Seeking a place for establishing a settlement, the first colonists were directed to Albermarle Point by the Chief of the Kiawah Indians. The friendly Cassique and his people greatly helped the struggling colony.
The Kiawah chief, or Cassique, invited the new English settlers to build their village here at Albemarle Point. The arrangement had immediate benefits for both the Kiawah and the English.
The Kiawah often fought against the Westos, an aggressive tribe who lived along the Savannah River. The Westos used European guns to raid other tribes’ coastal villages. With help from the English settlers – and their English guns – the Kiawah could better defend themselves against their longtime enemy.
In return, the Kiawah helped the English feed, clothe and shelter themselves during their early years in a wild an untamed land.
The original settlers to the colony of Carolina arrived in 1670 from Barbados and settled at Albermarle Point, also known as Charles Town Landing, south across the Ashley River from current day Charleston. In 1680, the settlement relocated to the current location of Charleston.
The first order of business at the new colony was defense. The colonists were aware that the Spanish, hostile Native Americans and predatory animals threatened their safety. Well-supplied by the Lords Proprietors, they came to Carolina prepared to defend themselves.
Neglecting crops and homes, the entire community labored to build a wall of defense. They moved tons of earth to make a broad ditch, felled hundreds of trees and erected the massive palisade that stretched 1,500 feet across Albemarle Point.
Never sure of when an attack might occur, the men carried guns in the fields and even armed their slaves
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