"On this site stood Shepheards Tavern, the birthplace of The Ancient And Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry The Mother Supreme Council of the World May 31, 1801"
"George Washington was born in Virginia on February 22, 1732. As a boy, he excelled in field sports, and though his formal education was limited, he exhibited skill in mathematics and surveying. In the French and Indian War, though only 23, Colonel Washington commanded the Continental Army against superior forces. He devised the strategy of marching on the British in Virginia while the French fleet prevented an escape by sea. Washington trapped General Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781, capturing 7,000 troops and winning American Independence. As a Virginia delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, Washington, serving as the assembly's president, provided the moral authority and quiet leadership needed to facilitate compromises. Even at this time, he was known as a 'founding father.' Following ratification of the Constitution, he was unanimously elected the first president and inaugurated in New York on April 30, 1789. President Washington toured the southern states in 1791. His enormous personal popularity served as a significant force in binding the former 13 colonies in to a single nation. On May 2, he landed at Prioleau's Wharf, one block south of the Exchange and Customs House. While in Charleston, President Washington met with numerous officials, planners, and merchants, worshipped at St. Michaels's and St. Philip's churches, spoke to various gatherings of citizens and attended several balls held in his honor. He also enjoyed the hospitality fo two fraternal groups of which he was a member - the Masons and the Society of Cincinnati. In his diary, he made several complimentary notes about Charlestonians. Referring to a concert held at the Exchange, Washington remarked that "there were at least 400 ladies - the Number and appearance of which exceeded anything of the kind I had ever seen." Washington was unanimously reelected in1792. Confronted with the competing philosophies of northern businessmen and southern planters, President Washington had a unique ability to recognize and promote the best of each. Leaving office after two terms, he established the tradition of peaceful transition of power. Retiring to Mount Vernon, he managed his plantation, entertained many visitors and remained a valued political and military advisor until his death on December 14, 1799. Of his many achievements, he is most loved for his honesty. George Washington's reputation for integrity is of such mythic proportions that school children continue to be taught that even as a boy, George Washington could not tell a lie."
On the back of the statue, not pictured, "In 1881, on the 100 year anniversary of General Cornwallis' surrender to George Washington at Yorktown, the city of Charleston renamed its first public park Washington Square in honor of George Washington. More than 100 years later and at the request of Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr., General William C. Westmoreland chaired a committee of fellow Charlestonians to raise the funds to erect a statue of George Washington in the park that bears his name."
"Enslaved Africans were usually sold at wharves along the city harbor. Some Africans were sold near the Exchange, but most people sold here were born in the U.S., making this a key site in the domestic slave trade. In 1856, the city banned auctions of slaves and other goods from the Exchange. Indoor sales grew elsewhere, and Ryan's Mart, a complex of buildings between Queen and Chalmers streets, became the main downtown auction site."
The other side of the sign notes that Charleston was one of the largest slave trading cities in the United States in the 1800's, and began selling slaves in the 1770's.
"Historic Hotels of America, National Trust for Historic Preservation"
"King's Courtyard Inn c. 1853"
"King's Courtyard Inn c. 1853 is protected by a conservation easement donated to Historic Charleston Foundation 1985"
Photo taken on the steps of the Exchange building
Beauregard
"P.G.T. Beauregard/ General / Commanding Confederate forces / Charleston South Carolina / Held this city and harbor / inviolate / against combined attacks / by land and water / 1863 1864 1864 / This monument is erected / in his honour / by a grateful people. / A.D. 1904"
This isn't a church! It's just a building.
"Henry Timrod Born in Charleston, S.C. December 8, 1829 Died at Columbia, S.C. October 7, 1867"
Below are two photos of the house. The porch has a direct view in to Washington Square, where the statue of George Washington, Henry Timrod, and Beauregard's memorial stand.
