Special Vets Dinner Included!
Join us Friday, October 19 as we honor WWII veterans with a special evening of food, song and fellowship on board the USS Yorktown at Patriot’s Point. Meet special guest Herb Griffin, who stormed Utah Beach on June 6, 1944, as well as his brother Ed, an Army engineer.
About the Event
ith its old-world charm and its blend of Old South, French and Victorian cultures, historic Charleston is one of the most transporting and inspirational cities for studying the providence of God and the sturdy, genteel souls that called South Carolina their home. Join us October 16-19 as we rediscover the landmark history that has made Charleston and this nation unique and great. 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.
“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)
Tour Highlights
Ft. Moultrie
We will begin our tour with a visit to Ft. Moultrie. We will stand on the ramparts as Mr. Potter paints the picture for us of the glorious defeat of the British by amateur American gunners behind their Palmetto barricades in June of 1776.
Charleston’s Churches
We will visit three of Charleston’s most beautiful and historic churches—St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, St. Michael’s Church and the Huguenot Church. You will 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 we explore the grounds of these churches we will also have the opportunity to visit the graves of such South Carolina notables as Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and John Rutledge.
The Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon
Completed in 1771, the Old Exchange Building is a Charleston landmark and the site of some of the most important events in South Carolina history. Over the last two and a half centuries, the building has served as a British prison, a venue for entertaining George Washington, a slave market, a meeting place where South Carolina ratified the US Constitution, a post office, city hall, a military headquarters and much more.
Fort Sumter
A short ferry ride into the harbor will take us to a tiny island where 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.
The CSS Hunley
On February 17, 1864, the H.L. Hunley became the first successful combat submarine in world history with the sinking of the USS Housatonic. After completing her mission, she mysteriously vanished and remained lost at sea for over a century. For decades, adventurers searched for the legendary submarine. We’ve booked a private tour of the unique research facility that is working to unlock the mysteries of the Hunley since its recovery in 2000.
Magnolia Cemetery
Magnolia Cemetery first opened in 1850 on the land of a former rice plantation. The property was designed during a new rural cemetery movement that crossed from Europe to America in the mid-19th century. With lovingly landscaped paths and ponds, trees and green space, Charlestonians would come to Magnolia to picnic and play, as well as visit lost loved ones. Today, Magnolia Cemetery continues as one of the best and most beautiful examples of rural and Victorian cemetery design in the U.S. A “who’s who” of Charleston and South Carolina history is buried here.
Old Sheldon Church Ruins
We will visit the churches pastored 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.
Boone Hall Plantation
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.
Patriot’s Point and the USS Yorktown
We will spend Friday afternoon exploring this wonderful naval and maritime museum on Charleston Harbor that boasts the World War II aircraft carrier, the USS Yorktown as its centerpiece. It’s also home to the Patriots Point Museum, a fleet of National Historic Landmark ships, the Cold War Memorial, the official Medal of Honor Museum, and much more. We will conclude our tour with a patriotic dinner to honor WWII soldiers with special guests Herb and Ed Griffin onboard the USS Yorktown!
Special Vets Dinner!
What better way to conclude our tour than with a patriotic dinner to honor WWII soldiers with special guests Herb and Ed Griffin onboard the USS Yorktown!
Adults (16+):
Youth (5-15):
Add’l Family Members:
Child (0-4):
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 
Historian 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 Virginia.
Event Schedule
Times and locations subject to change.
Tuesday, October 16
 7.5 miles ≈ 16 mins. from Comfort Suites |
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| 9:00am | Fort Moultrie (1214 Middle St., Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482) |
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| 11 miles ≈ 25 mins. |
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| 11:30am | Lunch on your own | |
| 1:00pm | Huguenot Church (136 Church Street, Charleston, SC 29401) |
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| 0.4 miles ≈ 2 mins. |
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| 3:00pm | Old Provost Exchange* (122 E. Bay St., Charleston, SC 29401) * Parking garages—both $1 per 30 minutes: 140 E. Bay St. or 90 Cumberland St. |
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| 7:00pm | “Drop-in” dinner at Comfort Suites. Bring your own food and join Bill and Kevin for fellowship and discussion of the day’s topics! |
Wednesday, October 17
| 9.0 miles ≈ 16 mins. |
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| 9:00am | Fort Sumter Ferry (Spiritline Cruises) (360 Concord St. #201, Charleston 29401) |
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| 9.0 miles ≈ 18 mins. |
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| 11:45am | Return from Fort Sumter / Lunch | |
| 1:45pm | HL Hunley Submarine (1250 Supply Street, Charleston, SC 29405) (At Warren Lasch Conservation Center on the old Charleston Navy Base) |
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| 2.4 miles ≈ 10 mins. |
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| 3:30pm | Magnolia Cemetery (70 Cunninton Ave., Charleston, SC 29405) |
Thursday, October 18
| 70 miles ≈ 85 mins. from Comfort Suites |
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| 9:30am | Old Sheldon Church Ruins (Old Sheldon Church Rd.) |
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| 70 miles ≈ 85 mins. |
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| 1:30pm | Boone Hall or Magnolia Plantation (1235 Long Point Road, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464) |
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| 8:00pm | After-dinner discussion and fellowship at Comfort Suites |
Friday, October 19
| 6.0 miles ≈ 15 mins. from Comfort Suites |
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| 1:30pm | Patriot’s Point (40 Patriot’s Point Rd., Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464) |
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| 6:00pm | WWII Veterans Dinner on USS Yorktown fantail |
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. The rate is $99 per night for a room with a king bed and sofa sleeper or two queens and a sofa sleeper, including complimentary breakfast, parking and wi-fi. This special rate is good while rooms last or under October 1, whichever comes first.
1130 Hungryneck Blvd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
(843) 216-0004
Use discount code IR94E3 to reserve your room online at ComfortSuites.com.
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
Tennessee Appalachian Spring Tour
May 1-2, 2024
Wilson’s Creek Battlefield Tour
May 15, 2024
