On Sunday and Monday, I took an overnight road trip to Moncks Corner and Charleston, South Carolina to visit some of the area's historic sites. On Sunday I visited the Biggin Church Ruins and Old Santee Canal Park near Moncks Corner and visited Boone Hall Plantation on Monday before returning to Savannah. I didn't plan it this way because I planned this trip before I read the book, but I just finished reading John W. Gordon's South Carolina and The American Revolution: A Battlefield History before the trip, so Sunday's portion of the trip gave me the opportunity to walk the ground of some of the skirmishes and battles I read about around Biggin Church and at Fort Fairlawn.
Of course, I took the radios along and listened to MilCom/Aviation, FedCom, Public Safety, Marine VHF, and Railroad communications during the trip. As usual, there was no shortage of something to listen to in the Charleston area. VHF and UHF Amateur Radio was more active on Sunday than on Monday (the SCHearts linked repeater network was linked together for the weekend) and I've included a list of repeaters that I heard active during the trip.
Amateur Radio
145.1300- (PL 88.5) - Beaufort (Beaufort Co)
146.5200 (CSQ) - National Call
146.7150- (PL 123.0) - Whitehall (Colleton Co) (SCHearts)
146.9100- (PL 156.7) - Whitehall (Colleton Co)
145.4100- (PL 123.0) - Seabrook Island (Charleston Co) (SCHearts)
145.4500- (PL 123.0) - Charleston (MUSC) (Charleston Co)
146.7600- (PL 123.0) - Charleston (Charleston Co) (SCHearts)
146.7900- (PL 123.0) - Charleston (USS Yorktown) (Charleston Co) (SCHearts)
147.1050+ (PL 123.0) - Charleston (Charleston Co) (SCHearts)
147.3450+ (PL 141.3) - Adams Run (Charleston Co)
441.5750+ (PL 123.0) - Charleston (Charleston Co) (SCHearts)
441.7250+ (PL 123.0) - Charleston (Charleston Co)
442.4625+ (DMR CC1) - North Charleston (Charleston Co)
443.0375+ (DMR CC1) - Charleston Downtown (Charleston Co)
146.7150- (PL 123.0) - Whitehall (Colleton Co) (SCHearts)
146.9100- (PL 156.7) - Whitehall (Colleton Co)
145.4100- (PL 123.0) - Seabrook Island (Charleston Co) (SCHearts)
145.4500- (PL 123.0) - Charleston (MUSC) (Charleston Co)
146.7600- (PL 123.0) - Charleston (Charleston Co) (SCHearts)
146.7900- (PL 123.0) - Charleston (USS Yorktown) (Charleston Co) (SCHearts)
147.1050+ (PL 123.0) - Charleston (Charleston Co) (SCHearts)
147.3450+ (PL 141.3) - Adams Run (Charleston Co)
441.5750+ (PL 123.0) - Charleston (Charleston Co) (SCHearts)
441.7250+ (PL 123.0) - Charleston (Charleston Co)
442.4625+ (DMR CC1) - North Charleston (Charleston Co)
443.0375+ (DMR CC1) - Charleston Downtown (Charleston Co)
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| Scanning, Amateur Radio, and a picnic lunch at the Old Santee Canal Park in Moncks Corner, SC |
Before I go on with the rest of the radio report, I want to report on some antennas I tried on this road trip. I found a two pack of Bingfu mobile scanner antennas on Amazon for $16.99 and bought a pack. When I set up the portable shack at the hotel in Charleston on Sunday afternoon I connected one to the Uniden BCD436HP I use for MilCom/Aviation and the other to the Uniden SDS100. Reception was, to put it generously, poor. I ended up putting a Diamond RH77 on the SDS100 and connected my inflatable VHF/UHF Airband antenna to the BCD436HP and heard far more than I did with the Bingfus. I can sum up the two Bingfus in two words: they suck. It's worth mentioning that the magnets on them are, once again to put it generous, barely magnetic. If actually used for mobile antennas they probably wouldn't make it past the shift from first to second gear. These are antennas to be avoided.
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| These Bingfu mobile scanner antennas aren't very good; they may be priced well at $16.99 for a pack of two, but avoid them - they aren't very good. |
MilCom/Aviation
Neither Sunday or Monday were very active MilCom-wise. I heard a few Air Force Reserve C-17s from Joint Base Charleston and a some REACH airlift flights, but that was about it. The USAF 57C TRS was very active with traffic from both the USAF/Reserve side at Charleston IAP and from the Navy at Naval Support Activity Charleston. Quite a bit of the traffic on this system is encrypted. On Monday, I was close enough to Charleston IAP for to hear some traffic from Boeing's DMR TRS for a few minutes. In addition to aviation traffic coming and going from Charleston, I could also hear approach and departures from Beaufort and Columbia.
Joint Base Charleston/Charleston IAP
120.600 - Charleston Tower
120.700 - Charleston TRACON
349.400 - JB Charleston "PALMETTO OPS"
BRONZE ## (C-17A, 300th AS)
PRIME ## (C-17A, 317th AS)
TURTLE ## (C-17A, 701st AS)
REACH #### (Various, USAF Airlift)
USAF 57C TRS (JB Charleston/NSA Charleston sites)
TG 751 - JB Charleston FD Dispatch; enc/unenc
TG 752 - JB Charleston FD Tac 1; enc/unenc
TG 754 - JB Charleston/NSA Charleston Unknown; enc (JB/NSA Charleston FD Tac?)
TG 755 - JB Charleston/NSA Charleston Unknown; enc
TG 770 - JB Charleston EMS?; enc/unenc (traffic ref ambulance)
TG 834 - 437th/315th AW; enc
TG 837 - 437th/315th AW MOC 2; enc
TG 841 - JB Charleston/NSA Charleston Unknown; unenc
TG 882 - JB Charleston/NSA Charleston Unknown; enc
TG 884 - JB Charleston/NSA Charleston Unknown; enc
TG 950 - JB Charleston/NSA Charleston Unknown (FD?); enc/unenc
TG 986 - Patch to Charleston County FD Dispatch; unenc
Boeing Charleston DMR TRS
461.700, 461.950
TG 19 - Boeing FD Dispatch
TG 29 - Boeing Security Dispatch
TG 200 - Unknown
MCAS Beaufort
123.700 - Beaufort Approach/Departure
125.125 - Beaufort Approach/Departure
Columbia/McEntire JNGB/Shaw AFB
124.150 - Columbia TRACON
133.400 - Columbia TRACON
Jacksonville ARTCC
124.075 - Jax Center Summerville High
126.125 - Jax Center Statesboro High
127.875 - Jax Center Aiken High
132.425 - Jax Center Hunter Ultra High
132.925 - Jax Center Allendale/Savannah Low
133.450 - Jax Center Florence Low
133.625 - Jax Center Georgetown High
134.375 - Jax Center Charleston Low
FedCom
Federal agencies were fairly active on both Sunday and Monday. The Coast Guard was active on both Marine VHF and Rescue 21 frequencies, especially on Monday. Some of the traffic on the Rescue 21 digital frequencies was encrypted. The US Forest Service was active on both days with personnel checking different areas of the Francis Marion National Forest just north of Charleston.
156.8000 - Marine VHF Ch 16
157.0500 - Marine VHF Ch 21
157.1000 - Marine VHF Ch 22
150.3000 ($293) - CG 107, Unknown; enc
171.2375 ($293) - CG 127, Sector Charleston; enc/unenc
413.0000 ($293) - CG 410, Sector Charleston Air Ops; enc/unenc
171.1375 (PL 136.5) - USFS Huger Rptr (Charleston, SC)
Public Safety
Most of the public safety communications around Charleston are on the Palmetto 800 700/800 MHz TRS, including all of the local agencies in Charleston and the surrounding counties. The South Carolina Forestry Commission still uses VHF repeaters.
159.2325 (DCS 131) - SCFC Huger (Berkeley Co)
159.2475 (DCS 115) - SCFC Okatie (Jasper Co)
159.4050 (DCS 155) - SCFC Cottageville (east Colleton Co)
Palmetto 800
TG 550 - Hilton Head Island Fire/Rescue Dispatch (Beaufort Co)
TG 1045 - Berkeley County FD/EMS Incident 4
TG 1049 - Berkeley County FD/EMS Incident 8
TG 1078 - Berkeley County FD/EMS Ops
TG 1142 - Bekeley County Special Event 3
TG 1398 - Goose Creek FD Dispatch (Berkeley Co)
TG 1399 - Goose Creek FD Fireground 1 (Berkeley Co)
TG 1429 - Pine Ridge FD (Berkeley Co)
TG 1567 - Awnedaw FD Ops (Charleston Co)
TG 1575 - Charleston County FD Rescue Dispatch
TG 1628 - Charleston County FD Incident 7
TG 1631 - Charleston County Incident 10
TG 1721 - Mt Pleasant FD Ops (Charleston Co)
TG 1765 - Lincolnville Fire/Rescue (Charleston Co)
TG 1771 - St Paul FD Ops (Charleston Co)
TG 1805 - North Charleston FD Ops (Charleston Co)
TG 1871 - Sullivans Island FD Ops (Charleston Co)
TG 2030 - Charleston FD Ops (Charleston Co)
TG 2049 - James Island/St Johns FD Ops (Charleston Co)
TG 2051 - Charleston County FD/EMS Dispatch
TG 2057 - Charleston County FD Incident 4
TG 2066 - Charleston County FDs Ops A
TG 2931 - Colleton County Fire/Rescue Dispatch
TG 4165 - Dorchester County FD Dispatch
TG 4166 - Dorchester County FD Incident 1
TG 4361 - Summerville FD Ops 2 (Dorchester Co)
TG 6542 - Jasper County FD Tac 1
TG 10394 - Meducare Helicopter Flight Control
TG 20021 - SC State Air-to-Ground
TG 51704 - MedTrans SC Helicopters
TG 40005 - SC Air 3
Marine VHF & Railroad
With Charleston being a major port, there was plenty of Marine VHF and Railroad traffic to hear. In addition to the Marine VHF frequencies in use, Charleston Pilots also has a DMR repeater that is very active.
156.6500 - Marine VHF Ch 13; Charleston Harbor Navigation Safety
156.7000 - Marine VHF Ch 14; Charleston Pilots
156.3500 - Marine VHF Ch 7; Tugboats
156.9500 - Marine VHF Ch 19; Tugboats?
156.4500 - Marine VHF Ch 9; Drawbridges
159.8550 (DMR SL1, CC1, TG 200) - Charleston Pilots
160.2300 - AAR 08, CSX BC Dispatch (some stations with PL 250.3)
161.3700 - AAR 84, CSX AD Dispatch (some stations with PL 250.3)
160.5900 - AAR 32, CSX Road (some stations with PL 250.3)
161.1000 - AAR 66, CSX Road/Yard (some stations with PL 250.3)
160.2900 - AAR 12, CSX Intermodal Yard
160.4400 - AAR 22, CSX Intermodal Yard
161.2500 - AAR 76, Norfolk Southern Seven Mile Yard
160.3200 (DCS 205) - AAR14, Charleston Port Utility Commission
Biggin Church Ruins
The first stop of the road trip on Sunday was the Biggin Church Ruins in Moncks Corner. Four churches were located on the site where the current ruins are, three of which burned, two by forest fires and one by the British during the American Revolution. Biggin Church is one of the sites I read about in Gordon's battlefield history of the American Revolution in SC, so I was looking forward to stopping by while I was in the Charleston area. The site witnessed two skirmishes during the Revolution, one in 1780 when the British successfully captured Charleston and again in 1781 when the Americans were advancing on Charleston. During the second skirmish, the church was used to house supplies by the British and they burned it and the supplies they couldn't carry with them when they abandoned it while pulling back toward Charleston.
The second skirmish around Biggin Church was on 16 July 1781. American militia under Peter Horry advanced on the area and were attacked by the British and Loyalist militia. Horry's men counterattacked, but the British and Loyalists managed to extricate themselves. Horry pulled back to the main body of Americans under Thomas Sumter and British pulled back around Biggin Church. British Lt. Colonel James Coates had most of the his supplies put into Biggin Church, burned it and the supplies and pulled back towards Charleston with the supplies his men could carry. Following this action, the church was rebuilt and stood until the late 1800s, when it was again burned by a forest fire.
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| Biggin Church Ruins in Moncks Corner, SC |
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| Biggin Church Ruins in Moncks Corner, SC |
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| Biggin Church Ruins in Moncks Corner, SC |
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| Biggin Church Ruins in Moncks Corner, SC |
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| Biggin Church Ruins in Moncks Corner, SC |
Old Santee Canal Park
The second stop of the road trip was the Old Santee Canal Park in Moncks Corner. Old Santee Canal Park is a terrific park operated by Berkeley County and features miles of trails that highlight the history and natural beauty of the area, an earthen fort used during the American Revolution, the history of the Santee Canal, and a historic house. The area also happens to be where the CSS David was built during the Civil War, and it is featured there as well. There are numerous picnic tables throughout the park and I took advantage of one to have a picnic lunch and enjoy some listening before walking the trails. I highly recommend visiting the park, you could spend hours wandering the trails and taking in the sights (but I would definitely watch my step during the warmer months).
The first part of the Old Santee Park that I toured was Fort Fairlawn. Fort Fairlawn was an earthen fort used by the British as part of their position at a nearby mansion, Colleton Castle, which was used as a supply depot and hospital as part of their defenses around Charleston. In that respect, Fort Fairlawn has a connection with Biggin Church, which I visited earlier in the day. In Spring of 1780, the British turned the mansion at Fairlawn Barony into a fortified supply depot, turned an outbuilding into a hospital, and built Fort Fairlawn nearby to protect the Cooper River and nearby roads. In November 1781, American militia under Francis Marion moved against the positions, but found Fort Fairlawn too strong to take. Part of Marion's militia under Hezekiah Maham instead attacked the hospital nearby and captured its occupants. The British eventually evacuated the area, burning the mansion and outbuildings and abandoning Fort Fairlawn. The remains of the fort can still be seen, and walked through, on a trail through the woods in the park.
The Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust, American Battlefield Trust, and Berkeley County have a done a magnificent job preserving and interpreting the area. It turned out to be not just a beautiful day for walking the trails, but a fascinating day in which I got to walk the same ground that was traveled and fought through by American militiamen such as Horry, Maham, Marion, and Sumter. It was a terrific way to continue my exploration of the American Revolution's Southern Campaign.
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| Fort Fairlawn, built by the British during the American Revolution |
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| Fort Fairlawn, built by the British during the American Revolution |
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| Fort Fairlawn, built by the British during the American Revolution |
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| Fort Fairlawn, built by the British during the American Revolution |
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| Fort Fairlawn, built by the British during the American Revolution |
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| Model of Fort Fairlawn inside the Berkeley County Museum at Old Santee Canal Park |
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| Turtles along the trails at the Old Santee Canal Park |
The park is named after the Santee Canal, one of the first canals built in the United States, which linked the Cooper River near Charleston with the Santee River, which allowed transportation to and from Columbia via the Congaree River. Using ten locks, it was the first true summit canal in North America. Construction on the canal began in 1793; it was built using slave labor and opened in 1800. It was used to move cotton between upland SC and the port of Charleston and just as it was built by slaves, many of the men manning the canal boats were also slaves. As the 1800s progressed, steam ships and railroads overtook the canal and fell into disuse after the end of the Civil War. The Interpretive Center at the park has a unique entrance which is essentially a scale model of one of the canal locks.
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| The Interpretive Center at the Old Santee Canal Park |
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| The Interpretive Center at the Old Santee Canal Park; the entrance is a scale model of one of the locks from the canal |
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| The Interpretive Center at the Old Santee Canal Park |
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| Part of what's left of the Santee Canal |
Stony Landing House, the historic residence at Old Santee Canal Park was built in the early 1840s by a Charleston Merchant, John Dawson, at Stony Landing, which was a commercial hub between the upper part of the Lowcountry, northern SC, and Charleston. The property and house were also owned at one time by Dr Julien Ravenel, who with a partner founded the Colleton Lime Works on the property. During the Civil War, the CSS David, a semi-submersible torpedo boat, was designed by Ravenel, developed and built at Stony Landing before carrying out the first successful semi-submersible torpedo boat attack in history when it attacked and damaged the USS New Ironsides in Charleston Harbor on 5 October 1863. The CSS David features heavily in both the park's Interpretive Center and at the Berkeley County Museum, which is also on the park's grounds.
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| Stony Landing House at the Old Santee Canal Park |
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| Replica of the CSS David at the Berkeley County Museum |
Boone Hall Plantation
Monday's stop during the road trip was Boone Hall Plantation, one of the earliest plantations in America still in operation, in Mt Pleasant, northeast of Charleston. The earliest known reference to Boone Hall is in 1681. Several plantation houses stood on the property, with the current one built in the 1930s on the footprint of its predecessor, which had to be torn down and replaced because it stood unoccupied for so long following the Civil War. While various crops were grown at Boone Hall, it became best known for its brickworks; many of the historic structures in downtown Charleston and part of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor were built with Boone Hall bricks. Just as with all of the other labor at the plantation, the bricks were made by slaves - and this is something that Boone Hall doesn't try to gloss over. Their history presentations and interpretive material focuses on the slave labor. They also feature Gullah presentations which tell the story of the slaves and the Gullah culture they created.
Boone Hall is unique in that has a number of brick slave quarters still standing. Usually, slave quarters were shoddily built with wood but these were made out of reject bricks that couldn't be sold and were occupied by the more skilled slaves and house servants. The bricks may have been rejects, but they've been strong enough for the structures to survive from when they were built between 1790 and 1810 to this day.
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| The famed Avenue of Oaks at Boone Hall Plantation |
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| The plantation house at Boone Hall (built in the 1930s) |
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| Some of the brick slave quarters at Boone Hall Plantation |
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| Gullah Culture and History presentation at Boone Hall Plantation |
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| Dock House at Boone Hall Plantation |
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| A view of Horlbeck Creek, which flows into the Wando River, from the Boone Hall Dock House |
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