| Charles Town | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Historical facts | |
| Alternate names | Brookford (original) Charlestown (alternate spelling) |
| Founded | August 1, 1781 |
| Patron Saint | Saint Charles of Dublin |
| Information | |
| Parish | Sint Anders |
| Population | 11,205 |
| Mayor | Michael Boston |
| Postal code | 2200-2400 |
| Twin town(s) |  Charleston, Lovia Koloniedorp, Libertas
|
Charles Town is a village in Sint-Anders, Hogeberg Island, Brunant and is located in the south of the island. It has a population of about 11,200 people. Charles Town has a substantial Irish-Brunanter population since the migration of Irish people during the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s[1]. Today it still maintains a strong Irish-Brunanter population and identity. The majority speaks English, isolating Charles Town from neighboring Dutch communities.
Charles Town is twinned with two towns: Charleston in Lovia, since 1988, with various exchanges taking place between them[2], and Koloniedorp in Libertas, since 2009[3].
History
The historic Town Hall.
Moored sailboats, in the distance Summer Hill Monument.
1781: Borderers settle Brookford
Borderers Thomas and Jane Patrickson were the original English settlers of Charles Town, then called Brookford, referring to a shallow place (a ford) where a small stream (a brook) can be crossed. They settled there in 1780, a tumultuous time during which most of the Borderers were forced out of the area of Carrington Parish, causing some of them, like the Patricksons, to look for new ground. Brookford was founded on August 1, 1781, by the Patricksons and about twenty-five other settlers. Thomas Patrickson had a virtual monopoly on the region's available furs, welcomed newcomers and helped them in any way he could.
In 1784, during the Invasion of Brunant, Charles Town was the site of the Battle of Summer Hill. The battle took place on Summer Hill, which overlooked the harbor and the town. Even though the settlers, being Borderers, were of English and Scottish descent, they opposed British invader James Carrington in order to prevent the damage Carrington had done to other communities. Unfortunately, during the battle that followed, the town, including its quays and dockyards, was destroyed by fire.
1860s: Irish immigrants and Saint Charles
Around the 1860s an influx of Irish immigrants arrived in Brookford. The town remained an Irish stronghold in the cultural, economic, and Catholic traditions of settlements across the country. The city developed a water supply from the Secret Lakes. Among the immigrants was Charles Argus, a pious priest. He became a popular confessor and was renowned as a healer. Argus was greatly loved by the Irish people to the point that after his death, in 1893, they renamed the town Charles Town in his honor. In 1988 he was recognized as a saint by Pope John Paul II. In the 1850s Charles Town began following the regional tradition of the Parade of the Dead held on October 13, usually with very elaborate processions.
1960s: communal distrust and mob presence
During the early 1960s plans were initiated to demolish and redevelop sixty percent of the housing in Charles Town. In 1963 a town meeting was held to discuss the plans with the community. The dealings had created an atmosphere of distrust towards renewal and Charles Town residents opposed the plan by an overwhelming majority. By 1965 the plan had been reduced to tearing down only eleven percent of the town. Throughout the 1960s until the middle 1990s Charles Town was infamous for its Irish mob presence. The Charles Town Mob was involved in a gang war with the neighboring Montesini family, during the Mob Wars of the 1960s. A TV series about the Charles Town Mob in its most active years, Small Town Crooks, was produced in and around the town itself between 2006 and 2008.
1990s: class change
In the late 1980s and 1990s, however, Charles Town underwent a massive change. Drawn to its colonial, red-brick, row-house housing stock, many upper-middle class professionals moved to the town.
Today Charles Town is a mix of upper-middle and middle-class residences, and a large working class Irish-Brunanter demographic and culture that is still predominant.
Geography
Charles Town is located north of Sint-Anders in the south of Hogeberg Island.
The town's core is Fellowton Square, an old plaza in the southern part of Charles Town where townspeople gather and where the historic Town Hall is located. Charles Town contains several places of historical interest, nearly all of them are marked by Discovery Trail, most notably the Summer Hill Monument. The 221 foot granite obelisk overlooks the entire town and its surroundings, including nearby St. Charles's Burying Ground and Valor Field.
Charles Town was also the location where author Paul Fitzgibbons came to take his famous midnight strolls. A pub opened in 1870 and still in operation, The Watchman, claims to have been one of Lapel's favorite places.
Map
See the page Map colors for an explanation of what each color means.
| FOR SALE 1 Fellowton Av. |
*1 | Valor Field Charlestown FC 2 Fellowton Av. |
FOR SALE 1 Patrickson Av. |
*2 | FOR SALE 2 Patrickson Av. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Withalson Hall 1 Adams Street |
BBVA Brunant 3 Adams Street |
Old Adams Corner 5 Adams Street |
Andrews Apartments 8 AP. FOR SALE 7 Adams Street | |||||
| Adams Street | ||||||||
| St. Charles's Church 2 Adams Street |
Fellowton Square | FOR SALE 4 Adams Street |
The Watchman 6 Adams Street | |||||
| Oliver Hewton 1 Charles Street |
Town Hall 3 Charles Street |
FOR SALE 5 Charles Street | ||||||
| Charles Street | ||||||||
| Charles Town Station 2 Charles Street |
Mean Beef 4 Charles Street |
Maxi 6 Charles Street |
FOR SALE 8 Charles Street | |||||
| FOR SALE 4 Fellowton Av. |
FOR SALE 3 Patrickson Av. |
SASbank 4 Patrickson Av. | ||||||
- 1- Fellowton Av.
- 2- Patrickson Av.
5 Thaler note, featuring "Charles Town Bank".
Economy
The economy of Charles town has been traditionally based on agriculture, as is much of the Chester Valley. Wine is produced in the immediate vicinity as well, as the town is near the Ambrosian Hills winemaking region, including the renown Valentine and Morels listans. Banking took hold in the mid-1800s and the Charles Town Bank, founded 1861, issued local currency until its going broke in 1930.
Notable residents
- Woodrow C. Atgrove (1849-1896), architect, designed St. Charles's Church
- Henry Harlow (b. 1977), football player for Charlestown FC
- Edward and Steve Hennessey (b. 1980 and 1976), musicians, of the folk band The Towners
- Erin Lake (1887-1956), notable expressionist painter
- Eugene Padric (b. 1942), historian and author of Small Town Crooks
- Carla Solomon (1834–1900), opera singer
- Brianna Tanzi (b. 1989), folksy singer-songwriter
- Samuel D.C. Withalson (1817-1898), illustrator, inventor and maritime trader
References and notes
- ↑ In Ireland, the Great Famine, also known as the Irish Potato Famine, was a period of mass starvation, disease and emigration between 1845 and 1852.
- ↑ 'Charleston' on Wikination, retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ↑ 'Koloniedorp' on Wikistad, retrieved 2012-06-02.
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