Product Description

Charleston Come Hell or High Water captures the indomitable spirit of one of America’s oldest and best-preserved cities. Praised by Charlestonians since its initial publication, and now in its sixth printing, this gripping collection of 168 black and white photographs depicts Charleston from the advent of photography in the 1840s through the late twentieth century.

Updated with photographs of Hurricane Hugo’s destruction, Charleston Come Hell or High Water offers a pictorial saga as engaging and multifaceted as the city itself. Southern belles in the camellia gardens of Magnolia-on-the-Ashley, Citadel cadets in drill, African-Americans at work, attending church, or coping with natural disasters, and the 1901 South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition share pages with images of devastation wrought by war, hurricanes, fire, tornadoes, and an earthquake. The photos include Civil War views, many from the glass plates of Mathew Brady, and images taken by both local enthusiasts and professional photographers. The collection highlights Charleston’s trove of architectural gems—some lost but many preserved for the future.

Robert N. S. Whitelaw, a lifelong champion the city, collected most of the photographs for the volume but died before completing his task. Alice Levkoff assembled the book and wrote its text.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #218229 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 150 pages

Review
"As complete a study of Charleston since the mid-nineteenth century as has yet been compiled in a single volume." - Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina; "A unique contribution in words and pictures to the history of South Carolina, its people, and to its unique seaboard Mecca." - The State, Columbia, South Carolina

About the Author
When ALICE LEVKOFF, a graduate of the University of Michigan, moved to her husband’s hometown of Charleston, her latent interest in architectural history blossomed. Her years of work with the Historic Charleston Foundation and other preservation organizations, coupled with her research at the Charleston Library Society and South Carolina Historical Society, provided the background for assembling this collection of period photographs. Levkoff lives in Charleston.

ROBERT N. S. WHITELAW (1905–1974) was a founding trustee of the Historic Charleston Foundation and the first full-time director of the Gibbes Memorial Art Gallery. In that position, he also assumed custody of the Dock Street Theatre after its reconstruction in 1937.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful photographs and insightful captioning of history!
Intending just to thumb through the book, I found I could not put it down. Having just returned from a vacation to Myrtle Beach (and visiting Charleston and Ft. Sumter), I was pleasantly surprised to recognize so many of the structures in the photographs. In addition, the captions were entertaining and provided a further glimpse into the lives of those in the photographs. Pictures included people, structures and scenes from all walks of life--high society and economically disadvantaged. Pre-civil war daguerrotypes start off this photographic history book. I wish I had taken this book with me to visit Charleston!

An excellent way to see Charleston, through pictures
An exciting way to visit the City of Charleston. A city that has survived five major fires, earthquakes, tornadors, cyclones, hurricanes and the 587 day siege of Charleston. Pictures show this proud old lady's struggle to survive during the last 140 years. Wonderful text by Alice Levkoff gives amazing accounts of what was and is Charleston. A pictorial history that shows Charleston is not a sleepy old Southern city.