You Keep Me Down To Earth

My heart stopped, as the sun shined down on me and the Unitarian Church Graveyard. The wonderful scent of flowers wafted into my nose, as bees and butterflies danced around me. If you are patient you could hear a woodpecker pounding a beautiful beat into a tree with its beak. The warm weather kissed my skin, as I walked beneath trees and the grass brushed my ankles. 

I was expecting to see a uniformed graveyard, but this was so much more. Being that I wasn't the only person at the graveyard, it was nice to see the living appreciate what the dead had to offer. The grass was overgrown, but there were pathways made for you to walk through. I watched as salamanders slithered through the grass and peaked their heads out to tell me hello. 

The church wanted the graveyard to grow on its on they had not abandoned it. The first ministers wife coined the idea believing it was best in its natural state and so the idea stuck. The Unitarian Church residing on 4 Archdale Street was built in 1772. It is the second oldest Unitarian Church in the south and the second oldest in the peninsula. The church practices universalism; meaning they stand on the side of love, justice, and peace. They are firm believers in a diverse faith and spirituality. All religions get practiced in the church because they do not exclude anyone. From Hindu to Christianity, everyone has a home here even if you are of a different race or sexuality.

The next few pictures, are about a few interesting headstones I liked within the graveyard. Although it was hard to choose from, most of these are real beauties. Pictured to the right is a die on socket. This headstone belongs to the first universalist minister of the church named Reverend Samuel Gilman, D. D. He was an author and a clergyman and even graduated from Harvard University. Gilman was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts February 16th 1791 and died in Kingston Massachusetts February 9th, 1858.   

ledger

For the next grave I didn't exactly catch the name of the person who was buried beneath it, but I do know that they were Jewish. For instance, when you look at the picture you can see that there are stones and coins placed onto it. The meaning behind the stones derives from them not being able to deteriorate like how flowers do and the coins are supposed to help the dead pay for passage into the afterlife. 

Tombstone

The next grave belongs to a young girl by the name of Lucinda Madeleine Boyle. She was the daughter of Timothy and Deborah Boyle and the younger sister of Maura . She was born April 11, 2001 and died March 30, 2015. She suffered from lifelong health issues and died at a pediatric facility in Atlanta. It feels very morbid sharing this news with you because she was only a year younger than me. While receiving a tracheostomy she needed for breathing it damaged her aorta which resulted in her death. Lucy was known to have loved math, science, and computer coding. Being only in the 8th grade she was very intelligent for her age. She brought light into this world and was enthusiastic about everything. Prior to her death she was accepted to Academic Magnet High School. 

Open Faith, Open Hearts, Open Mind

Although I only posted three pictures of headstone,  I want you to appreciate the graveyard for what it really is. I didn't feel death when I visited, if anything it felt like a garden and every single part of it was alive. It seemed as though it cherished the memory of all the people there in a beautiful way. Every other blog post I made was about death, but death can be a beautiful thing if you cherish it in the right way. Usually when I go to graveyards I feel sad, but this time it was like I felt joy inside of my soul that connected me to every living and dead person there.

Next to the unitarian garden, is a grave yard that is more uniformed, although this is my first time being at a garden graveyard, I prefer this version much more. You don't have to be careful when stepping over the graves because there are pathways marked out for you to walk on. The insects and animals are allowed to be free and aren't restricted to certain areas as the way it should be. It's as though everything has a place here and no one is being forced out. 

Interior of the Church

To the left and right are images of the church, which happens to be just as beautiful as the outside. The moment I walked in the church I was greeted by volunteers of the church who led tours. Although I refused because I wanted to walk on my own they were more than welcoming to me. 

The image to the left is a picture of the stained glass. I took a picture of this because I've never been to a non black church where the people on the stained glass were of color. To me this was breathtaking and it was shocking and beautiful in its own way primarily because it shows how openminded the people here were. The stained glass depicts the four Gospels, Aaron the Priest, and Moses the Lawgiver flanking the Ark of the Covenant. 

Next I have more stained glass windows. I shared this image because the stained glass has not only Hebrew but also Greek quotes on the windows. In Hebrew it states, "The lord is one" and in Greek from the Gospel of St. John, " God is Spirit" 

To the right are pictures of the church throughout its several reconstruction periods. 

Lastly, I have image of a monument that is dedicated to the slaves that helped build the church and make the bricks for it. (1774-1787)

I hope you take the time to visit this graveyard just like I did. It gave me so much joy to see how everything about the church and its garden worked so well together. I want to thank you for reading my blog once again and I hope you stay safe out there. Goodbye Tanderanians.
 

FREEZE! You Have The Right to Rest in Peace.

Magazine Street

We were at the corner of Magazine Street, when my heart started racing. This would be my first time at an abandoned jail, but it would not be my first time in an abandoned building. My palms were sweaty and my mind was racing, as I tried to wrap it around the idea of going to this haunted jail. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as we got closer to it. I could tell myself all I wanted that I did not believe in ghosts, but we all know I did.

Old City Jail

For my last field trip, with my beyond the grave class, we decided to take a tour to the Old City Jail. Since we might be the jails last visitors, we decided what better way to wrap up the semester. The weather was hot and sticky and I constantly swatted at gnats while we waited to taken inside.
While waiting I couldn't help but look up at the brick building. Cobwebs coated the metal bars of the windows and what had once been a four story building was now three. There had been tall walls to prevent more prisoners from escaping, but they were gone now.

Stairway to Hell

After taking a cute class photo our tour guide was ready for us. Randy happened to be a jolly guy I really enjoyed meeting him he made the dead hollow jail feel alive. He started off by giving us the history of the jail. Prior to it being a jail, it was dedicated to being a burial place for poor and enslaved people. Fun fact, it hadn't been turned into a jail until 1802 and closed in the year 1939 because it was seen as unjust.

Cages

Most of the criminals at this jail had to be pretty hardcore, because only serious crimes would get you placed there. Once taken to the jail, you would be placed inside of a cage. If criminals were to be punished, they would have open cells with no beds, and have to wait for a jailer to drag them downstairs to whip them. The sad part is if they lived after being whipped, they would be released unless the died from shock or infection. Our tour guide Randy even took the liberty of telling us, "If you were here longer than four months, you probably weren't leaving."

Torture Device

Now I know you're wondering, was the jail only for men? The answer to that question is no. The women were just as bad off as the men and often had to fend for themselves. If the women had children or were pregnant, they were forced to keep them there or they would be located in a different section working.

Alonzo's Wheelchair

Some of the children were prisoners as well and the youngest was 10 years old. Alonzo Smalls, was a young African American boy, who was wrongfully imprisoned for the death of a trolley worker. Him and his friends had just been playing on another trolley when it started rolling down hill and crashed into the trolley the other man was on killing him instantly. Although it was a complete accident his friends and him were punished, Alonzo had even worse fate since he was convicted of first degree murder. Pictured to the left is an image of the wheel chair Alonzo died in. Tour guides stated that it was there when the came along three years ago and they just decided to leave it there.

While we were walking to our next destination, something pulled me back and I couldn't help but notice the wheelchair prior to everyone else. I don't know if it was the spirit of Alonzo calling onto to me to listen to his story but I stood there in a trance for a while.

Sadly this isn't the only crazy story this jail has to offer, for instance, William Marcus murdered his wife on a beach with an ice pick to the head. Once incarcerated he took the liberty of living up to the psychopath lifestyle by punching a guy in the face with his own hand. IT was so easy for guards to think he was innocent because right after committing a certain crime he would act innocent.

Graffiti Wall

Oh and if you're a fan of American Horror Story then this might sound familiar. Dr George Todd was the brother in law of Abraham Lincoln, but he also was one of the doctors at the jail. He took the freedom of torturing prisoners and get this using them for "experimentation and anatomy practices."

Although, death was common at this jail, it was just as common for them to dispose of your body without knowing if you were dead or not. Families would do just about anything to see if you were dead, from kicking to slapping the same cannot be said for the guards. Once the prisoners came into a coma, the guards would throw their bodies into a pile. Some of them would call out asking for help, trying to tell someone that they weren't dead. Sadly a lot of them died in that pile or were burned alive.

Where Lavinia stayed

Even passerby's thought this jail gave an unnerving feel. One lawyer by the name of, John Blake White, was there to see a client when he heard and unearthly scream. The guard that was leading him to his client turned around and said, "That's the executioner, do you wanna see him?" Agreeing nervously he followed the guard to the executioner. As the guard opened the door, a hand reached out and someone in the darkness croaked, "Whiskey, whiskey." The guard slammed the gate shut and yelled, "You'll get your whiskey once you kill them." By them he meant Lavinia Fisher and her husband. Lavinia was known as the first female serial killer, together her and her killed a total of 120 men together. They would trick each of the men they killed into staying at their hotel where Lavinia would bring them tea that she poisoned whether they asked for it or not. Afterwards, she would lead all of her victims into the same room, where they would lay on the bed and die or worse get lowered down where her husband would finish them off.

Some Goofballs

Before leaving I want to tell you one last story, Denmark Vasey, was known to have attempted a slave rebellion and although they were planning on escaping to Haiti their plans failed them. Vasey was soon incarcerated and stayed in the fourth tower of the building. While guards hoped he would tell who worked with him he refused to give up his conspirators which led to him being hung. The last man to be hung here went by the name of Daniel Duncan in July of 1911.

Jail Keys

This jail tour was historic, but also shocking. There had been so many torture rooms seems like and it's hard to believe that people went through that kind of pain before departing this Earth. At one point the jail had been a medical hospital for the wounded in the Civil War and you guessed it if you thought they were mistreated as well. I hope whoever is reading this understands the history of this jail and that you take the liberty of looking further into it. The Old City Jail will no longer be what it was when I visited. I know this comes across as shocking but the city wants to turn it into office buildings and only the first floor will be dedicated to history. As haunted as this building seems it's really sad to see history go down the drain for office buildings that they could build somewhere else.

As always Tanderanians, I hope you're safe out there and that you learn something about the world around you. Have a good summer.

Last Class Photo

My Most Favorite Epitaphs

Greetings Tanderanians, today I have decided to tell you guys about my most favorite epitaphs from the graveyards that I have posted about on my blog these past few months.
The first one is at Magnolia Cemetery, it just so happens to be a pedestal tombstone. This tombstone belongs to Ebenezer Henderson Rodgers (September 17, 1805 - January 28th 1866) and his wife Ann Lavina Rodgers (July 22nd, 1816 - April 30, 1864). Engraved on their epitaph are the words, "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace." This text comes from Psalm 37:37-40 the King James Version of the bible.



My second favorite epitaph, belongs to the great-grandson of Robert E. Lee the 3rd, he is also buried at Magnolia Cemetery. He was the son of W.H.F Lee and Mary T. Bolling. He later married Mary W. Middleton Pinckney a widow of Gustavus M. Pinckney. He lived from February 11, 1869 until September 7, 1922. Robert was known to have studied law and had taken up a practice. Sources say that he died from heart problems and from being ill for many months. The words engraved on his tombstone are, "Love was the first to dream of immortality." which is a quote from Reverend Robert G. Ingersoll.

The next five epitaphs are from Bethel United Methodist Church. The epitaph to the right is placed on the grave of Priscilla Sarah Eason. She lived from June 25th, 1809 until March 10th, 1885. This gravestone marker happens to be a regular headstone and engraved in it are the words, "Her children arise up and call her blessed" which derives from Proverbs 31:28.

My fourth favorite is a die on socket that belongs to Margaret Steinmeyer. She was the wife of J.F. Steinmeyer. Mrs. Steinmeyer lived from, June 28th, 1811 to October 14, 1884. Her epitaph states,"She is not dead but sleepeth." this comes from Luke 8:52.

John Frederick Steinmeyer, is next he soul also resides at Bethel United. His headstone has a similar design to his wife's since they're both die on sockets. John lived from December 20th, 1807 to August 5, 1894. Engraved on his headstone are the words, "Asleep in Jesus" This phrase derives from Thessalonians and is terminology for those who died and were Christians.

This die on socket belongs to Rosa Mary. She was married to C.H. Muckenfuss and was born October 9th, 1835 and died November 2nd, 1881. Her epitaph states, "A brighter home than ours in heaven, is now thine own."

The last headstone is a ledger, which belongs to a young boy by the name of James Just. He was the son of Dr. Jas R and Martha K. Mood. He was born May 24, 1860 and died December 27, 1869 at only nine years old. His epitaph states, "Help us to say thy will be done." which derives from a prayer and saying commonly said by christians. This phrase means that God will have your wishes carried out as the will have been in heaven.









The image to the left is a memorial type headstone that is placed on the campus of College of Charleston. This belongs to Elizabeth Jackson (yes the mother of one of our founding fathers). She was born sometime in the year 1740 and died November 2nd, 1781. The words engraved on her headstone aren't religious but they do have a special meaning for her son Andrew. "Andy, never tell a lie, nor take what is not your own, nor sue for slander, settle those cases yourself."


The next headstone is actually an obelisk. Although, there is no owner of this grave it does state, "My second mourn shall dawn brighter than the first." This grave is located at the Cathedral church of Saint Luke and Saint Paul.

The last picture features two regular headstones which belong to, Lynwood Cresee Magee and Marie Cannon Magee. Marie was born in 1923 and died in 2009 and Lynwood was born in 1921 and died in 2003. Lynwood's grave states, " And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three but the greatest of these is love." Corinthians 13:13. Marie's grave states, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder for them such belongs the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 19:14. Their grave site is located at the Cathedral Church and Saint Paul. 

The Great Madame Talvande

Greetings friends, lovers, and acquaintances. Today I'm going to be doing my old charlestonian project on a lady you have read about previously on my blog. If you guessed right, then you know it's  Madame Talvande. After hours of juicy research, I found out so much about this interesting woman.

Sword Gates 

What sparked my interest in her, was reading about how her husband and her came here as refugees in the early 1800s to escape the Haitian Revolution. I thought that was extremely fascinating, because right after their escape they bought a house on 32 Lugare Street in 1819.  This very street had been named after Solomon Lugare of French Huguenot ancestry. The house was later named to be the sword house because of the gates in front of it. Although many sources state it was supposed to prevent people from getting out the gate was built prior to the Talvande's moving in.

Information on the Sword House.

Soon after moving in, Madame Talvande turned her luxurious mansion into an all girls boarding school for the wealthy daughters of cotton and rice planters. Her and her husband ran the school together up until his death on October 15, 1834. According to a blog by the name of A Cheesehead in Chucktown, "Andrew Talvande fell down in a fit in a billiard
room, was taken home, and later died."

Whaley House located next to Sword House.

Madame Talvande was known to have taught just about everything at this very school, from French to teaching the young ladies of Charleston to have manners. She was well respected in the Low-country by the aristocrats and the people of Charleston. Many people admired how she was able to turn many of the young ladies into respectable young women. While Talvande taught them to be respectable and educated women, she also ensured that they found suitable partners to marry as well. According to one of the blogs I read, she would hold elaborate balls in the ballroom and invite the wealthy young men of Charleston.

Walls of The Sword Gate.

While Madame Talvande was known to have one of the best schools in the south, it later changed when she lost control of one the girls in her custody. A young girl by the name of Maria Whaley, had snuck outside the schools gates to get eloped to the love of her life. Even though she was a wee fifteen, she had truly believed that George Morris was her soulmate. She had met other men at the ball but none had impressed her the way George did. Which is why they eloped with only two witnesses at St. Michaels on Broad and Meeting Street. While this may come across as very romantic to me and my romance lovers out there, this had been a complete disgrace to Madame Talvande's name. People around town began to wonder if she was as great as they thought. If she couldn't handle one girl, what's to say for the rest? Madame Talvande sadly never forgave herself for what happened and it is the said reason of why her ghost still haunts 32 Legare Street.

Front Porch of The Sword House

Now I'm sure you're wondering, "WELL, what happened next??" Well according to sources George came to the school asking for a Mrs. Morris, which left everyone bewildered because to them Maria was Miss. Whaley. So that very morning, Madame Talvande, lined the girls up (since Maria had snuck back in to pretend that nothing had happened) and asked for Mrs. Morris to step forward. At this very heart wrenching moment is when everyone found out that Maria had eloped the previous night. Although, this ruined the reputation of Madame Talvande she later gained respect from the towns people again soon after.

Wall is now covered with weeds.

           Madame Talvande ran her school until the year of 1849 and died November 16, 1850. It is said that her ghost still haunts the sword house because she never forgave herself for what happened that night.  According to the Scares and Haunts of Charleston you can see her spirit from the second story looking out a window in case any of her girls tried to escape. She also frequently walks throughout the house to check inside of the rooms.

courtyard 

I would like to thank of all you for staying tuned on my Charlestonian project/ ghost story I hoped you enjoyed learning a little history as well. Until next time, be safe out there.

Pictured below are some extra images.

ledger

Pictured to the left is an image of her and her husbands headstone, which just so happens to be a ledger monument. The graveyard she's buried in is located on 134 St. Philip Street is conjoined to Saint Patrick's Catholic Church. I took the liberty of searching her up through multiple platforms including blogs and several private websites.

St. Michaels Episcopal Church

Pictured to the right is the church that Maria Whaley Morris eloped to her husband George Morris.

The Bold, The Beautiful, Magnolia Cemetery

It was a hot, sticky, Monday evening, when my class and I visited Magnolia Cemetery. We all had taken taxis, so I assumed that if this place was that far that it had to be something special. I had heard so much about this place, but I knew very little. Me being the foolish girl I am, I had mistaken it for the Magnolia Gardens and boy was I wrong.

Confederate Monument.

With it's long flowing rivers and flowers at every turn, this place was beautiful. I had underestimated it and every picture I saw didn't even bare to do it justice. Spanish moss hung itself off the trees, as the leaves danced its way in between graves. 

This cemetery happened to be the most over the top place I have ever been to. With headstones sculpted by the hands of artists and confederate flags blowing in the wind, over the graves of dead soldiers, I knew where I was.  Magnolia Cemetery, happened to be not only the most historic graveyard I had ever been to, but the most important people were laid to rest here.

When we first walked through the cemetery gates, there were paths separating each headstone. While some went all out having monuments worshipping them, others seemed to be nonchalant. No matter where you looked the headstones were, competing with one another. They all had one thing in common though, they all had a story to be told.

graveyard

It was a hard decision to make, but I decided to share with you some of my favorite headstones. While many of them caught my eye, I couldn't help but want to know the people beneath them.  The rest still deserved to be shown to the rest of the world so here they are. 

Pictured to left, of this is an image of a monument. Although I don't exactly know who it belongs to, it reminds me a lot of a castle and victorian type styles. With an angel in the middle holding her hand up ,while another holds a cross. Surrounding the angel are crosses and listed on the front are the words, "To our son."

Sarcophogus

Pictured to the left, is an image of a sarcophagus. The man laid to rest here goes by the name of James Conner. He lived from September 1st 1829 to June 26, 1888. Prior to his death, he happened to be an attorney general and practiced law. He had fought in several wars, upon which he broken his leg and in another he was shot and had to have it amputated.

Pictured to the right is the grave of an infant baby girl named Rosalie Raymond.  She was the daughter of Blake Leigh and Rosemary Raymond White. She happened to be the second daughter that her parents had lost. Sadly baby Rosalie only lived from January 27, 1882 to September 5, 1882. Her grave was lovely, with the face of an infant child and flowers and toys are in the flower bed. Although it seems kind of scary to have the stone carving of an infant child in a graveyard, it happens to be quite immaculate. 

Lastly, before I leave you I want to share several personal images of my own. For those of you reading who may never go to this graveyard on your own, I hope you have enjoyed reading about my class field trip.

Class Photo 2019

A sweet goose

Pictured to the left is a class photo of me and my beyond the grave class. (can you spot me I look super duper awkward) 

To the above right is an image of a beautiful goose who decided to be my candid for the evening. Until next time Tanderanians, be safe out there.