About the Event

“If we tenaciously hold on to the fragments of a noble past, cling to the planks of a ship-wrecked Constitution, the very attitude we shall maintain may possibly inspire other lovers of liberty in this land to rally to a last, mighty effort to regain lost ground, or at least to arrest further strides to ruin….” —Reverend Dr. John Lafayette Girardeau (1825-1898)

Historic Charleston, with its old world charm and blend of Old South, French and Victorian culture, make it one of the most transporting and inspirational cities for studying Providence and the sturdy, genteel souls that called it their own.

Join us October 6-10 as we take families on our Patriots, Preachers and Plantations Tour, and rediscover the landmark history that has made Charleston and this nation unique and great.


The Battery Photo Credit: Charleston Area CVB


Avenue of Oaks Photo Credit: Julie G. Rowe

We will begin our tour at Ft. Moultrie where Mr. Potter will paint for us that picture of the glorious defeat of the British by amateur American gunners in June of 1776. We will tread the very bricks and mortar where those fateful shots were fired in April 1861 at Fort Sumter, a bastion of historical controversy.

Mr. Potter will instruct us in the lives of great leaders of the state like Francis “swamp fox” Marion, Lt. General Wade Hampton, States Rights Gist, and James Chestnut and his, now famous chronicler wife, Mary Chestnut.

You will meet and hear the soul-stirring stories of men like the Reverend Dr. John Girardeau, a Calvinist of Scottish and French Huguenot descent and minister of the controversial mixed-race congregation, Zion Presbyterian Church of Charleston. As always, Bill Potter brings to this tour a gift of story-telling and a well seasoned, scholarly and providential view of events. This is what makes our tours some of the best learning experiences available.


Fort Sumter


Fort Moultrie

  • All teaching from a Biblical perspective
  • Opening welcome reception Monday evening in Charleston
  • All admissions to 12 unique venues
  • 15 informative lectures
  • All guide fees and gratuities
  • Access to Landmark Events’ discounted hotel rates in Charleston
  • Study preparation section
  • Sweet fellowship and memories that will last a lifetime

This tour is a car tour. Each family is responsible for their own lodging, meals, and transportation. All venue admissions are included in your registration fee.

Ticket Information

Included in This Tour

  • All teaching from a Biblical perspective
  • Opening welcome reception Monday evening in Charleston
  • All admissions to 12 unique venues
  • 15 informative lectures
  • All guide fees and gratuities
  • Access to Landmark Events’ discounted hotel rates in Charleston
  • Study preparation section
  • Sweet fellowship and memories that will last a lifetime
$175
$175
$135
$135
$775
$775*
FREE
FREE

This tour is a car tour. Each family is responsible for their own lodging and meals, and transportation. All venue admissions are included in your registration fee. If you have any questions, or if we can be of service in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

NEW! — Á la Carte pricing for individual days (see schedule page for daily pricing)

 

* Unlimited immediate family members.
† Applies to children 5 and under.

Tour Highlights


CSS Hunley


Boone Hall Plantation Photo Credit: Charleston Area CVB

We will stand on the ramparts of Fort Moultrie to see in our mind’s eye the defeat of the British Fleet by the amateur American gunners behind their Palmetto barricades. We will see the first submarine to sink an enemy vessel in battle and marvel at the underwater archeologists amazing finds. Our visit to the grave-sites of the three drowned crews of the CSS Hunley will remind us of the great courage that brought them to a watery grave.

We will witness the casual elegance of a culture gone with the wind at Boone Hall Plantation and discuss the realities and vicissitudes of a slave-based culture. We will visit the churches pastured by great preachers who brought the Gospel to the black and white population of ante-bellum Charleston and view the ruins of a church burned in two different centuries for much the same reasons.


Old Sheldon Church Ruins


Magnolia Umbra Plantation Cemetery Photo Credit: Gazie Nagle

Bill Potter will, as in all our tour stops, teach the history of Charleston from a providential biblical perspective, bringing his unique gift of storytelling to bear in a way that will inform, enlighten and entertain the youngest to the oldest of every family.

Bill Potter

An experienced historian and avid bibliophile, Bill Potter combines a lifelong study of American history with an uncommon ability to captivate audiences of all ages as he traces the providential acts of God throughout the ages. Mr. Potter has taught history in high schools and colleges, has led many tours of American and European historical sites and brings to each event a wealth of experience and knowledge. An experienced researcher and writer, Mr. Potter possesses a practical knowledge of antiquarian books, documents, and artifacts and has published several short books and has penned many articles and book reviews for publication. Bill has earned a well-deserved reputation as a man gifted in communicating the story of God’s providential hand in American history. As a father of eight children, he appreciates the necessity of passing on to the succeeding generations the richness of both our regional and national history. He and his wife, Leslie, reside in Georgia where Bill serves as an elder at Chalcedon Reformed Presbyterian Church.

Historian Bill Potter

Event Schedule

Monday, October 6
7:00pm Opening night reception at Comfort Suites
1130 Hungry Neck Blvd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
Tuesday, October 7
  8 miles ≈ 20 mins.
9:00am Fort Moultrie
1214 Middle St, Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482
  11 miles ≈ 25 mins.
1:30pm St. Philip’s Episcopal Church — Charles Pinckney grave
142 Church St, Charleston, SC 29401
  0.3 miles ≈ 2 mins.
  St. Michael’s Church — Charles Cotesworth Pinckney & John Rutledge graves
71 Broad St., Charleston, SC 29401
  0.4 miles ≈ 2 mins.
2:45pm Old Exchange
122 E. Bay St, Charleston, SC 29401
  9 miles ≈ 20 mins.
7:00pm Lecture at Comfort Suites
1130 Hungry Neck Blvd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
  (Tuesday á la carte — $40 Adult | $35 Youth)
Wednesday, October 8
  9.2 miles ≈ 15 mins.
9:00am Fort Sumter
1214 Middle St, Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482
  0.8 miles ≈ 3 mins.
1:30pm C.S.S. Hunley (Charleston Museum)
360 Meeting St, Charleston, SC 29403
  Charleston Museum
360 Meeting St, Charleston, SC 29403
  2.4 miles ≈ 10 mins.
3:30pm Magnolia Cemetery
70 Cunnington Ave, Charleston, SC 29405
  12 miles ≈ 30 mins.
7:00pm Lecture at Comfort Suites
1130 Hungry Neck Blvd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
  (Wednesday á la carte — $75 Adult | $55 Youth)
Thursday, October 9
  65 miles ≈ 80 mins.
9:30am Old Sheldon Church Ruins
Old Sheldon Church Rd, Yemassee, SC 29945
  57 miles ≈ 70 mins.
1:00pm Huguenot Church
136 Church Street Charleston, SC
  12 miles ≈ 25 mins.
2:30pm Boone Hall or Magnolia Plantation
1235 Long Point Road Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
  (Thursday á la carte — $55 Adult | $45 Youth)
Friday, October 10
9:45am Closing lecture at Comfort Suites
1130 Hungry Neck Blvd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
  7 miles ≈ 15 mins.
10:45am Patriot’s Point
40 Patriots Point Rd Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
  (Friday á la carte — $50 Adult | $40 Youth)

Accommodations

Comfort Suites at Isle of Palms Connector

For your convenience, we have secured a block of rooms at the Comfort Suites should you choose to stay there. King suites are $109 and double queen suites are $114, both include complimentary breakfast and parking.

1130 Hungry Neck Blvd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
(843) 216-0004

Reserve your room online: ComfortSuites.com

Landmark Events special rates are available until September 22.

Study Preparation

The historic works connected with the subjects we will teach and discuss is vast and impossible to cover in a few or even short books. Nonetheless, there are some books that will be helpful in both the short and long run for study of the historical artifacts of our tour, both intellectual and material. As usual, there is much on the internet that is very helpful for learning about the actual monuments and memorials we will visit, but their meaning, purpose, and relevance is at the real heart of our tour.

Suggested Reading

The Life of Francis Marion by William Gilmore Sims
Swamp Fox by Robert D. Bass
Crescent Moon Over Carolina, William Moultrie and American Liberty by C.L. Bragg
Encyclopedia of the American Revolution by Mark Boatner
For You They Signed by Marilyn Boyer
Allegiance: Fort Sumter, Charleston, and the Beginning of the Civil War by David Detzer
Raising the Hunley: The Remarkable History and Recovery of the Lost Confederate Submarine by Brian Hicks and Schuyler Kropf
The Hunley: Submarines, Sacrifice, and Success in the Civil War by Mark Ragan
Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made by Eugene Genovese
Time on the Cross by Fogel and Engerman
Queen of the Confederacy: The Innocent Deceits of Lucy Holcombe Pickens by Elizabeth W. Lewis
A Southern Woman’s Story: Life in Confederate Richmond by Phoebe Yates Pember
Mary Chesnut’s Civil War edited by C. Vann Woodward

Upcoming Events

Mobile Bay Tour
March 20-23, 2024

Cradle of Liberty Tour
Aug 15-20, 2024