The photo above shows a “receiving tomb” at Magnolia Cemetery. A receiving tomb, as its name implies, defines a place where the dead were placed while a final burial site was prepared. Keith Rice, who took this photo, writes, “Magnolia Cemetery is the most fascinating place with all of the live oaks and ornate old graves.”

Exceptionally beautiful, Magnolia Cemetery serves as the final resting place of many prominent South Carolinians, including several former governors. The picture above shows the resting place of the third and final crew of the H.L. Hunley, a Confederate submarine. On the night of February 17, 1864, the Hunley was the first submarine to successfully attack and sink an enemy ship, the USS Housatonic.

The crew’s remains were recovered, along with the Hunley itself, on August 8, 2000. The remains were laid to rest in Magnolia Cemetery on April 17, 2004. The crew was composed of Lieutenant George E. Dixon (Commander), Frank Collins, Joseph F. Ridgaway, James A. Wicks, Arnold Becker, Corporal C. F. Carlsen, C. Lumpkin, and Augustus Miller.

Learn more about famous people buried in Magnolia Cemetery.

SCIWAY thanks E. Karl Braun of North Charleston for this picture taken in July 2012.

Learn more about the history of St Matthews Lutheran Church.

Edisto Beach Park also has an environmental education center that highlights the island’s natural history and the surrounding ACE Basin. There are furnished cabins available at the park, as well as campsites near the ocean or in the maritime forest. For more information regarding accommodations, hours of operation, and admission please go here.

SCIWAY thanks Carroll D. Brown for this picture.

Its main campus is located in the heart of historic downtown Charleston. The building pictured here, Randolph Hall, is listed in the National Historic Register, along with the nearby library and gate lodge.

In the foreground stands an old cistern, which was built in 1857 to help control flooding and fight fires. Eventually this technology became outdated and the cistern was filled in and covered with grass. The Cistern Yard is shaded by live oak trees and is a favorite spot for students to relax and study. It is also the location of the College’s graduation ceremony each May on Mothers’ Day.

SCIWAY thanks William Stuart Morgan III of Columbia for this picture taken in July 2012.

Learn more about the history of the College of Charleston.

Beyond the different landscapes, though, is a chance to touch a little remembered piece of South Carolina history. The Caw Caw Interpretive Center offers educational programs ranging from pre-school to college level that feature important sites of the Stono Rebellion.

Pausing under the giant, Spanish moss draped live oaks, you almost sense the ghosts of slaves who joined the Stono Rebellion on September 9, 1739. Marching from farm to farm, nearly 100 rioting slaves killed 20-25 white people and burned homes before they were stopped by a militia. Within a few hours a third of the slaves had been shot, and within a week the rest were caught and executed.

As a result of the rebellion, new laws were passed that forbid slaves to grow their own food, learn to read, assemble in groups, and earn their own money. While reading the historic plaques at Caw Caw, you realize that this rebellion occurred more than 100 years before the Civil War and that the human consequences of slavery have a longer history than you realize.

SCIWAY thanks Diane Yale-Peabody of Ohio for providing this great information and picture taken in April 2012.

For more information about the Caw Caw Interpretive Center, including hours of operation and admission costs, please visit its website.

Scenic and rural, Adams Run is also rich in history. Originally called Adamsville, the area is home to several historic plantations including Grove Plantation, Summit Plantation, and Willtown Bluff Plantation. The lovely Christ Church, located just a few hundred yards from this post office, was organized in 1835.

SCIWAY thanks Vanessa Kauffmann for sharing this photo. You can view more of Vanessa’s work and purchase prints on her website.

Special thanks to photographer Vanessa Kauffmann — you can purchase this photo and others on Vanessa’s website.