The History of The Charleston Battery
Battery Beach
For those who are, unaware, The Battery was built as a defensive seawall and is estimated to have been initially built sometime in the early 1700’s, when “Charleston” was known as “Charles Town”.
Though what we see today was not there until the wall was refortified during the War of 1812, in which case the area became generally known as “the Battery.” From here on out the wall would be rebuilt numerous times. Most notably in 1850, when what we see today was first erected.
Like its forebears, the wall was strengthened again in the late 1880s and 1890s after hurricanes battered it down. Continuous work has been made on the high wall over the years due to the oceans unforgiving nature, but throughout all, remains strong.
So I’ve currently lived in Charleston, SC for over 20 years, and in this time, I have taken many photos, including that of the very famous Charleston Battery.
Some of my most favored (by customers, and myself) are shots of this historic landmark, but I always get the feeling as if not enough folks who buy these prints truly know the rich, detailed history of the Battery.
Truthfully, I learned a lot more than I believed I knew while writing this and I am happy to say so. This being said; Please, allow me to walk you through the rich, and colorful history of The Charleston Battery.
Where to begin? Ah- Yes!
Homes On The Battery
So now you understand the seawall’s construction, but there is much more to the Promenade than just the wall. Most folks consider both the wall and park to be one and the same, but to the city, they are separate entities. To clarify, there are three parts to “The Battery” : The Seawall, White Point Park, and the Grand Mansions lining the East Battery.
The Park in Black & White
One of the earliest mansions along the Eastern Wall was the Regency-style Edmonston-Alston House at 21 East Battery (seen on the Netflix Hit “Outer Banks”). It was erected in 1817 and is still open today as a museum house operated by the Historic Charleston Foundation. Since this first mansion was constructed, numerous others were erected. The most recent being a the yellow brick mansion at 19 East Battery, built in 1920. Encompassed by the glorious mansions, and fortuouus wall, is Charleston’s very own, White point gardens.
In 1837, the city set aside seven acres at the foot of King Street for the public park, and to this day, it is still widely used. From it’s conception, the park was planned as a place to be enjoyed by all people from all walks of life, not only for the wealthy who resided in the mansions overlooking its green spaces, which values are still upheld today.
Now a place used for picnics, weddings, dog walking, and so much more, White point gardens is a beautiful place to hang out when trying to get a break from the urban sprawl of Downtown Charleston.
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These photo(s) are:
- Justin
