People who join my walking tours of Charleston are typically very surprised and interested to hear aspects of our unique history that they were not aware of. One such anecdote goes back to before World War II, and the planning of an aerodrome for international seaplane connections. In 1937, it was less than 10 years since Charles Lindbergh and flown across the Atlantic, and long-range travel in the air was not feasible. But seaplanes that could land on water offered a possibility, and that same year the city of Charleston entered a tentative agreement with a very surprising client. The German Air Command, then under the direction of Herman Goering and Adolf Hitler, proposed to finance a sea plane aerodrome in Charleston on the Ashley River next to the old West Point Rice Mill. This was during the depression, so Charleston needed the money, and it was before Hitler invaded other countries, and few in America understood how evil he was at that time. But Hitler couldn’t control himself and invaded Czechoslovakia in 1937, and with war looming, the plans were scrapped. <img.src=”Charleston Curiosities” alt=”Wes Point Mill”
