On our final day in Charleston I decided to take a leisurely walk around the neighborhood where our hotel was located – the French Quarter – before packing up and calling an Uber for the airport. The homes in this area aren’t nearly as grand as those south of Broad street (the SOBs), probably because it’s home to the Old Slave Mart, the City Market (est. in 1790) and many restaurants and museums.
When I first saw the plaque next to the above door I thought the name of the house was “Carolopolis” but I was wrong. Every year one of these plaques is presented to a structure originally built in Charleston’s colonial days that has been properly preserved. Carolopolis is a combination of Carolus, greek for “Charles” and polis meaning “city.”
Also common are plaques which describe the historic significance of the structure.
This salmon colored house is typical of homes in the French Quarter. As you can see, the balconies are off to the side and draped to insure privacy. And of course, the garden is surrounded by a cast iron picket fence. (These fences made it difficult to trespass to get better pictures of the doors!)
You see a lot of old gas lamps in the historic districts of Charleston. They’re quite romantic which is one of the reasons you also see a lot of advertisements for wedding venues.
I’m not exaggerating when I say there are hundreds of historic structures in Charleston. One of the reasons has to do with that dastardly War of Northern Aggression. Ironically, the city in which the Civil War began missed undergoing the fate of other southern cities, many of which were burnt to the ground by Union soldiers.
That’s the last of my pics from Charleston, a city which, if you want to visit, you’d better go soon. It’s on a list of the 14 American cities that could soon be underwater as tides continue to rise.
Check out other doors from around the world at Norm Frampton’s addictive door event.
Saying nothing in particular 
Another lovely set. I swoon over the salmon home with the draped balconies. Gorgeous. 🙂
It was! It was a very sunny, hot day – hard to get good pictures especially for a rank amateur like myself!
Me too : )
I visited Charleston twice when I was living in Charlotte. It’s hard to not fall in love with that city 🙂
I’m still daydreaming about the chocolate martini I had at a bakery bar down near the City Market. Yum! Not to mention the ribs at Sticky Fingers. I’d wear 500 pounds if I lived there.
Nice post Jan. It really does seem like a very pretty place. I guess I better hurry up and go if I want to see it before it ends up under water 😉
Every morning we were there the area down near the Slave Mart was flooded! Yet, folks just seemed to take it in their stride.
I would definitely buy a houseboat if I lived there, Jan. Love that salmon coloured house, it’s gorgeous.
That’s one thing I didn’t see – houseboats. We have them here in the SF Bay Area which is not on the list of sinking cities. Folks just like the freedom of living on a boat (not to mention the views).
I’ve never been, but hopefully will get there one of these days. It would be so much fun to stroll the streets.
janet
Highly recommended but it is expensive!
It seems the residents got used to being flooded. I looked it up on the map – too much water to feel comfortable 🙂 I hope all these historical buildings are preserved. It is amazing how much history is concentrated in one place. Thank you for this wonderful excursion.
Thanks Inese! To save the city would probably require building a seawall which wouldn’t go over with preservation society rules and regulations! But eventually I think they’re going to have to.
You are lucky to be able to visit. Love your posts, always something interesting to learn about.
Isn’t it amazing how quickly the world changes, we now refer to a cab as an uber. :))))))))))
Do you guys have ubers in Penzance?
I really like that you explained about the plaque, it is nice to learn new information while reading posts. The historical elements of the homes is always something I enjoy. The peach colored (salmon) house is beautiful in so many aspects, Jan. 🙂
Jan, sorry I usually work long hours so I catch up a little late on blog posts. Sending you smiles for this stunning doors post. 🙂
I enjoyed the glimpses of Charleston, Jan — I found them enlightening, and your descriptions, delightful.