Known as a beautiful Southern city and distinguished by its opulent homes, towering church steeples and gracious hospitality, Charleston, South Carolina, has long been associated with the genteel side of Southern living. However, beyond the outward appearances that most people associate with Charleston, there is another side that most visitors and residents alike would not believe is part of the v
ery fabric from which the city’s history was woven. Wicked Charleston: The Dark Side of the Holy City, by local resident and tour guide Mark Jones, opens the door to the dark alleys and seedy characters not often associated with the Charleston of today. From the sexual escapades of an original Lord Proprietor and the comings and goings of the most notorious pirates, to secret brothels and nightclubs, Jones leads the reader back to a time when “drinking, eating and wh***ng with more than fifty wenches” was more common in the Holy City than one may imagine.
