What are we missing when it comes to Charleston history? Quite literally, a lot! Charleston Tour Guide and author Leigh Jones Handal will fill in the gaps about all that is no more at the Daniel Island Historical Society’s November program. Handal will shares fascinating information from her book, Lost Charleston. Using classic archive images, Charleston’s greatest architectural and cultural losses are documented in the book in chronological order from 1861 thru 2018.
But who is Leigh Jones Handal? Here’s her bio:
Leigh Jones Handal Reared in the rural corn fields of Cheraw, S.C., Leigh Jones Handal first visited Charleston on a Brownie Scout field trip, and knew the instant her feet touched the ground that she was somehow connected to this place. After earning a fun, but not particularly marketable degree in 18th century literature and drama at the College of Charleston, her father sent her back to get a real degree that might actually lead to a job: this time an M.A. in journalism at the University of South Carolina. For 13 years, Leigh directed Historic Charleston Foundation’s annual Spring Festival of Houses & Gardens and Charleston International Antiques Show. She was tapped by Mayor Joe Riley to serve as Co-editor in rewriting the city’s official history for the Charleston Tour Guide Training Manual. Leigh shares her love of the Carolina Lowcountry through her tour company, Charleston Raconteurs, which offers a unique experience for those seeking a deeper understanding of Charleston’s history, as well as locals who want to go beyond the usual tourist sites to explore the beautiful vistas and rarely seen historic places of the Carolina Lowcountry. Leigh is the author of two books: Lost Charleston, about the wonderful buildings, people and traditions in that have disappeared and almost been forgotten over the decades, and her second book, Storied and Scandalous Charleston, which shares some of the Lowcountry’s history that did NOT make it into your kid’s 4th grade history book. Her third book, a rewrite/update of the classic Charleston Then & Now, will be released in March 2024. You can read more of Leigh’s work every other Monday in the Post and Courier’s “Do You Know Your Lowcountry” column, or stream her occasional series “I Love the Lowcountry” on WCIV-TV’s Lowcountry Live morning show. To find links to those media and her blog, or to book a tour the next time you have guests in town, visit charlestonraconteurs.com.