Colonial History

The History of the Old Sheldon Church Ruins in South Carolina

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Old Sheldon Church Ruins with four brick columns and roofless church walls in Yemassee, South Carolina.

Some places look beautiful in photographs. Then you arrive, step through the gate, and realize the photographs didn’t prepare you at all. That was the Old Sheldon Church Ruins for me. Hidden beneath enormous live oaks in the South Carolina Lowcountry, the remains of this eighteenth-century church rise from the landscape almost like they were … Read more

Cabo Rojo Salt Flats: The 500-Year-Old Industry Hidden Beside the Road

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A panoramic view of the pink evaporation ponds at the Cabo Rojo Salt Flats in southwestern Puerto Rico, with white salt beds, coastal vegetation, and the Caribbean Sea visible in the distance.

Some of the most unforgettable places aren’t the ones you planned to visit. They’re the ones you almost drive right past. That afternoon in Puerto Rico, my son and I had one destination in mind: the Cabo Rojo Lighthouse. As we wound through the island’s southwest corner with my parents, the conversation drifted from retirement … Read more