On Monday, September 16th, our "Beyond the Grave" class had a guest speaker named Ruth Miller. Ruth Miller has been involved in Charleston history for over 40 years and is also a published author. Miller has written a total of seven books. Most of her books are about the historic churches found throughout the Holy City but she has other about the city's rich history.
During her presentation, she talked about how in 1770 Charleston was the most cosmopolitan city and by 1776 Charleston's population greater than New York and richer than Boston. Against popular belief, Charleston didn't gain its wealth from tobacco or cotton plantations but rice plantations. The first three ships to arrive in Charleston came from Europe and picked up slaves from the West Indies. Miller stated that "75% of all rice in the world came from Charleston".
One thing that blew me away is that in the 18th century Charleston's population had more black people than white people but none of them are in the graveyards. The city has done lots to help hide its history of slavery. None of the plantations have the slave courters, the market is now a touristy shopping attraction. Miller said, "what you don't see is just as important as what you do see."
Only rich white people were able to be buried in the graveyard in Charleston. Because of this bodies are partially buried throughout the city. When the Addlestone Library was being constructed the builders uncovered 36 unidentified bodies that were believed to have belonged to slaves. Miller said, "bodies bodies everywhere" to emphasize the thousands of bodies that are buried under the streets if the city.
Ruth Miller's presentation was incredibly informative. When I was younger my family would take vacations to Charleston one a year. Getting to here the in-depth history of a city I know and love was really interesting and will be an experience I won't forget.
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