May 22, 2024 • 11 mins
In this episode, host Amelia Old chats with Rachel Knight, tourism director of Berkeley County, South Carolina. Discover the pivotal role Berkeley County played in the American Revolutionary War, the cunning strategies of the Swamp Fox, Francis Marion, and explore historic sites like Fort Fairlawn and Biggins Church.
Learn about current preservation efforts, how you can experience battlefield tours, and upcoming events commemorating the 250th anniversary of the American Revolutionary War. Visit exploreberkeleycounty.com to explore this rich legacy.
🔗 Explore Berkeley County: exploreberkeleycounty.com
Special Thanks to Visit Santee Cooper https://www.santeecoopercountry.org
Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more inspiring stories and travel adventures!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Everyone has a story to tell.
We connect and relate to oneanother when we share our
stories.
My name is Amelia Old and I amyour host of Voices of
Inspiration.
Join me as I share stories offriends, family and strangers
from my everyday life andtravels.
We will laugh, possibly cry.
We'll walk away feelingconnected more than ever to
those around you and ready to bethe change our world needs.
(00:25):
Everyone has a story to tell.
What's yours?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Welcome to Voices of Inspiration.
I'm your host, Amelia Old, andtoday we are here with Rachel
Knight, the tourism director ofBerkeley County, South Carolina.
Thank you so much for beingwith me today.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Of course.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Yeah, I'm so excited to hear about what you guys have
and learn a little bit moreabout the Revolutionary War.
So let's just start off.
Can you provide an overview ofBerkeley County's role in the
American Revolutionary War?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yeah, berkeley County had a huge, huge part in the
Revolutionary War.
Francis Marion, known as theSwamp Fox, this is kind of his
area.
He was born here, he foughthere.
He really kind of mastered ourswamps with that guerrilla
warfare kind of you, you know,tricking the British.
The British, you know, notbeing familiar with swamps and
(01:30):
and in Cypress trees and and theenvironment that is around here
, you know that was his bigadvantage to defeating them and
then, you know, died here.
So he's buried in Pineville,south Carolina, which is the
northern part of Berkeley County, and he's just, yeah, he's just
our hero, our AmericanRevolutionary War hero in
(01:52):
Berkeley County.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
So what are some key historical sites in Berkeley
County related to the war thatvisitors can explore today?
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Yes, fort Fairlawn.
It's one of two AmericanRevolutionary War fortifications
that are still intact.
So we've really added a bunchof funding into that and worked
with some really great partnersto preserve that and open it up
to the public so that they canlearn the importance of the
events that have happened, youknow, almost 250 years ago.
(02:25):
So that's probably our biggestone.
Then we have Biggins Churchthat's in Moncks Corner, south
Carolina.
Metkin Abbey out in Cordsvillewe have Henry Lawrence Grave out
there as well, so anotherAmerican Revolutionary War
patriot.
And then Pineville, wherePrincess Marion is buried.
(02:47):
But there are a lot ofbattleground sites around that.
We have, as a tourismdepartment, formed battlefield
tours that we take people onfour times a year to kind of
experience and explore allacross Berkeley County.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I think that's so amazing that these things still
exist that people can actuallygo to and learn about.
It's not just in the historybook and that's really great
that it's being preserved forpeople to learn more about it as
the years go by.
And with that said, how hasBerkeley County preserved and
commemorated the RevolutionaryWar history here?
Speaker 3 (03:28):
I definitely commend our long-term historians that
are born and raised here.
We even have family members ofway down the line, descendants
of Francis Marion, that stilllive in the Pineville area,
still live in the Pineville area.
So just them continuing andtelling the story, writing
historical books for us, writinga historical marker book,
(03:49):
adding to those the extensiveresearch that they're doing to
help the tourism department beable to promote that um working
with partnerships like the LordBerkeley Conservation Trust and
the South Carolina BattlegroundPreservation Trust um to help
preserve these places and thenopen them up to the public.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Wow.
Are there any lesser knownstories or events from that era
that you find really interesting?
Speaker 3 (04:24):
really interesting.
You know, gosh, you knowthere's a Colleton Castle that's
still kind of being explored.
They're going to get anexcavation group in there to
really kind of do somearchaeological studies and
research to find out a littlebit more about the Colleton
Castle, which is located not farfrom Fort Fairlawn.
So stay tuned to that, becauseI know that'll be coming.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
That's exciting.
That was one of my questionstoo.
You know what types of arethere often digs that happen in
the area?
With all of the history, I'msuper interested in archaeology.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Yes, it is becoming more popular, I would say Ever
since this tourism departmentwas created nearly five years
ago.
I think the county has reallygotten on board with digging
into our rich history, utilizingthose resources to, you know,
pay for these archaeologicaldigs and the research and the
(05:13):
studies.
So I'm very excited for it.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
And one thing that I will remind anyone watching or
listening, especially those thatlove to hunt for artifacts it's
not allowed on state property.
If you find it, leave it and,you know, show someone what you
have found, but do not removeany of the artifacts.
(05:37):
I like to point that outbecause you know I follow a lot
of groups that love to go dothose things and it's okay to do
it on private property thatyou've been given permission,
but not on any state.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
In our area too, there's some scuba divers that
will dive right in the CooperRiver near Fort Fairlawn,
Colleton Castle area, and theywill find artifacts.
Then they will turn back intothe museum or the state museum.
So it is really neat that theykind of give that back to us.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
That's so neat To continue to tell our story,
absolutely, absolutely.
So how does the county'shistory contribute to the
overall historical narrative ofSouth Carolina Gosh?
Speaker 3 (06:17):
well with it being so rich in not just American
Revolutionary War history butthe Native American history, and
we have a large Native Americanhistory background here.
African American history youknow historically were known for
.
You know the plantations andthe crops that were grown here,
the rice and the indigo, so thatall you know really kind of
(06:40):
boosted the economy, startingout for just Charleston but then
expanding across the state andthe other colonies.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Do you see a lot of tourists come in specifically
for the history?
Speaker 3 (06:52):
of the area.
Oh, yes, yes, and I was reallysurprised actually, when we
started the battlefield tours,the amount of interest that was
in that.
So I thought, okay, if there'sthat much interest in
Revolutionary War history, whatabout the other areas?
And so we really tapped intothe Native American and African
American side of history as well.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat?
(07:13):
Yeah, absolutely so.
right now, the African Americancemeteries they're doing a lot
of research on the area and justsome of the grave sites that
might not have been marked oracknowledged in different
locations.
They're really taking a stepback and looking at that.
And then the Native American,the Wassamassau tribe of Varner
(07:38):
Town Indians, is a huge tribearound here and so they are very
involved in the community,educating them on the history,
and and they hold some reallygreat events throughout the year
.
So I'm just lucky to be a partof helping promote that.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
That's awesome.
How has the community embracedits history?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Very well, you know, there's not a whole lot of
conflict with American.
Revolutionary War history.
So it's, you know, they havereally embraced it well, really
wanted to learn more about it.
I see a lot more locals wantingto learn more about where they
live.
So that's very encouraging tome because I see that as tourism
(08:24):
, not just bringing guests in,but also locals learning and
doing more in their town.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Absolutely.
I fully believe in staycationsand learning what's in your own
backyard.
Absolutely.
Are there any upcoming eventsthat you have?
Speaker 3 (08:39):
We have battlefield tours, so we have two this
summer and two in the fall.
And then Olsi and Tee CanalPark is really instrumental,
since, for fairlawn is locatedin the park.
They have a lot of events, youknow, focusing around the 250.
We have the berkeley 250, whichis a branch of the south
(09:00):
carolina 250 celebration, and sothere's a lot of events
happening with that.
Mep Canabi is participating aswell, and a lot of other
historical societies.
You know kind of all partneringup to to really, I guess, get
Berkeley County ready for the250th anniversary.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Which is right around the corner.
How do you see the historyinfluencing future tourism and
initiatives?
Speaker 3 (09:31):
I think by getting our signage up, kind of little
kiosks with photos, maybe someQR codes, a little bit of
verbiage, would really inspirepeople to learn more about the
area, the heroes that were here,the settlers, you know just
kind of everything about thearea encompassing it.
(09:53):
Our attractions do a very goodjob of having all that
information at their sites andspecific tours throughout the
day to kind of catalyst that.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
So how can our listeners and viewers find you
guys online and sign up for someof these upcoming tours?
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Yeah, we have an events calendar online.
It's atexploreberkeleycountycom and we
have all the information abouthistorical events and our
waterways, our natural resourcesand our waterways, our natural
resources, accommodations, allkinds of things.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
And I'll make sure to link to all of your social
media and website on the notesof the episode of this, and I'm
going to put you on the spot.
Because I have one morequestion and I ask everybody
this Do you have a quote or anywords of wisdom that you would
like to leave behind?
Speaker 3 (10:46):
a quote or any words of wisdom that you would like to
leave behind.
That's a good one, one my dadkind of installed in me when I
was a little girl, and it was by.
Maya Angelou, it's.
People will forget what yousaid, people will forget what
you did, but people will neverforget how you made them feel so
true.
So you know, just treatingpeople with kindness and respect
, it's just always been a bigpart, so true that one gave me
(11:10):
goosebumps.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Thank you so much for taking time to share a little
bit about the history here andthe events that you have going
on.
I personally cannot wait tohave my own tour here.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
I'm so excited, happy , to have you anytime.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Thank you.
Everyone has a story to tell.
We connect and relate to oneanother when we share our
stories.
My name is Amelia Old and I amyour host of Voices of
Inspiration.
Join me as I share stories offriends, family and strangers
from my everyday life andtravels.
We will laugh, possibly cry.
We'll walk away feelingconnected more than ever to
those around you and ready to bethe change our world needs.
(00:25):
Everyone has a story to tell.
What's yours?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Welcome to Voices of Inspiration.
I'm your host, Amelia Old, andtoday we are here with Rachel
Knight, the tourism director ofBerkeley County, South Carolina.
Thank you so much for beingwith me today.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Of course.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Yeah, I'm so excited to hear about what you guys have
and learn a little bit moreabout the Revolutionary War.
So let's just start off.
Can you provide an overview ofBerkeley County's role in the
American Revolutionary War?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yeah, berkeley County had a huge, huge part in the
Revolutionary War.
Francis Marion, known as theSwamp Fox, this is kind of his
area.
He was born here, he foughthere.
He really kind of mastered ourswamps with that guerrilla
warfare kind of you, you know,tricking the British.
The British, you know, notbeing familiar with swamps and
(01:30):
and in Cypress trees and and theenvironment that is around here
, you know that was his bigadvantage to defeating them and
then, you know, died here.
So he's buried in Pineville,south Carolina, which is the
northern part of Berkeley County, and he's just, yeah, he's just
our hero, our AmericanRevolutionary War hero in
(01:52):
Berkeley County.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
So what are some key historical sites in Berkeley
County related to the war thatvisitors can explore today?
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Yes, fort Fairlawn.
It's one of two AmericanRevolutionary War fortifications
that are still intact.
So we've really added a bunchof funding into that and worked
with some really great partnersto preserve that and open it up
to the public so that they canlearn the importance of the
events that have happened, youknow, almost 250 years ago.
(02:25):
So that's probably our biggestone.
Then we have Biggins Churchthat's in Moncks Corner, south
Carolina.
Metkin Abbey out in Cordsvillewe have Henry Lawrence Grave out
there as well, so anotherAmerican Revolutionary War
patriot.
And then Pineville, wherePrincess Marion is buried.
(02:47):
But there are a lot ofbattleground sites around that.
We have, as a tourismdepartment, formed battlefield
tours that we take people onfour times a year to kind of
experience and explore allacross Berkeley County.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I think that's so amazing that these things still
exist that people can actuallygo to and learn about.
It's not just in the historybook and that's really great
that it's being preserved forpeople to learn more about it as
the years go by.
And with that said, how hasBerkeley County preserved and
commemorated the RevolutionaryWar history here?
Speaker 3 (03:28):
I definitely commend our long-term historians that
are born and raised here.
We even have family members ofway down the line, descendants
of Francis Marion, that stilllive in the Pineville area,
still live in the Pineville area.
So just them continuing andtelling the story, writing
historical books for us, writinga historical marker book,
(03:49):
adding to those the extensiveresearch that they're doing to
help the tourism department beable to promote that um working
with partnerships like the LordBerkeley Conservation Trust and
the South Carolina BattlegroundPreservation Trust um to help
preserve these places and thenopen them up to the public.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Wow.
Are there any lesser knownstories or events from that era
that you find really interesting?
Speaker 3 (04:24):
really interesting.
You know, gosh, you knowthere's a Colleton Castle that's
still kind of being explored.
They're going to get anexcavation group in there to
really kind of do somearchaeological studies and
research to find out a littlebit more about the Colleton
Castle, which is located not farfrom Fort Fairlawn.
So stay tuned to that, becauseI know that'll be coming.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
That's exciting.
That was one of my questionstoo.
You know what types of arethere often digs that happen in
the area?
With all of the history, I'msuper interested in archaeology.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Yes, it is becoming more popular, I would say Ever
since this tourism departmentwas created nearly five years
ago.
I think the county has reallygotten on board with digging
into our rich history, utilizingthose resources to, you know,
pay for these archaeologicaldigs and the research and the
(05:13):
studies.
So I'm very excited for it.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
And one thing that I will remind anyone watching or
listening, especially those thatlove to hunt for artifacts it's
not allowed on state property.
If you find it, leave it and,you know, show someone what you
have found, but do not removeany of the artifacts.
(05:37):
I like to point that outbecause you know I follow a lot
of groups that love to go dothose things and it's okay to do
it on private property thatyou've been given permission,
but not on any state.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
In our area too, there's some scuba divers that
will dive right in the CooperRiver near Fort Fairlawn,
Colleton Castle area, and theywill find artifacts.
Then they will turn back intothe museum or the state museum.
So it is really neat that theykind of give that back to us.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
That's so neat To continue to tell our story,
absolutely, absolutely.
So how does the county'shistory contribute to the
overall historical narrative ofSouth Carolina Gosh?
Speaker 3 (06:17):
well with it being so rich in not just American
Revolutionary War history butthe Native American history, and
we have a large Native Americanhistory background here.
African American history youknow historically were known for
.
You know the plantations andthe crops that were grown here,
the rice and the indigo, so thatall you know really kind of
(06:40):
boosted the economy, startingout for just Charleston but then
expanding across the state andthe other colonies.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Do you see a lot of tourists come in specifically
for the history?
Speaker 3 (06:52):
of the area.
Oh, yes, yes, and I was reallysurprised actually, when we
started the battlefield tours,the amount of interest that was
in that.
So I thought, okay, if there'sthat much interest in
Revolutionary War history, whatabout the other areas?
And so we really tapped intothe Native American and African
American side of history as well.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat?
(07:13):
Yeah, absolutely so.
right now, the African Americancemeteries they're doing a lot
of research on the area and justsome of the grave sites that
might not have been marked oracknowledged in different
locations.
They're really taking a stepback and looking at that.
And then the Native American,the Wassamassau tribe of Varner
(07:38):
Town Indians, is a huge tribearound here and so they are very
involved in the community,educating them on the history,
and and they hold some reallygreat events throughout the year
.
So I'm just lucky to be a partof helping promote that.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
That's awesome.
How has the community embracedits history?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Very well, you know, there's not a whole lot of
conflict with American.
Revolutionary War history.
So it's, you know, they havereally embraced it well, really
wanted to learn more about it.
I see a lot more locals wantingto learn more about where they
live.
So that's very encouraging tome because I see that as tourism
(08:24):
, not just bringing guests in,but also locals learning and
doing more in their town.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Absolutely.
I fully believe in staycationsand learning what's in your own
backyard.
Absolutely.
Are there any upcoming eventsthat you have?
Speaker 3 (08:39):
We have battlefield tours, so we have two this
summer and two in the fall.
And then Olsi and Tee CanalPark is really instrumental,
since, for fairlawn is locatedin the park.
They have a lot of events, youknow, focusing around the 250.
We have the berkeley 250, whichis a branch of the south
(09:00):
carolina 250 celebration, and sothere's a lot of events
happening with that.
Mep Canabi is participating aswell, and a lot of other
historical societies.
You know kind of all partneringup to to really, I guess, get
Berkeley County ready for the250th anniversary.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Which is right around the corner.
How do you see the historyinfluencing future tourism and
initiatives?
Speaker 3 (09:31):
I think by getting our signage up, kind of little
kiosks with photos, maybe someQR codes, a little bit of
verbiage, would really inspirepeople to learn more about the
area, the heroes that were here,the settlers, you know just
kind of everything about thearea encompassing it.
(09:53):
Our attractions do a very goodjob of having all that
information at their sites andspecific tours throughout the
day to kind of catalyst that.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
So how can our listeners and viewers find you
guys online and sign up for someof these upcoming tours?
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Yeah, we have an events calendar online.
It's atexploreberkeleycountycom and we
have all the information abouthistorical events and our
waterways, our natural resourcesand our waterways, our natural
resources, accommodations, allkinds of things.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
And I'll make sure to link to all of your social
media and website on the notesof the episode of this, and I'm
going to put you on the spot.
Because I have one morequestion and I ask everybody
this Do you have a quote or anywords of wisdom that you would
like to leave behind?
Speaker 3 (10:46):
a quote or any words of wisdom that you would like to
leave behind.
That's a good one, one my dadkind of installed in me when I
was a little girl, and it was by.
Maya Angelou, it's.
People will forget what yousaid, people will forget what
you did, but people will neverforget how you made them feel so
true.
So you know, just treatingpeople with kindness and respect
, it's just always been a bigpart, so true that one gave me
(11:10):
goosebumps.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Thank you so much for taking time to share a little
bit about the history here andthe events that you have going
on.
I personally cannot wait tohave my own tour here.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
I'm so excited, happy , to have you anytime.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Thank you.
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