Let The Light Through--A Piece Of Charleston's French Heritage

French is considered to be "le langage de l'amour." So, one may ask: What is it about French that qualifies it to be called "the language of love?" One reason, French is very euphonious. The tone of the spoken words tend to be more delicate sounding to the ears. Also, vowels and consonants are well distributed resulting in more harmonious phrases. Finally, the need to conjugate verbs makes it ideal for writing poetry and music.

Take for example, the French phrase "claire-voie." Attempting to pronounce the phrase in English, a person may be inclined to say it as if it were pronounced "clairevoyee," when actually the correct pronunciation, as if it were spoken in English would sound like "claire-vua" in proper French. You would have to agree, it is more "poétique."

I first came across the phrase "claire-voie" while researching the history of Charleston's wrought iron legacy for a recent article. It was listed along with such items as nails, boot scrapers, horseshoes, balconies, locks, and latches, which were used by colonial Charlestonians. To me, it seemed to be out of place.

When I looked up the translation of the phrase, I discovered it to mean "let the light through" or more literally an "openwork." A "claire-voie" is typically achieved with hedging or it can be an ironwork screen, openwork fence, gate, or grille placed in a wall through which a vista can be enjoyed. One of the most famous examples of a claire-voie is a round opening in a hedge of the White Garden at Sissinghurst Garden Castle in England.

I have strolled the wrought iron rich streets south of Broad Street many times and never realized the grated openings in residential walls allowing passersby a peek into the beautifully landscaped gardens beyond had a name. So, armed with my newly acquired information, I packed my camera and headed for the downtown peninsula of Charleston to search out examples of a claire-voie. I found them to be everywhere. This is a small collection I gathered on my excursion.

The French language is no stranger to Charleston. There has been a French influence in the city since its early colonial days. The Hugenots, French Protestants fleeing persecution and seeking religious freedom, came to Charleston in 1680 to start a community. The early congregation was made up of these Hugenot refugees sent by King Charles II to establish themselves as artisans and tradesmen. Within the original walled city, the district became known as the now famous French Quarter.

Preceded by two other churches, the still standing Gothic Revival-style French Huguenot Church, located at 136 Church Street, was completed in 1845. It was the first building of this style constructed in Charleston. Wealthy French merchants established a business presence and built homes. Legare Street is named for goldsmith Solomom Legare "the Hugenot," who built the first house at 32 Legare Street.

Like a surging Atlantic tide, peoples of varying cultures spilled into a river fed inlet of a distant new world and washed unto the shores of an oyster laden peninsula where they established what would grow into a bustling international sea port called Charleston. In this shared space, their varying beliefs and distinct dialects converged. They exchanged ideas and architecture. The French claire-voie was one of those shared concepts that found its way into the beautifully fashioned gardens of the elegant estates of America's most celebrated historic landscapes.

A Peek Into Charleston's Preeminent Wrought Iron Legacy

The top of St. Michael's Church

In the iron hands of a blacksmith, it can be bent, twisted, and welded into whatever shape the imagination can dream up. Despite easily yielding to the geometric manipulations of the skillful smithy, it is equally rugged and impervious to corrosion. This pliable yet resilient alloy is known the world over as wrought iron. It was the preferred material for the crafting of window grates, boot scrapers, balconies, fences, gates and claire-voies by the discerning Charlestonian. The forged ornamental ironworks gracing the downtown peninsula of Charleston, conceived in inspiration and born by fire, are the most impressive public collection in the country. Most often painted black and sometimes Charleston green, during the 19th-century it was also painted in bright, vivid colors.

Though centuries have past and Charleston's old buildings and walls bear the colors of age, its decorative ironworks remain resolute. They stand as a symbol of the City's unwavering steadfastness in the face of the most unspeakable upheavals and as a testimony to its matchless charm and elegance. For anyone exploring the old thoroughfares from the French Quarter to the Lower Peninsula, the black iron fences and scrolled gates are not only visually stunning, but they also offer an unobstructed peek into another one of Charleston's treasures, the beautifully landscaped gardens beyond.

In the early colonial days of Charleston, wrought iron served more humble uses as nails, horseshoes, hinges and latches. Decorative wrought iron was imported from across the pond. It was placed as window grates and balconies. At the beginning of the 19th century, as the city grew in wealth and prestige, the demand for ornate ironworks spiraled. Three masters of the anvil stepped into the limelight, J.A.W. Iusti (1817-1895), Christopher Werner (1805-1875), and Frederic Julius Ortmann (1839-1899). All were immigrants from Germany. They blended old world ways with new world ideas and fashioned designs that spoke to the heart of Charleston and its intersecting cultures. Of the three, Werner's name stands out the most.

Unfortunately, the 19th century was an era when Charleston suffered the most unspeakable upheavals. Devastating fires, the turbulent Civil War, and a foundation shaking earthquake destroyed some of their masterpieces. Nonetheless, many of Werner's works survived.

Today a relatively quiet corner just south of the Old City Market, in the late 1830's Christopher Werner worked his magic at his foundry located near the intersection of Cumberland and State Street. It was there he produced one of Charleston's most preeminent ornamental wrought iron gates.

In 1838, architect Charles F. Reichardt was commissioned to design a new Guard House for use by the City Guard. Werner was chosen to produce the ironwork for the project, which would include a set of gates and window grilles. This is where the facts of the story get a little sketchy. The story puts forward the idea Werner misunderstood the request of a quartermaster for a "pair of gates" as meaning two sets of gates, so he created two identical pairs featuring horizontal swords.

One account says the ordered pair of Werner's sword gates was never actually installed at the Guard House--the city refused to pay what it considered too high a price. In any case, the wrought iron grilles with the same sword design were installed in the buildings windows. In 1861, the Guard House was damaged by the great fire of that year. In 1886, it was severely damaged by the earthquake and demolished. Whatever the true facts are, one set of the sword gates was preserved and eventually installed at the main entrance of The Citadel near Hampton Park along with the window grilles from the demolished Guard House. The Citadel opened in 1843. Exactly when the gates were installed is unclear.

As for the other set of Werner's sword gates, British consul George Hopley bought the original Solomon Legare property at 32 Legare Street in 1849 and added a new wing to the existing house, which was Madame Talvande's French School for Young Ladies at the time. In that same year, Copley acquired one of the pair of sword gates and installed it in the property's high brick wall. The celebrated residence is now known as the Sword Gate House.

More of Werner's works:


The Nathaniel Russell House balcony with his initials on Meeting Street

The Harp Gate at the Hibernian Hall on Meeting Street

The John Rutledge House ironworks painted Charleston green on Broad Street

Other wrought iron masterpieces, fences and gates located throughout Charleston:

Many books and articles have been written about Charleston's famed wrought iron legacy. An age old legacy that is second to none. Walking the sidewalks along the oak draped, black fence-lined corridors South of Broadway bestows on you a sense of serenity and reverence. A proud history zealously guarded as elegantly as the City's wrought iron fences and gates guards its most cherished properties. I hope you enjoyed my telling and photographs.

An American Classic Comes To The Stage Of The James F. Dean Theatre--A Christmas Story

If you can say "an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle with a compass and this thing which tells time built right into the stock" three times fast without shooting your eye out, then you need to pay attention to the following. A Christmas Story opened December 1st at the James F. Dean Theatre in Summerville and will be running three weekends to December 17th.

The play adaptation of A Christmas Story written in 2000 by Philip Grecian is not as well known as its movie counterpart of the same name, and the reason will shortly become obvious. Considered an American classic, the movie has been to Christmas day as to what Gone With The Wind has been to Thanksgiving day--tediously inseparable. Tedious in that for 24 hours it plays over and over and over continuously until you want to "wove a tapestry of obscenities that as far as we know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan." Truth be told, I have never seen the movie all the way through. I have only caught bits and pieces of it while engaging in the remote control spectator sport known as channel surfing looking for something to capture my viewing interest or avoid being subjected to the endless barrage of commercials that run every five minutes on cable TV.

Since everyone with a TV knows the story, I'll skip the synopsis and share some facts about the movies author. Jean Parker Shepherd was born in Chicago in 1921 but raised in the Hessville area of Hammond, Indiana. He graduated from Hammond High School in 1939. He worked briefly as a mail carrier in a steel mill and earned his Amateur radio license at age 16. He attended IU Northwest and served in the Signal Corps during World War II. After service, he worked at WJOB radio in Hammond and later went on to broadcasting in Toledo, Cincinnati and New York.

Often compared to Mark Twain and James Thurber, Shepherd had a flair for spinning stories that tapped into the American psyche. The 1983 movie, "A Christmas Story," is based off a collection of stories from Shepherd's published writings, "In God We Trust; All Others Pay Cash" and "Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories." Shepherd mused, "Now here's an example of the kind of humor that's in your life, you see. It's always in your life all the time, all the time, all the time. It's here--it's absolutely inescapable. Every place you look. There's an old photographers' axiom that says, 'There's a prize winning photo within five feet of you.' This is true. There is all the humor in all of mankind, all the sadness, all the greatness, all the gladness, and all the idiocy--it's within five feet of you. Just look around." And that is what he did in creating the plot for A Christmas Story. Shepherd was the real Ralphie Parker and is the voice of the narrator in the movie.

The beautifully functional stage and props

Elissa Horrell, the plays director, is a fifteen year veteran of the theater. As a confident stage actor, her captivating vocals and broad, quirky smile served her well in her dynamic appearances in the Flowertown Player's productions of "The Little Shop of Horrors" and "Bye, Bye Birdie." Debuting as a director, she admitted to being somewhat nervous sitting out front in the audience as a concerned observer instead of onstage as an participant. Afterward, you could see the smile of relief and sense of accomplishment with the opening night under her belt. I am sure, like all good directors, the hard work and pursuit for excellence will continue for the next two weeks with the help of her capable crew.

The lighting for this production was a challenge. Initially, when the lights were flashing on and off, I thought there might have been a problem with the lights during some scene changes. In the story, Ralphie drifts back and forth between real life and numerous fantasies where his parents and teacher behave exactly to his liking, praising his heroism and reveling in his wisdom. Transporting the audience into Ralphie's fantasy sequences is more easily pulled-off in a movie through editing than live on stage, which is trickier. The lighting shifts were the technique used to denote those transitions into the fantasy sequences along with quick costume changes.

One of the most memorable scenes of the play incorporated this technique. After saying "The word, the big one, the queen-mother of dirty words, the "F-dash-dash-dash" word" which culminated into the soap-in-the-mouth punishment, Ralphie fantasizes his repentant parents groveling at his feet begging for forgiveness as he demonstrates the dangers of soap poisoning, going blind. The scene was one of Sam Daniels finer moments as the dreamer and schemer, Ralphie. A fan of the movie, playing Ralphie was a dream come true for Sam.

Ralpie's Mother, a patient parent with firm convictions, such as, the conviction that her son should not own an air rifle, is adeptly handled by Sarah Daniels--the real life mother of Sam Daniels. The mother-son duo has been seen on stage together a total of five times. The grumpy, good-hearted father, referred to as The Old Man, is played by Glen Orange who is no stranger to comedic roles. As a five year performer at Black Fedora Comedy Mystery Theatre in Charleston, it was totally obvious Glen poured his expletive peppered soul into his character.

The predominantly young cast is packed with new to the stage performers. In his first appearance in a play, 8 year old Liam Hjerling fills the role as "I got to go pee" Randy, Ralphie's cute little brother. Scapegoat Schwartz and guinea pig Flick, Ralphie's two friends, are played by third-timer Brayden Harbert and Jonah Streff. First-timer Michaela Maenche plays Helen Weathers and second-timer Shannon Freeman plays Esther Jane Alberry. Caleb O'Neal stands in as the schoolyard tormentor of Ralphie and his friends, Scut Farcas.

Rounding out the cast with impressive acting achievements to her credit, Ralpie's teacher, Miss Shields, is played by Samantha Elkins--in my opinion, the embodiment of a teacher.

Last but not least, honors go to Chase Priest for his near perfect plot delivery as Ralph Parker, the older version of Ralphie and visible narrator offering a continuous stream of satirical commentary. "Oh, life is like that. Sometimes, at the height of our revelries, when our joy is at its zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters descend upon us," so said Ralph.

Do not miss Ralphie's three-pronged campaign for the Christmas gift of his dreams--the official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle. You will be amused at his attempts to persuade the adults around him that his cause is a righteous one despite their outcry he might shoot his eye out. The infamous frozen-flagpole-licking dare, the hideous fishnet leg lamp, the pink bunny suit, the visit to the department store Santa Claus, and "the most unthinkable" climatic ending are all there to give you the warm and fuzzies.

Purchase your tickets for A Christmas Story.