newspaper’s Sunday feature. 

In Quest of Saint Anthony Cemetery, Questa, N.M.

 

As a seasoned “taphophile” I keep an eye out for burial sites when traveling to and through new places. 

One such find we spotted on our approach to Taos, N.M. where we would visit the old and historic Taos Pueblo village. 

We made a quick stop in another village, Questa. so I could check out this cemetery. It certainly looks different from most of the burial grounds in the Charleston area. 

I was struck by the rugged look of Saint Anthony Catholic Cemetery (also known as Questa Cemetery). There are many minimalist wooden grave markers amid the shrub grasslands. 

This site lists several dozens of people buried here.

Santa Fe- The Ultimate Destination!

 

What a fun place- Santa Fe, N.M.! (Elevation 7,199 feet). 

We spent three nights here (at the very nice Residence Inn Santa Fe) that culminated in my niece Nicole’s wedding to Tyler on June 15. See some of my photos from those festivities at the end of this post. 

We were fortunate to have clear skies and moderate temperatures in this small city (population 89,008 in 2022) with a big reputation for culture, art, history and shopping. 

The Spanish in 1610 founded (claimed and named) Santa Fe, making it the capital of Nuevo Mexico, a province of New Spain. It was first called Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asis. In English that would be Royal City of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi. 

I’m glad the name was eventually shortened to Santa Fe! 

The church in these photos is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. It was dedicated in 1887 and was built on the site of the original adobe church from 1610. St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) of Italy, is the patron saint of Santa Fe. This statue is of him. 

St. Francis Cathedral would be the backdrop for Nicole’s wedding that took place on the terrace of a nearby hotel. 

To follow are some of my photographs taken inside this beautiful house of worship.