Charleston, SC - June 29, 2012
Portions of Charleston's early wall are now on exhibit in the Lowcountry History Hall at The Charleston Museum. Sections of brick parapet and cypress pilings from the protective palisade were retrieved from the archaeological dig at Tradd Street in 2008 and 2009, conducted by The Charleston Museum and the Walled City Task Force. "The exhibit also includes a cedar piling from Johnson's ravelin, retrieved during the archaeological dig by New South Associates at the Charleston Judical Center in 1999 and palings from the 1745 moat in front of the Half Moon Battery, recovered by The Charleston Museum in 1979," adds Martha Zierden, the Museum's Curator of Historical Archaeology. For more information on exhibits, visit www.charlestonmuseum.org or call (843) 722-2996.

 

 

Sections of the demolished brick parapet were retrieved from the dig and transported to the Museum by Charleston Water Systems. The wooden pilings were also retrieved with the help of Charleston Water Systems, and conserved by the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory. The remainder of the archaeological evidence was reburied and the site restored by the City of Charleston. Doug Scott of Historic Masonry Restoration donated his time and talent to stabilize and prepare the brickwork for exhibition. The Walled City Task Force is preparing a complementary exhibition at the site of the Tradd Street redan.  This will be installed with assistance from the City of Charleston  

About Charleston's Early Wall   

detail from the 1711 "Crisp Map," courtesy Library of Congress

Charleston, South Carolina was the only

English walled city in North America. Fearing assault by the Spanish and French from the water and landward incursions by hostile Native Americans, the Carolina proprietors ordered construction of a brick "curtain wall" along Charleston's waterfront in 1694.  

 

Construction began in 1696 and continued for more than a decade, requiring several million bricks, produced at nearby kilns. According to wall historian Katherine Pemberton, the plan was likely developed by professional engineers in England, following the defensive principals espoused by respected 17th century military engineer Sebastien de Vauban. By 1706, the entire town was enclosed within a protective wall. 

 

The landward walls, likely of earth, were gradually abandoned, but the impressive brick seawall remained intact through the Revolution. The redan, or triangular projection, at Tradd Street was outfitted with cannon, designed to provide protective cross-fire in the event of attack from the water. In 1784, the defensive works were leveled and the fortified land subdivided, sold, and built over.