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Charleston Time Machine

Charleston Time Machine

By: Nic Butler Ph.D.
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About this listen

 Dr. Nic Butler, historian at the Charleston County Public Library, explores the less familiar corners of local history with stories that invite audiences to reflect on the enduring presence of the past in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.All rights reserved World
Episodes
  • Episode 318: The Flight of Sampson the Pilot in the Summer of 1775

    Episode 318: The Flight of Sampson the Pilot in the Summer of 1775
    Mar 27 2026
    In the summer of 1775, amid smoldering tension between the British government rebellious colonists, officers of the Royal Navy in Charleston quietly negotiated with an enslaved mariner named Sampson Waldron. The warship Scorpion briefly required his piloting skills to exit the harbor, but the prospect of freedom via service to the king induced him to remain aboard and commence a new life as an enemy to colonial resistance.
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    35 mins
  • Episode 317: The First Days of South Carolina's Last Royal Governor

    Episode 317: The First Days of South Carolina's Last Royal Governor
    Mar 6 2026
    Lord William Campbell, the new royal governor of the colony of South Carolina, stepped ashore at Charleston in late June 1775 to an uneasy reception. Family, friends, and old acquaintances greeted him politely, but a pervasive spirit of rebellion clouded their sentiments. Insulted by apathy for his authority and direct expressions of seditious opinions, Campbell nevertheless chose to stand his ground and jettison a convenient means of escape.
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    31 mins
  • Episode 316: Governor William Campbell and the Scorpion, sailing to Charleston in 1775

    Episode 316: Governor William Campbell and the Scorpion, sailing to Charleston in 1775
    Feb 20 2026
    The first sparks of the American Revolution ignited during the spring of 1775, while Lord William Campbell prepared to sail from England to his post as Governor of South Carolina. His contacts and conversations during that turbulent year presaged an uncertain reception in Charleston. As civil war erupted in Massachusetts, the king’s ministers empowered Campbell to choose his future course—either trim the sails of unruly Carolina, or abandon the provincial ship of state.
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    27 mins
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