Improvements at Charleston's Magnolia Cemetery!

 

It had been an unusually long time since I had been to Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston’s grand necropolis and subject of three of my books. Last Sunday, Aug. 30 we drove there for the first time in 2026, I believe. 

I’ve been wanting to visit after receiving a latter in July from the cemetery touting the restoration of three landmarks. One involves the entrance pillars. They look like they’ve been repainted and perhaps some repairs and stabilization work was done too. 

The letter also says the gatehouse and bell tower seen here were restored. The gatehouse received a new door, shutters and paint. The bell display was spruced up as well. 

The doors of the old shop were replaced and some roads were improved with crushed recycled asphalt that a donor provided at a discounted rate. 

We also checked on our spot that I purchased for us a few years ago that will last us eternally (literally). 

Yep, it’s still there. I added our names for this photograph. Some people have their names and birth years engraved on their gravestones while they are still alive. We may opt to do that down the road. 

Green Energy Ship Turns Heads Heading Out to Sea

Most of the large container ships and chemical tankers seen entering or leaving Charleston Harbor don’t wow you with their looks other than their sheer size. 

But on April 30 while at the beach on Sullivan’s Island I witnessed an exception: this stunning vessel steaming toward the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. I love this photo for capturing the ship’s bold beauty and because we see St. Philip’s Church in the background, a Holy City landmark (one of 14 downtown churches in my book “Stories from the Underground: The Churchyards of Charleston").

See what I mean about turning heads? This gentleman stopped and stared, as did I. 

Stena Prosperous it says on the bow and on the port side in even larger print is Stena Proman. The former is the ship’s name and the latter the company that owns it.  

More lettering on the side spells IMOIIMeMAX. Let us try to determine what all this means! But first check out this photo of the tanker from Ships Monthly. 

Stena Prosperous is an oil and chemical products tanker built in 2022 at Guangzhou Shipyard in China.  It sails under the flag of Limassol, Cypress.

Stena Proman is a joint venture between Stena Bulk, a leading tanker operator, and Proman, a leader in natural gas-derived products and services. The two companies joined forces to build and operate a fleet of methanol-fueled tankers.