After lunch, Dr. and Mrs. Vornakis set us up with a tour of Charleston. Our tour guide knew a lot about the history of Charleston and was very excited to get the chance to share it with us. The town was concentrated with very old buildings, many dating over 200 years old. For being quite old, the buildings looked to be in pretty good condition. The housing types were uniquely named, called Charleston Single House’s. The buildings’ design was tailored to keep it cooler during the day. They were one room wide and had a side piazza (porch), which opened up the house to the side yard. The idea of having fewer walls within the home is that there would be more airflow through the room. Most of the remaining single houses were in a neighborhood with an interesting history. When the town was under siege by the Union most of the wealthy plantation owners left their homes, which eventually became occupied by soldiers and the lower class. The neighborhood is now a very rich area. This shift from wealth to poverty then back to wealth was an interesting history and it was quite amazing that the houses have survived this long.

Students in Charleston