Today we reconnected with a friend / co-worker of mine originally from Des Moines, Jan Visser. In a previous blog post I explained the connection, and we have kept in contact via Facebook, but it has been many years since we've Doreen and I have seen Jan. It was great to reconnect with her today as she offered to drive us around Sullivan's Island on her brother's golf cart as she told us about it's history. We met Jan at her house and parked the big ol' brown truck there, and then headed down to Sullivan's Island in her car.
Just a bit of history, as I understand it. Sullivan's Island was named after Florence O'Sullivan who was a Captain on one of the first ships to arrive here in the 17th century. Captain O'Sullivan was put in charge of a cannon used to signal to the town of Charles Town that ships were approaching the harbor. In the 1700's ships arriving here with ill passengers would either quarantine them on ships or on Sullivan's Island. During this time many slaves also arrived from Africa and suffered from illnesses.
One of the biggest functions of Sullivan's Island involved defense of the harbor. Fort Sullivan, later Fort Moultrie provided critical protection from the north, and Fort Sumter from the south. Any ship trying to enter the Charleston harbor would have to survive these defenses.
Today the island is primarily a beautifully maintained residential area with a wonderful beach area and historical sites that attract tourists and others from the mainland.
On our tour we saw absolutely beautiful homes, some dating back hundreds of years. We saw concrete structures from the years of military construction. The Fort Moultrie Visitor Center was closed but the fort itself was at least partially open. The lighthouse is not open to the public but we saw it and Doreen got her passport stamped at Fort Moultrie. For the sake of brevity, I will try to condense this down as much as possible.
It is pretty hard to see here but the ceiling on this porch and many porches in the south are painted a light blue color, called “haint blue”. This color supposedly warded off “haints” or evil spirits who might want to harm the house or the family inside. Many argue that painting your porch ceiling blue actually keeps insects such as mosquitos away! And now you know!!!
On our tour we saw absolutely beautiful homes, some dating back hundreds of years. We saw concrete structures from the years of military construction. The Fort Moultrie Visitor Center was closed but the fort itself was at least partially open. The lighthouse is not open to the public but we saw it and Doreen got her passport stamped at Fort Moultrie. For the sake of brevity, I will try to condense this down as much as possible.
Our ride for the day
A few pictures of the magnificent homes on the island, some very old and some newer. Many of the buildings previously served military functions such as officer's club, enlisted quarters, commissary, medical facilities, etc.
Oak tree like we saw at the Angel Oak site
New construction and significant remodels require elevation
Hurricane-proof construction
Throughout the island you can see concrete from old military structures such as batteries/gun emplacements. Most have been repurposed..
We visited Fort Moultrie, but did not go through the entire fort. Doreen was able to get her lighthouse passport stamped there and the observation deck was open so we got a few pictures from there.
Dates back to World War I
We visited Fort Moultrie, but did not go through the entire fort. Doreen was able to get her lighthouse passport stamped there and the observation deck was open so we got a few pictures from there.
Coastal guns visible
World War II Harbor Entrance Control Post
They have done a nice job of preserving some of the old cannons on Cannon Row. We saw some of the same in the park yesterday. 
For lunch we headed down Middle Street and stopped at Poe's Tavern. Edgar Allen Poe was actually stationed here at Fort Moultrie for over a year, from 1827-1828 and he has a tavern named after him!
Liberty was "on point" the entire time with us on the golf cart, so when we got back, she "crashed and burned" on the couch.
Tomorrow is a down day for us. We will likely restock the groceries, and make preparations for departure Saturday morning for Charlotte NC.
The 13 inch mortar in the foreground is so impressive!
For lunch we headed down Middle Street and stopped at Poe's Tavern. Edgar Allen Poe was actually stationed here at Fort Moultrie for over a year, from 1827-1828 and he has a tavern named after him!
Doreen, Jan and Ed
There is so much more that could be said about our tour of Sullivan's Island, but we are just so glad we were able to reconnect with Jan and she would take time out of her busy schedule to share this place with us. 
Liberty was "on point" the entire time with us on the golf cart, so when we got back, she "crashed and burned" on the couch.
Safe travels and thanks for sharing. We'll be heading down state later today to Charleston ... be golfing on base in the morning and then playing tourist later tomorrow.
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