Noisette and the Masters Tournament Connected

Last year, we showed six degrees of separation connecting Noisette and the Masters Golf tournament. Revisit the connections here all in one blog post.

Part 1

Over the next 6 blogs and before the end of the Masters Tournament on April 11, we will be connecting the area known as the Noisette Community to the upcoming Masters tournament. This will be a history story of sorts and will discuss Park Circle, Liberty Hill, The Navy Yard, Chicora Park and more.

The Noisette community/ North Charleston area was occupied by Indians before Europeans started arriving in the late 1600′s.  After the arrival of the Europeans, plantations were strategically set up on the Charleston Harbors and rivers.  The Upper Neck area bordering the Cooper River included Marshlands Plantation among several others.  Retreat Plantation aka “The Retreat” later became known as Turnbull Plantation.  Parts of Turnbull later became a Park which we will discuss in future blogs.  Oak Grove Plantation bordered a creek feeding into the Cooper and Paul Noisette bought this plantation in 1865.  This is where our story begins.  Stay tuned for future posts as we connect Noisette to the Masters Golf Tournament.

Part 2

In this second installment of connecting the Noisette community with the Masters tournament, we will be following a timeline of events crucial to the formation of the area in North Charleston known as the Noisette Community.  The post Civil War time period saw the area begin to transform into a critical social, economical and industrial alternative to the established City of Charleston on the lower peninsula.

• 1872 – The City of Charleston ended roughly 3 miles from the Battery, the “neck area” was largely made up of freed slaves that purchased small tracts of land for small farms.  Liberty Hill community was established circa 1871 by freed slaves.  This area also employed a significant number of freed slaves in the phosphate rock and timber industry.  Phosphate rock was used in fertilizer and these industries began the transformation of the area into a major industrial area for the lowcountry.
• 1895 – Board of Park Commissioners of City of Charleston purchased nearly 600 acres of Retreat Plantation bordering Cooper River.  Today, this area is known as Chicora Gardens, the Noisette Preserve and Riverfront Park.
• 1896 – City names Park – Chicora Park.  Famed Olmsted brothers were hired for design.  Existing Turnbull Plantation was incorporated into their plan

• 1897 – Railway company built a passenger station and extended tracks from downtown to Chicora Park.  A bandstand was built, along with a dance pavilion and a small zoo.  Chicora Park represents Charelston’s first effort to plan the North area as well as its first substantial experience with professional landscape architects
• 1899 – Land acquired for golf course
• 1900 – City begins pursuing Port Royal Naval Station Relocation
• 1902 – Construction of shipyard begins with the largest pier and dry dock on the East Coast of the U.S.

Part 3

Part 3 of this series brings us to the North Charleston area around 1912.

The North Charleston Development Corporation was instrumental in master planning the current day Park Circle and surrounding areas into an integrated live, work, play community.  They were influenced by the Garden City concept which originated in England and championed by Ebenezer Howard.  The area to be developed was in between the present day Noisette and Filbin creeks and was where emerging industrial, naval and shipyard organizations were setting up shop.

In 1912, a group of residents of Charleston purchased appx 5000 acres in the “neck area”.  This was the most ambitious development project in the lowcountry.  It was a local project, using local capital, with local citizens being the vital players.  This group was comprised of accomplished individuals such as Rhett, Montague, Durant, Buist, Hyde and O’Hear.  Rhett was the key visionary in this master planning of the area.    Rhett believed that the industrial and agricultural sectors could be bound together in a new environment, a new urban form which became known as the New South Garden City.  The founding principle was that anyone working in North Charleston may live upon their own farm and grow their own food while living close to work.  Truly sustainable living, which we currently are seeing a movement back to these roots.  The area, in one grand scope of development strategically looked to bring our railroad and shipping terminals together where business would naturally occur.  At fair market rates, sites for factories, villages for employees and suburban type residences were planned.

The creation of a garden landscape was important to the developers.  The plan was based on a hub and spokes of a wheel.  The next step was to find a planner that could design and work with the vision set forth by this local group.  Stay tuned for the details of this process as we get closer to connecting the Noisette community to the Masters tournament.

Part 4

We’re getting closer to the opening rounds of the Masters and today we’re discussing the 1914 plan of North Charleston developed by William Bell Marquis.  Marquis was a young, Harvard trained architect.  He was to take the vision created by Rhett and his group (Part 3 of this series) and make the vision a reality.  The plan for North Charleston represented a bold effort to build a new city on the “neck.”  The plan would draw on planning principles of the Progressive Era, including the environmental aesthetics of the City Beautiful and Garden City movements.

The below map is a general map that holds a clue to connecting this series to Augusta and the Masters.  Can you figure out the next connection?

Six Degrees Summary Thus Far:

Part 1 – 1600′s-1865 North Charleston Area History

Part 2 – 1872-1902 – Plantations, Parks and the Navy

Part 3 – 1912 – Local development Group Crafts Vision for New Urban Community

Part 4 – 1914 – Landscape Architect William Marquis plans Park Circle Area

Part 5 – TBD…Teaser…Who hired William Marquis?

Part 5

Part 4 of this series saw us discuss William Marquis and his plan for the Park Circle area located in the Noisette Community of North Charleston.  The connection to the Masters Tournament is becoming more apparent and the previous post held a clue located in the bottom rt corner of the map in the form of text, “PJ Berckmans Co Augusta GA.”  Berckmans Nursery aka Fruitland was the first large scale horticultural nursery in the South East US.  Founded in 1858 in Augusta GA by Louis Berckmans.  In addition to their nursery business, landscape design and community planning seemed a natural fit.  The grounds later would become the site of the Augusta National Golf Club.  Fruitland Manor was the Berckmans family home.  The Berckmans were selected to design North Charleston around 1914 and they selected the young William Marquis as their main man.  I’m a little biased but I think he did a pretty good job!

Six Degrees Summary Thus Far:

Part 1 – 1600′s-1865 North Charleston Area History

Part 2 – 1872-1902 – Plantations, Parks and the Navy

Part 3 – 1912 – Local development Group Crafts Vision for New Urban Community

Part 4 – 1914 – Landscape Architect William Marquis plans Park Circle Area

Part 5 – 1914 – William Marquis hired by the Berckmans Group out of Augusta Georgia

Part 6 – Coming soon…Wrapping it all up to the Masters and kicking off the weekend of play

Part 6

Part 5 of this series brought us to Berckmans Nursery in Augusta Georgia.  The Berckmans hired Marquis for the design of North Charleston in 1914.  The Berckmans home was known as Fruitland Manor and now is the Augusta National Clubhouse.  In 1931, golf Champion Bobby Jones and his business partners created the club and golf course.  The two sons of Prosper Berckmans, assisted in the landscape design of the golf course.  Many of the plant varieties developed and improved by the Berckmans family still grow today at Augusta National.  Many plants like the azaleas and wisteria can be found in the design of Augusta National and  the North Charleston Park Circle area and enjoyed today.  The connection goes back almost 100 years and some prior history was necessary to get us from the 1st degree on.  I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride and the connecting stories!

Make It a Noisette Community Day

With the “be a tourist in your own town movement” going on in the Charleston area right now (which is an awesome idea),  I wanted to share some ideas for being a tourist at Noisette.  Maybe you live, work or play in the Noisette Community.  Maybe you are visiting the area and are curious.  Maybe you live in the Noisette Community and have friends or relatives visiting you and are looking for some things to do.  May I suggest you make it a Noisette Community tour?

I’ve had the pleasure of touring hundreds of people thru Noisette over the past year.  Groups have ranged from international conferences to my own relatives and friends.  There’s a lot to be proud of and depending on your interest and regardless of time of day (or night), Noisette has you covered.

That being said, a couple of months ago, a group of residents from the Del Webb (DW) at Cane Bay community in Summerville, SC took a day trip to explore North Charleston and some spots in the Noisette Community.  We enjoyed having them hang out with us.  Below is a report written by one of the residents.  I’d be happy to suggest some ideas for you as well.  Just send me an email at greid@noisettesc.com and I’ll be happy to assist.

From Cane Bay Resident:

“On September 7th, 26 members of DW Charleston toured the Charleston Navy Yard led by our Wentworth Lifestyle Director.  This area is rich with history, but also is full of promise for the future.  Here are some of the things we saw and enjoyed.

Our first stop was the Warren Lasch Conservation Center located well within the confines of the old Navy Base which houses the H. L. Hunley.  As most of you know, the Hunley was lost after she sank the USS Housatonic, a Federal sloop-of-war, just outside Charleston harbor in 1864.  Soon after sinking the Housatonic, the Hunley itself sank and the crew perished.  The Hunley was found by Cleve Cussler in 1995 and eventually brought to the surface in 2000.  Moved to the Conservation Center and kept in a tank of chilled fresh water, the Hunley is being excavated and studied for what it can tell us about this sad chapter of our nation’s history.

Unfortunately, little can be discerned about the Hunley as you gaze down into the tank; however, our guide provided ample information on the development and construction of the Hunley as well as details on its fateful sailing.  The Conservation Center also houses a number of artifacts from the Hunley as well as other historic items and several mockups of the boat that were used either for a National Geographic TV special or in a made-for-TV movie.  Regardless of their feelings concerning the Civil War, all present were awed by the sense of dedication by the crew members by volunteering to sail on a boat that had already sunk and killed two earlier crews.

From the Hunley, we began a bus tour of the historic Charleston Navy Yard now being redeveloped and revitalized sustainably as The Navy Yard at Noisette.  Begun in 1901, the Yard—later to become the Charleston Navy Base—played a large role in our nation’s defense until it closed in 1996.  The relatively sudden loss of nearly 20,000 military and civilian jobs staggered North Charleston and its recovery over time has been slow, but today the Base is evolving into a desirable place for industry and small businesses to relocate.  It also is becoming a destination of sightseeing, recreation and even as a place to live.  During the tour, we saw various historical buildings to include the Power House and the old hospital complex.  We also saw several of the former military housing units now being used as background for the TV program, “Army Wives.”

The final stop on the tour was Riverfront Park with its memorial “Greater Charleston Naval Base Memorial”  to those who had served on the Base and panoramic views of the Cooper River as it flows under the Don Holt Bridge and then past the Detyens Shipyard towards Charleston Harbor.  Of note, a new restaurant, Runaway Bay, is scheduled to open soon in one of the restored homes along the waterfront offering Jamaican and Caribbean cuisine.

Lunch was at Cork Neighborhood Bistro located at 1067 East Montague Avenue in Park Circle, just outside the confines of the Navy Base.  While the food was good, the camaraderie was even better as a fellow neighbor entertained his fellow diners with hilarious tales of his misspent youth.

Following lunch, we made one last stop at Coast Brewery, a craft brewery located in a small building just inside the Navy Yard at Noisette.  Coast is one of two breweries in the Charleston area and by far the smallest.  Opened in 2007, Coast is family-owned and operated where even the children of the owners assist in putting labels on the beer bottles.  Jamie, part-owner (along with her husband, David) described the brewing process and offered samples of three of their beers:  “32/50 Kolsch,” an ale that was dry with a pleasant hop finish; “HopArt,” an India Pale Ale with a 7.7% alcohol content; and an “Event Horizon” beer that is only brewed seasonally.

Following our filling lunch, the beer in the warm brewery cast an almost hypnotic spell over the travelers as they departed for home altogether satisfied with their tour of the brewery and the other interesting locations they had seen.”

END

Six Degrees of Separation Part 4 – Connecting Noisette to the Masters Tournament

We’re getting closer to the opening rounds of the Masters and today we’re discussing the 1914 plan of North Charleston developed by William Bell Marquis.  Marquis was a young, Harvard trained architect.  He was to take the vision created by Rhett and his group (Part 3 of this series) and make the vision a reality.  The plan for North Charleston represented a bold effort to build a new city on the “neck.”  The plan would draw on planning principles of the Progressive Era, including the environmental aesthetics of the City Beautiful and Garden City movements.

The below map is a general map that holds a clue to connecting this series to Augusta and the Masters.  Can you figure out the next connection?

Six Degrees Summary Thus Far:

Part 1 – 1600’s-1865 North Charleston Area History

Part 2 – 1872-1902 – Plantations, Parks and the Navy

Part 3 – 1912 – Local development Group Crafts Vision for New Urban Community

Part 4 – 1914 – Landscape Architect William Marquis plans Park Circle Area

Part 5 – TBD…Teaser…Who hired William Marquis?

Six Degrees of Separation Part 3 – Noisette to the Masters Tournament

Part 3 of this series brings us to the North Charleston area around 1912.

The North Charleston Development Corporation was instrumental in master planning the current day Park Circle and surrounding areas into an integrated live, work, play community.  They were influenced by the Garden City concept which originated in England and championed by Ebenezer Howard.  The area to be developed was in between the present day Noisette and Filbin creeks and was where emerging industrial, naval and shipyard organizations were setting up shop.

In 1912, a group of residents of Charleston purchased appx 5000 acres in the “neck area”.  This was the most ambitious development project in the lowcountry.  It was a local project, using local capital, with local citizens being the vital players.  This group was comprised of accomplished individuals such as Rhett, Montague, Durant, Buist, Hyde and O’Hear.  Rhett was the key visionary in this master planning of the area.    Rhett believed that the industrial and agricultural sectors could be bound together in a new environment, a new urban form which became known as the New South Garden City.  The founding principle was that anyone working in North Charleston may live upon their own farm and grow their own food while living close to work.  Truly sustainable living, which we currently are seeing a movement back to these roots.  The area, in one grand scope of development strategically looked to bring our railroad and shipping terminals together where business would naturally occur.  At fair market rates, sites for factories, villages for employees and suburban type residences were planned.

The creation of a garden landscape was important to the developers.  The plan was based on a hub and spokes of a wheel.  The next step was to find a planner that could design and work with the vision set forth by this local group.  Stay tuned for the details of this process as we get closer to connecting the Noisette community to the Masters tournament.

Six Degrees of Separation Part 2

In this second installment of connecting the Noisette community with the Masters tournament, we will be following a timeline of events crucial to the formation of the area in North Charleston known as the Noisette Community.  The post Civil War time period saw the area begin to transform into a critical social, economical and industrial alternative to the established City of Charleston on the lower peninsula.

• 1872 – The City of Charleston ended roughly 3 miles from the Battery, the “neck area” was largely made up of freed slaves that purchased small tracts of land for small farms.  Liberty Hill community was established circa 1871 by freed slaves.  This area also employed a significant number of freed slaves in the phosphate rock and timber industry.  Phosphate rock was used in fertilizer and these industries began the transformation of the area into a major industrial area for the lowcountry.
• 1895 – Board of Park Commissioners of City of Charleston purchased nearly 600 acres of Retreat Plantation bordering Cooper River.  Today, this area is known as Chicora Gardens, the Noisette Preserve and Riverfront Park.
• 1896 – City names Park – Chicora Park.  Famed Olmsted brothers were hired for design.  Existing Turnbull Plantation was incorporated into their plan
• 1897 – Railway company built a passenger station and extended tracks from downtown to Chicora Park.  A bandstand was built, along with a dance pavilion and a small zoo.  Chicora Park represents Charelston’s first effort to plan the North area as well as its first substantial experience with professional landscape architects
• 1899 – Land acquired for golf course
• 1900 – City begins pursuing Port Royal Naval Station Relocation
• 1902 – Construction of shipyard begins with the largest pier and dry dock on the East Coast of the U.S.

Six Degrees of Separation – Noisette Area to the Masters Tournament

Over the next 6 blogs and before the end of the Masters Tournament on April 11, we will be connecting the area known as the Noisette Community to the upcoming Masters tournament. This will be a history story of sorts and will discuss Park Circle, Liberty Hill, The Navy Yard, Chicora Park and more.

The Noisette community/ North Charleston area was occupied by Indians before Europeans started arriving in the late 1600’s.  After the arrival of the Europeans, plantations were strategically set up on the Charleston Harbors and rivers.  The Upper Neck area bordering the Cooper River included Marshlands Plantation among several others.  Retreat Plantation aka “The Retreat” later became known as Turnbull Plantation.  Parts of Turnbull later became a Park which we will discuss in future blogs.  Oak Grove Plantation bordered a creek feeding into the Cooper and Paul Noisette bought this plantation in 1865.  This is where our story begins.  Stay tuned for future posts as we connect Noisette to the Masters Golf Tournament.