Keeping History above Water®: Charleston built upon the past successes of KHAW events in other cities. With the theme “Communities in Action,” this workshop was specifically not about climate change, per se, but rather what communities are doing to ameliorate climate-related water impacts on historic resources in Charleston and across the United States. The workshop featured a keynote panel, morning presentations, and afternoon tours, site visits, and hands-on projects that allowed attendees to experience how stakeholders are taking on water-related preservation challenges. The keynote panel discussed the climate/sea level challenges people in the Gullah Geechee Heritage Corridor are facing, how these forces impact their tangible and intangible cultural heritage, and how those challenges are being met.
This was the sixth iteration of Keeping History Above Water and was a partnership between the Clemson Design Center at Charleston’s graduate programs in Historic Preservation and Resilient Urbanism in collaboration with the Newport Restoration Foundation.