Happy New Year 2019! The Charleston Hat Man is one of our favorite iconic images and has been around for more than 100 years. This image is on the Church Street corner of 47 Broad Street.

43-47 Broad Street was built in 1855 by Charles Love and Conrad Wienges, saddlers and harness makers. In 1870, Charles Plenge bought the building and altered the façade, specifically adding a cornice with the name "Plenge." C. Charles Plenge was born in 1827 in Kassel, Germany and later emigrated to Charleston. Plenge established and operated a haberdashery at 43-47 Broad Street, selling men's clothing, hats, and other accessories. Mr. Plenge died in 1877, before the date of the Charleston Hat Man painting, which appears to be in the early 1890s.

Article written by Christian Senger on behalf of ABC News 4

The long-awaited Wiki Wiki Sandbar is now open at 106 East Ashley Avenue on Folly Beach.

The restaurant and bar is from Charleston restaurateur Karalee Fallert, who is also behind Taco Boy, The Park Cafe, and The Royal American, and her business partner April Bennett.

Executive Chef Jason DuPree has created a menu that offers slow-cooked meats accompanied by sides including rice, macaroni salad, greens, and starchy root vegetables.

Due the government shutdown, Fort Sumter Tours will not be running to the Fort. We will, however, be offering non-stop Charleston Harbor tours that will go by the Fort.

Please either call for details or simply come to the ticket window at 360 Concord Street for downtown departures or 40 Patriots Point Road for Mt. Pleasant departures.

Holiday greetings are evident at the Blacklock House at 18 Bull Street. At the time of its construction in 1800, 18 Bull Street was considered more of a suburban retreat, as the area did not yet have much surrounding construction. As Charleston grew, houses sprang up in the area, but 18 Bull still stands out as a grand mansion in the area and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

This week we focus on 73 Rutledge Avenue, directly across the street from the house in last week’s post. As in the case of 74 Rutledge, this lot was also originally part of the property inherited by John Harleston from his aunt, Affra Harleston Coming. The house at 73 Rutledge was built by William G. Whilden around 1856.

There’s nothing more comforting in the winter chill than sitting around a fire with warm drinks and good friends or family. Here is our list of our favorite classic (and not-so-classic) drinks to warm you up this holiday season.

This week we return to the west side of the Charleston peninsula, not far from the Colonial Lake. We will focus on 74 Rutledge Avenue, a fine example of a double house completed around 1783 by Isaac Child Harleston.

Harleston was an officer during the American Revolution and a member of the Continental Congress.

This large park was named for Revolutionary War Hero Francis Marion, and has a variety of monuments and memorials, and even an original part of colonial fortifications. The surrounding cityscape is breathtaking, and an area where dirigibles flew in 1909 has a multi-steepled skyline, featuring the city’s highest spire at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, one of its oldest in Second Presbyterian Church, and one of its most beloved in Emanuel AME Church.

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