In the 1800’s when this old building was constructed confinement was based on steel bars. Every hall, door, stair well, and little corner is behind at least one set.

A hall may have been open, but each end is blocked and every door is wood and steel, with more bars when opened.

Windows of course were blocked but the steel was not always the rolled bars I expected.

Besides local criminals the old jail housed captured pirates. Apparently there were still pirates off the coast here in the early 1800’s.

Charleston has a history of pirates. The famous Captain William Teach blockaded the harbor and took prisoners for ransom. he was paid with medicine. Captain Teach is also known as Blackbeard.

We do have a pirates alley, a pirate house and court yards that served merchants with ‘goods’. And Blackbeard is said to have buried is treasure here (as well as every other town along the US southern coast).

Makes great storied on the tours, but most likely a few pirates at the end of their years were caught here. Blackbeard, he never got off the ship, stayed in the harbor, and had his head removed shortly after leaving here.