Translation Tuesday: Charleston Green

Back in the fall I did a Translation Tuesday for Haint Blue, which is a color that porch ceilings in Charleston, SC are often painted. Today’s translation is a variation on that topic: Charleston Green.

Charleston Green via Southern Living

Charleston Green is a shade of green paint used on Charleston houses… often doors, window shutters, porch aspects, trim, and so on. Legend of the color goes back to just after the Civil War. During Reconstruction (which is the several year period following the end of the war) the Yanks provided black paint to help in the reconstruction of the city as part of it had been damaged during the war. Well, the Charlestonians weren’t a big fan of the basic black color, so they added a little yellow and a little blue to it to make it a distinct shade of dark green, nearly black. Now, it is officially on the list of approved colors to use when making changes to a historic home in Charleston. Now you know!