A Capitol Walk-About!

Last Friday, after enjoying a leisurely catch-up lunch with my son Jason in Columbia, South Carolina ---we decided to spend some of the beautiful afternoon walking around the downtown area and continuing our chat while we enjoyed the sunshine.

It was a beautiful day – a bit windy as you can see by the confederate flag flying out in front, but a beautiful day none the less!  The monument with the flag was established after a big kerfuffle about the Confederate flag flying over the dome of the State House. The flag, originally placed over the dome in 1962,  was moved to its present location on July 1, 2000.

I moved to South Carolina from Texas in 2003, so missed that whole hubbub about the flag.

The grounds of the state house are lovely, and there are gardens and monuments worth visiting.  If you are near Columbia, SC ---do stop.  It’s worth it.

As we walked through the gardens and the trees, the state house came into full view.

Text below is from Wikipedia – but the photos are all mine!

The South Carolina State House was designed first by architect P. H. Hammarskold. Construction began in 1851, but the original architect was dismissed for fraud and dereliction of duty. Soon thereafter, the structure was largely dismantled because of defective materials and workmanship. John Niernsee redesigned the structure and work began on it in 1855, slowed during the Civil War, and was suspended in 1865 as Sherman's Union Army entered Columbia on February 17. Several public buildings were "put to the torch" when United States troops entered the city.

As you walk around the building, you will see shell-damaged areas marked with stars.  This is a close up of an upper window.

See the star above? Same window!

Close up of pillar damage from shelling.

If you look close, you can see the same star between the two pillars on the left.

Here’s one close enough for me to reach!

Close up

Reading these historical markers always puts my mind back in time – what would it have been like to witness the burning of Columbia?

We walked up the steps and checked out the architecture, only to find out you can’t get in that way!  The tourist door is on the lower level.

Beautiful from every angle!

George Washington stands proudly in the front.  

 This is one of six bronze replicas created in 1857 from the original marble statue (1789), which adorns the capitol in Richmond Virginia. The State of South Carolina purchased the bronze replica in 1858 to be placed in the newly constructed State House. The walking cane was broken during the move to its current location outside the State House.

Beautiful architecture!  I’m amazed that this building survived!

Sign on door says – visitors enter lower level!

After emptying pockets and going through a security check point, we entered the building and followed these beautiful stairs up to the main level.

The inside is as beautiful as the outside….and the underside of the dome caught my eye.

There is something cool about standing right under it and looking up!  Hard to capture with a camera ---

I really wanted Jason to see this…it’s the declaration of succession:

It reads: We, the People of the State of South Carolina, in Convention assembled do declare and ordain, and it is hereby declared and ordained, That the Ordinance adopted by us in Convention, on the twenty-third day of May in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred and eight eight, whereby the Constitution of the United State of America was ratified, and also all Acts and parts of Acts of the General Assembly of this State, ratifying amendment of the said Constitution, are here by repealed; and that the union now subsisting between South Carolina and other States, under the name of “The United States of America,” is hereby dissolved. 

The House was not in session, so we got to peek in!  LOVE that carpet!

The Senate wasn’t in either ---so we looked around!

The sun is in the wrong spot, I just wanted to catch the palm trees with the Capitol building in the background ---Look at that blue, blue sky!

Yes, I know it – I am a history nut and I find the stories of things that went on here long before I was born just fascinating.  Chances are, if I come to your town I’ll be interested in what happened there too!

If you made it this far into this post, let’s talk about Quilt-Cam!

I’m under some pretty heavy deadlines, so I think I’m going to have to shoot for tomorrow evening, HALLOWEEN ---at 9pm Eastern.  I know that might cut into some plans for some of you, but it will be archived on YouTube so you can always catch it later.  Today it just isn’t going to happen, I’ve got too much on my plate – including packaging up all the quilts for the next book and getting them off to Fed-Ex since I wasn’t able to get that far yesterday!

Have a great Wednesday, Everyone!

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