These 'First Families' of Old Charleston- and others- are Lowcountry legends in their own right. Margaret Middleton Rivers Eastman takes readers behind parlor doors on a journey from the patrician historical area south of Broad Street to the luxurious Sea Island plantations in an unusual collection of treasured family traditions that span the colony's founding to the mid-twentieth century.

These 'First Families' of Old Charleston- and others- are Lowcountry legends in their own right. Margaret Middleton Rivers Eastman takes readers behind parlor doors on a journey from the patrician historical area south of Broad Street to the luxurious Sea Island plantations in an unusual collection of treasured family traditions that span the colony's founding to the mid-twentieth century.

Forgotten tales of Charleston's Civil War history have been collected into this new compendium for today's history lovers. In a city as old as Charleston, it's only natural for some stories to become less well-known over time, but the Palmetto State's history should never be forgotten entirely. Author Margaret Middleton Rivers Eastman recounts some of Charleston's amazing Civil War stories that have faded from memory, including the shady story of how an association of Charleston elites conspired to push South Carolina toward secession in 1860, and the Stone Fleet of old whaling ships that were sunk in Charleston Harbor in an attempt to choke out Confederate blockade runners, as well as a cast of real-life characters such as Amarinthia Yates Snowden, William Richard Catheart, and Tom Lockwood, just to name a few.

Old Charleston Originals by prolific local author Margaret Eastman revives stories from the Holy City's incredible past. Preserved within these pages are tales from the swashbuckling early settlers, tales of the exclusive events thrown by Jockey Club, and the rise and fall of the maritime empire of George Alfred Trenholm, considered the inspiration for the legendary blockade runner Rhett Butler. Discover what caused a near massacre in the state house, how two determined Charleston ladies stopped a bulldozer, why a plantation home to be floated down the Cooper River and many more stories from Charleston's past.

From the Lowcountry's first recorded duel to old-fashioned summers at the 'hottest spot in town", these pages will captivate you with stories of people, events and places that have all but vanished from memory. Find out the real history behind some of Charleston's beloved mansions and learn about the early plantations and their owners. Join the authors as they relate the riots and romance, the preservation and politics - and even a ghost story - from Charleston's hidden history.

A collection of fantastical and macabre Gullah-inspired folklore that illuminates African-American life in nineteenth-century South Carolina. You ask for a story. I will tell you one, fact for fact and true for true. . . . So begins “Crook-Neck Dick,” one of twenty-three stories in this beguiling collection of Charleston lore. John Bennett’s interpretations of the legends shared with him by African-descended Charlestonians have entertained generations. Among them are tales of ghosts, conjuring, superhuman feats, and supernatural powers; accounts of ingenuity, humor, terror, mystery, and solidarity will enchant folklorists, students of Charleston history, and all those who love a good ghost story. Julia Eichelberger, the Marybelle Higgins Howe Professor of Southern Literature and an executive board member of the Center for Study of Slavery at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, provides an introduction. “A collection of folk story, myth, drolleries, macabre unreason . . . old tales of death, mystery, bizarre incredibilities, diabolic influence, demanding ghosts, buried treasure, enchantments, miracles, visitations, and the dead that are not dead.” —Kirkus Reviews

This anthology portrays a collective consciousness shared by residents of a time when the city was very different than it is today. The literary image painted within its pages is drawn from the interviews of over two dozen Charlestonians whose recollections typify those of many residents of a time now faded - folks from nearly every section of the city, both Uptown and Downtown, from various neighborhoods and walks of life. Many readers will be native Charlestonians who remember and will be able to relate to much of what is within the pages. However, newcomers and visitors may enjoy learning about an earlier Charleston that has given way to a new identity.