King Street

Being from Charleston, SC their are a lot of places to see and a lot of places to visit. Most cities have that one street that everyone knows about well in Charleston we have that kind of street. The name of the street is called King Street. It's a long street with a lot of stores before I get to some of the stores let me give you a break down of what I remember about King Street

I grew up in the 80's going into Charleston was always beautiful. My mom would go downtown often. I would always notice that their was a white side of King Street and then their was a black side. On the black side you would see stores like (forgive my spelling it's been a long time since I have been down there) leon's variety store where I got my first ears pierced and my mom bought endless stockings from there with the designs. Bluestiens where every man from Charleston has shopped for that colorful Easter suit. On the white side you had the Talbot Company where a lot of rich white people would go in and buy fancy digs for work. You also had brooks brother where they sold nice clothes that my mom use to make because she worked in a factory that made the pants. I had heard talk about how black people don't cross the white side and vice versa but my mom being the dare devil that she was took me into talbot company for the first time when I was around 8 or 9. I remember it clearly the white people seemed like they stopped what they were doing and just stared at us. My mom went right in and browsed some sweaters and asked a sale lady if they had a certain size. The lady helped us and my mom ended up buying the sweater. Some years later my mom was able to obtain a Talbot card and that became her favorite store she even sent all of her friends in there to shop. Now I don't know if black people ever went in the store before but this was the experience I had when we first went in.

Through the years King street has grown when I got to high school their was a pizza joint downtown that we would skip school to visit and to this day they are the best pizza I have had. I don't know if any of the stores are still there but I sure do miss that King Street. Last time I was home their were many new stores even my favorite firehouse subs. What do you remember about King street?

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Geechee Profile: Philip Simmons

Photo Credit: http://southcarolina1670.wordpress.com/

Philip Simmons was born June 9, 1912 on Daniel's Island, South Carolina. Mr. Simmons lived on the island with his grandparents until he was 8 years old. He was then sent to live with his mother in the city of Charleston. At the age of 13, Mr. Simmons began to apprentice under a blacksmith by the name of Peter Simmons (no relation), a former slave. After a 5 year apprenticeship, at the age of 18 Mr. Simmons became a full blacksmith. 

Mr. Simmons began his 77 year career making simple things such as horseshoes. His first commissioned work was for Jack Krawcheck, during WWII, where he had to use scrap iron to make a gate because wartime materials requirements made it impossible to get iron. 
 

Mr. Simmons created all types of ironwork including fences, gates, balconies, fireplace pokers, and various tools. Much of his work can be seen in and around the city of Charleston. 

Philip Simmons has been awarded the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts, a Lifetime Achievement Award by the South Carolina General Assembly, the Order of the Palmetto, and the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award.  Mr. Simmons has been inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame. Mr. Simmons’ work has been on display at the Smithsonian.

 Mr. Simmons, after retiring from blacksmithing, continued to teach his craft until he was no longer able. Philip Simmons died June 22, 2009, at the age of 97. He is truly a Charleston icon.

 I had the pleasure of meeting, and speaking with Mr. Simmons on several occasions, and he was one of the sweetest people I've ever met. 

To learn more about Mr. Simmons visit: Philip Simmons Foundation, Inc

Biography:  Charleston Blacksmith, The Work of Philips Simmons by John Michael Vlach

Documentary: Keeper of The Gate by David Flander
Interview:http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-philip-simmons-11873

If you are ever in Chaleston here is list of places that you can see Mr. Simmons' work:

• The gazebo at the Charleston International Airport
• Gates outside the Charleston Vistors Center
• The egret gates at Waterfront Park
• The Gadsden house gate at 329 East Bay St.
• The gate at 2 st. Michael’s Alley
• The railings and window grilles at 45 Meeting St.
• The heart gates at St. John’s Reformed Episcopal Church at 91 Anson St.

Picture Source: http://fycharleston.tumblr.com/post/40688453488/philip-simmons-a-charleston-legend-1912-2009

 

 

Get to know us in Charleston

Get a taste of how we talk and what we are known for if you understand everything in this video you alright with me lol. 

Folklore: Plat-Eye

One of the evil spirits that the blue bottle tree is believed to trap is the Plat-eye. The plat-eye has been described as the unsettled spirit of a person wronged while alive, or who wasn't buried properly, or without any care.

The Plat-eye can take the form of animals, or the spirit form of the recently deceased. There are times that the plat-eye has no shape, it's just mist, which is said to be freezing and suffocating. The plat-eye can also be invisible except for glowing, fiery eyes. If you are haunted by a Plat-eye that is in human, or animal form, it is said to have front teeth, but no back teeth. If the plat-eye isn't in the form of an animal, or human ,it has one large eye that is the size of a plate, hence the name. This is said to be the plat-eye truest form.

The unsettled haint, mostly hunt the people who have done them wrong while they were alive, or the people who buried them incorrectly. The plat-eye is so vengeful that it's said that it torments a person until they go insane, or until they die. Some are even said to be able to suck the souls out of their hunted.To get rid of a plat-eye you have to either bury a person correctly, or right the wrong that you have done to the offended, somehow. 

Though you should treat people with care, and respect, not to worry SOME say that the plat-eye only lurks around swamps, and old rice fields. 

What's that you say about the 'Old Slave Mart'

When I was a kid I always tripped out when granny and I would ride by the old slave mart.  She would always get a little more silent when riding by.  She would always patiently answer my many questions.  "Granny did they slaves live there?, Where are the slaves now, Did you know the slaves, Why didn't they just run, Why were white people so mean, Did the mommies find their babies?" And the questions continued until life, ancestor recants and education collided (not public education either).  

As a child I just couldn't grasp that ACTUALLY happened and my great greats and my great Grandma Alice who was still living at that time experienced such devastation.  My Grandma Alice would suck ee teet and say "all dishea uz a slave mart! Disya jus wun mr. Charlie dun forgot baby"  Too much for a free brown child to truly grasp.  Even more deep that there was/is a tangible substance right there. It was almost like the "mommy where is God" question and next thing you know mommy is saying "just know God is here and real" i.e. please be quiet baby and stop all the questions.  Ha!

Charleston has many remnants of slavery and the horror of the old south.  I honestly believe what we call hauntings are really our ancestors' spirits whispering to us so that we live in forward motion, but never sever our roots.  As each generation is born and raised, whether you are in Charleston, SC, Georgia, Virginia or any parts of the south and/or USA,  whether you are geechee/Gullah and/or just salt of the earth people we have to teach the younger ones how real that era was and why some of the discussions and fights continue with black folks today.  

Listen, Charleston SC and Georgia are extremely great areas to start researching slavery history.  My children are trying to understand why mommy have an accent and why I pronounce words like I do most of the time  (even though living in Ca. I've learned the Cali accent as well and shru a gud edcashun and a demanding mama I can and do speak what most consider proper English most times.  Howeva mi Gullah tongue is way more fun and comfy mi mowt).  Don't judge me. 

 Anyhoo, I challenge you in 2013, to do something to get closer to your history/roots.  Many of you have raw history just a phone call away.  All these holidays, family dinners and reunions can be the juice you need.  I guarantee you once you start asking questions, the next thing you know you are knee deep in history and on the phone or Internet with www.ancenstry.com.  Go for it my people and share your findings with people of all races!  Django shouldn't be the rut (root) of 20th & 21st century learnings for non African Americans.  It may be a great talking point but not the RUT.

That's why when I hear about Gullah land being taken by local government for less substantial money making projects lets me know that black history is STILL not valued in America.  That like our ancestors' skin, limbs and history, it can still be bought and sold without a second thought.  just a matter of "all in favor say yea or nea?"  And unfortunately because we do not vote in our local elections like we should, raise cane, write letters, get signatures etc. we fall by the wayside.  And I do mean WE.  

*Not taking away any credit from our Gullah and historian foot soldiers that are and have been in the trenches for us already.  Thank you so much, much honor and respect!*

My people, let's get these janky #%*#?! politicians out of office.  Trust when I say, they will listen and change their views once you tell them "I am not voting for you sir/ma'am because you do not have my community's best interest in mind buh bye!"   Go to city council meetings and donate to renovations of our historical buildings, libraries etc.  We need our grand and great grand babies to have resources and not pictures in a book to know the who, what, where and whys.  Especially my beloved Gullah people.

I'm linking a wonderful detailed story on the historical Slave Mart -

Pentherapee getting off her soap box and wishing you a blessed, safe, prosperous 2013!  And thank all of you for supporting  

moregeechee.blogspot.com!!!!!!  Now get them peas & rice goin

Charlestonlowcpuntry.com/oldslavemart

Tracing our orgins

I use to hear stories about the Bermuda triangle growing up and wondered why my grandmother would always talk about Bermuda. As I got older I discovered that some of our ancestors may have come from there. Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean located off the East Coast of the United States. It is said that our ancestors were taken from Bermuda and brought the United States as slaves and that's where part of our accent comes from. In the seventy-five years from the beginning of the 18th century to the declaration of independence, more than forty percent of the Africans arriving in the British North Americans Colonies were quarantined and processed in coastal islands off Georgia and South Carolina.We were brought here with our ancestry in tack with our traditions and story telling ways. Researching our history starts with us tracing our history and knowing who our ancestors were and how did we end up on the coast lines of South Carolina. A great place to start our research would be Ancestry.com   and to talk to some of the older people in your family. Knowing where we come from is important so that we can answer questions like where did we develop our accent, why do we love rice so much, why are we so strong and different than regular African Americans. 

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I started researching my history a couple of years ago but I got stuck in the early 1900's. I guess with no records being kept it was hard to trace where we come from. For my family I know that my great great grandmother was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania she never came down south nor was she born a slave now her mother was but escaped north before she was born. When I did my research it seems that my great great great grandmother was a slave and she originally came from the Bermudas. Now was she originally brought here on the slave ships I have no idea but I do know that she was of Bermuda origins. I know her first name but don't know her last and can't find any records beyond what I know. Most of my info came from my grandmother before she passed. As a young girl she would tell me stories but when she got older she got Alzheimer's so the stories and history stopped. 

Now my grandfather I was able to trace him a few years back pretty good and discovered his father was an Indian. Now I know most of us have family that say they are part Indian and I do give the side eye but my great grandfather was a true indian and married a black women and they had my grandfather. I thought that was interesting considering my grandfather did have that good hair lol. 

 Have you traced your history as of yet? Do you know where your family came from?

Blue Bottle Tree

      

The blue bottle tree is another one of those southern tradition that many people don't know the complete history of.  Having a blue bottle tree in the yard is a old Gullah/Geechee custom. The trees are used to capture evil haints for getting into one's home. The haints are lured inside the bottle by light reflected thru the blue bottle at dusk. Once the haints are inside the bottle they are trapped. What happens to them are up for debate. Some say that they are trapped in the bottles forever, and the noise you hear are the haints moaning, and crying. Others say that once the sun rises the haints are vaporized by the sun's light. 

Today, people use different color bottles, but blue was the choosen by the Gullah/Geechee people for a reason. The Gullah/Geechees used blue because of their belief that the color blue wards off evil spirits. 

Do you know anyone with a blue bottle tree in their yard?