Charleston Time Machine

The aircraft carrier Yorktown (CV-10) has been a landmark of Charleston Harbor for fifty years, but few visitors recall the struggle to secure the ship for South Carolina. The opening of a naval museum at Patriots Point in 1976 capped a years-long campaign, both to save the aging carrier from the scrap heap and to prevent a rival state from claiming the famous “Fighting Lady” of World War II.

Three hundred years ago, a Black woman called Judy cultivated a small farm within the sylvan landscape of suburban Charleston. Most residents of the present community have traversed her property without noticing its ancient boundaries, and few recognize her landmark name that endured for nearly a century. Let’s expand our historical radar with an illuminating journey to Free Judy’s place on Charleston Neck.

Lord William Campbell’s six-month struggle to uphold British authority in South Carolina collapsed during the final wintry days of 1775, but the tenacious royal governor did not concede defeat. His withdrawal to neighboring colonies in January 1776 marked a significant turning point in the colony’s path to political independence, and set the stage for a violent summer reunion on Sullivan’s Island.

Episode 327: The American Raid on Sullivan's Island, 19 December 1775 by Nic Butler, Ph.D.

Lady William Campbell, formerly Miss Sarah Izard, endured three months’ separation from her husband during the autumn of 1775, thanks to the collapse of British authority in the capital of South Carolina. When allies warned that she might become a rebel hostage, Sarah entrusted her life and that of her children to loyal confederates who helped spirit them out of Charleston under a moonless sky.

In early December 1775, anxiety about food security drove the king’s mariners in Rebellion Road to commit spiteful acts of plunder. Illegal seizures made on both land and sea fueled contempt for royal authority across South Carolina and inspired rebel leaders in Charleston to pursue an increasingly aggressive course, tightening a metaphorical noose around the loyalist sanctuary on Sullivan’s Island.

The return of the sloop-of-war Scorpion to South Carolina in late November 1775 heightened rebel fears of an attack on Charleston, but the warship’s real mission was far less threatening. Rather than heralding the imminent arrival of reinforcements from England, the Scorpion delivered news that enraged the colony’s royal governor, while simultaneously accelerating rebel momentum to drive the king’s ships from Rebellion Road.

Featuring Dr. Nic Butler of the Charleston Time Machine podcast, our latest Listening Booth series celebrates the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution with short stories exploring Charleston's Revolutionary War history.

Featuring Dr. Nic Butler of the Charleston Time Machine podcast, our latest Listening Booth series celebrates the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution with short stories exploring Charleston's Revolutionary War history.

Featuring Dr. Nic Butler of the Charleston Time Machine podcast, our latest Listening Booth series celebrates the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution with short stories exploring Charleston's Revolutionary War history.