.
As I said before, Charleston is a city you need to walk. We ambled randomly after the French Quarter and still managed to find some interesting spots.
.
.
.
Early settlements did love their walls.
.
.
This is a charming southern city with a laid back atmosphere.
.
.
And some ankle turning cobblestone streets.
.
.
On one of those streets?
.
.
A disturbing but important reminder of what went on here.
.
.
Admittedly you have to view history through the lens of the day, but still. The horror brought me up short.
.
.
Beautiful, yes.
.
.
Interesting buildings? Sure.
.
.
Quirky garden frogs hidden behind a wall of shrubbery?
.
.
That too, but this is the south.
.
.
Where monuments to slave holders still stand.
.
.
It’s hard not to be affected by that, at least for me.
.
.
So we soaked it all in and continued to explore.
.
.
.
Marveling at how such a beautiful place could harbor such darkness.
.
.
River's world..... 
I know what you mean about that sign … but I think it’s important they remain. I know there are some people who think likes of that should be removed, but history can’t be undone, and if it provoked a reaction of horror, as it would certainly do with me too, then I think that’;s a good thing. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
The sign should definitely be there, I’m not a history revisionist. But the monuments glorifying and paying tribute to those who perpetrated the horrors are hard to take.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Admittedly you have to view history through the lens of the day” well, no it was wrong then as well ya know. I personally don’t think every single white person, even in the South, believed in the slave trade. Those historical markers are gut wrenching, should they be removed ? Naw let history be history. It would only be wrong if Charleston had an event that glorified its sordid history.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m arguing against the monuments glorifying it, not the sign. That’s an important reminder.
LikeLike
WordPress won’t let me like this post (tried 3 times) but I do. We need these reminders, if for no other reason than to prevent people from saying it never happened.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly.
👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Its odd you say some people could say it never happened when it so obviously did. And my likes appear to be rejected too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some people don’t like having the reminders. Some people don’t like teaching certain subjects. If we don’t leave reminders to the fact that something happened, it can become less obvious that it did.
LikeLike
Yes, here in Oz they don’t teach about the massacres of our first peoples. Lots of people think they should just get over it. But there’s ongoing wrongs. ‘Tell the truth’ is often heard at protests.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I feel that such a place needs to own their history and use it to educate rather than hide it. Big that being said, it’s a tough balance.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have similar reactions when i run into ugly parts of our history. It’s important we tell the unvarnished truth, and if that’s uncomfortable, then maybe that’s a good thing. In all my travels I’ve never been to Charleston, enjoying this stroll with you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We lived down south for years but never visited. It was long overdue…
LikeLike
We have family friends who live in Charleston and love it. I think those close associations with slavery are one reason why the South is pretty much the only part of the country I have never visited.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s another world, for sure.
LikeLike
Obelisk to slave traders? Must be very old. How odd. One of them must’ve put it up themselves, the scumbag.
LikeLike