Published August 18. 2006 3:30AM
Birthplace of Carolinas
saluted
S.C. dedicates new visitors center, museum
S.C. dedicates new visitors center, museum
Charleston, S.C. | The birthplace of the
Carolinas had a rebirth Thursday with the dedication of a new visitors center
and museum at Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site where colonists first
landed more than three centuries ago.
The 665-acre tract on the Ashley River is the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Carolinas. It was established when the ship Carolina sailing from Barbados, landed in March of 1670.
The site is "a real jewel we have here on the coast of South Carolina," said Gov. Mark Sanford.
"History is important, not only as it relates to our past," he said, noting the renovations will attract thousands of visitors. "There will be a huge economic impact."
The improvements are part of an ongoing $19 million renovation of "a very sacred site for the state of South Carolina," said Chad Prosser, director of the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
The original settlement at Albemarle Point was built behind a palisade as protection against both the Spanish and American Indians. A decade later, the settlers moved down the Ashley River to the Charleston peninsula, the site of the city's present historic district.
The new visitors center sits beneath towering pines and has a glass wall offering views of a small lake and trails that wind down toward the river.
A palisade and earthen fortifications have been recreated on the site where they were originally built by colonists. A fountain at the park's entrance includes a metal relief of a ship similar to the one that brought the colonists.
A two-masted replica of a 17th century trading ketch is expected to be completed next year. Just now little more than the ribs of the wooden vessel are in place at the site.
When completed, the ketch serve as an exhibit but will occasionally sail the coastal waters.
The 665-acre tract on the Ashley River is the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Carolinas. It was established when the ship Carolina sailing from Barbados, landed in March of 1670.
The site is "a real jewel we have here on the coast of South Carolina," said Gov. Mark Sanford.
"History is important, not only as it relates to our past," he said, noting the renovations will attract thousands of visitors. "There will be a huge economic impact."
The improvements are part of an ongoing $19 million renovation of "a very sacred site for the state of South Carolina," said Chad Prosser, director of the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
The original settlement at Albemarle Point was built behind a palisade as protection against both the Spanish and American Indians. A decade later, the settlers moved down the Ashley River to the Charleston peninsula, the site of the city's present historic district.
The new visitors center sits beneath towering pines and has a glass wall offering views of a small lake and trails that wind down toward the river.
A palisade and earthen fortifications have been recreated on the site where they were originally built by colonists. A fountain at the park's entrance includes a metal relief of a ship similar to the one that brought the colonists.
A two-masted replica of a 17th century trading ketch is expected to be completed next year. Just now little more than the ribs of the wooden vessel are in place at the site.
When completed, the ketch serve as an exhibit but will occasionally sail the coastal waters.
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