🌴 Charleston's biggest landowner isn't the city

Happy Thursday, Charleston. On August 20, 1873, Thomas Smyth died in Charleston, ending one of the more contradictory careers ever run out of a Charleston pulpit. The Irish-born pastor of Second Presbyterian held that job for nearly forty years and collected books like a man possessed, close to twenty thousand volumes, hunted down on trips back to Britain. He also wrote The Unity of the Human Races, a book defending the full humanity of Africans and the sophistication of their past civilizations, aimed squarely at the scientists of his day arguing the opposite.

And yet he never challenged slavery itself, only pushed for kinder treatment within it. He was a Unionist right up until the shells hit Fort Sumter, and an ardent Confederate the morning after.

For eleven weeks I've been asking you nosy questions at the top of this newsletter, filing the answers away, never actually looking. Last week I looked. 746 votes, and you are not who I would have guessed. Four of you named a gas station as your ride-or-die breakfast sandwich. That is not close to the strangest thing in here.

746 of you voted in the polls this summer. You already do this. The Regulars is the same instinct with the walls taken off: 319 Charlestonians in a room arguing about which beach wins, naming the table they'd rather not tell anybody about, and answering "what got priced out of your neighborhood" better than I ever could. Deborah in Church Creek will tell you exactly what to order at Royal Tern. It's free, it lives in your browser, and there's no app to download.

→ Take the empty seat

We had Dinner Club last night, then took the whole group over to Henry's On The Market for the after-party. That place is an institution for a reason, and nobody was in a hurry to leave.

This is more of the same, just easier. Holy City Brewing in Park Circle, Thursday September 3 at 5:30. Close to 50 of you are already in.

Come for one beer or stay for four. It's a happy hour, not a commitment.

→ Let me know you're coming

Congrats to Carla S. of Summerville who guessed correctly in last week’s “Where Are We?” It went from damn hard a few week ago—no guesses—to ridiculously easy last week (over 50 correct guesses). Most of Charleston knows all about the weather-divining skills of the Coburg Cow.

25 years in Charleston. Small Business of the Year, 2025.

TRIO doesn't guess. Their team pairs a quarter-century of Lowcountry marketing with AI-enabled research and tools, then puts it to work on the things that actually move a business — your website, your search ranking, your digital presence. Woman-owned, Mount Pleasant-based, and honest enough to tell you when they're not the right fit.

→ See what they'd do for your brand

Somebody spent $3.8 million on four pieces of downtown Charleston in July. Right now they're a construction trailer and a parking lot, which tells you nothing about why they matter. Stack them against what he already owns down there and the picture gets a lot clearer.

→ Who's quietly buying the walk to the waterfront

Just reply to this email, or if you’re reading on our website, email me here. The first person to guess correctly will get a shout-out at the top of our issue next week!

FRI — Night Ranger at Charleston Music Hall — eighties arena rock in a room where you can actually see the band. Or Drew Baldridge at The Windjammer — country on the beach stage, sand still warm.

SAT — Three Dog Night at Charleston Music Hall — the hits, all of them, with Jay Psaros opening. Or Wilderado with Sam Burchfield at The Windjammer — indie rock worth showing up early for.

SUN — Donavon Frankenreiter at Music Farm — a seated show, which tells you exactly what kind of night it is. Or Reggae Sundays at The Washout — best way to slow it down.

→ Pick your weekend from the full lineup

Got 15 seconds? Let us know what you thought about today’s newsletter by voting in the poll below. 👇