Aside from the havoc wreaked by the Civil War bombardment, Charleston has endured a succession of fires, hurricanes and earthquakes over the last 200 years. Though famous for its grand ante-bellum buildings of the nineteenth century, there have been some significant losses, particularly those from the Great Fire of 1861. From the dawn of the photographic era, Lost Charleston chronicles the markets, mansions, hotels, halls, church towers and cherished businesses that time, progress and fashion have swept aside. Sites include: Castle Pinckney, Battery Ramsay, Institute Hall, Washington Race Course, Comingtee, Vendue Range, The St. Phillips Church "Lighthouse," Mills House Hotel, Roper Hospital, Thompson Auditorium, King Street stores, St. Andrews Hall, the original Charleston Hotel, Jenkins Orphanage Band, Union Station, and Middleton Place plantation house.

Following her success with Lost Charleston, local author and city tour guide Leigh Jones Handal brings a fresh approach to one of the key titles in Pavilion Books’ trademark series. Charleston, South Carolina is one of the most popular East Coast tourist destinations. The flashpoint of the Civil War, what remains of Fort Sumter in Charleston is still a much-visited attraction, and despite bombardment by the Federal Navy, earthquakes and many hurricanes, the South Carolina city has retained its 19th-century charm.  City guide Leigh Jones Handal tells the story of the Charleston she loves through archive photos matched with their modern viewpoint, including the Jenkins Orphanage whose band were the likely originators of the Charleston dance. There are vintage photos of the great plantation houses, plus the grand buildings on Meeting Street, and the soaring spires of Charleston’s many churches.  Downtown many of the classic mansions, such as the Miles Brewton House, have been retained, along with the Market Hall and the Customs House, and though the trolleys no longer run along Broad Street, it is still recognizable from a century before.  Leigh Jones Handal has uncovered a treasury of vintages images which have been matched with modern photos to show new aspects of this enduringly fascinating city.