The tabernacle of a United Methodist revival campground dating to 1790s. Yearly revivals are still held here. I was not aware of how many are still active after 200 – 300 years in the southern US. This is the second campground we have photographed.
Tag Archives: landscape
Cathedral Of St. John The Baptist (1)
The first cathedral was built in 1854 but it burned in the great Charleston fire of 1861. An enormous part of the city was destroyed. This building was started in 1890, completed in 1907.
The church is known for it’s rare Franz Mayer & Co. stained glass.
Like many of the Charleston churches, and there are many, the doors can usually be found open to the public. Sad, but not common anymore.
This is the first article in a series of photographs of this historic church.
Views Of The Charleston Jail
Most of these photographs are from the 3rd floor of the Charleston jail. This was where the prisoners considered dangerous were housed.
Guards did not enter the area without first checking through peep holes in the first doors. Of course gates of bars were right behind any solid doors.
There were also special cell areas where prisoners were disciplined.
And last here is the far end of the 3rd floor, top of the stairs.
At some point this was also used as an asylum. It was the only one in Charleston.
For more information click this link.
Jail Cells, 1800’s
The Charleston Jail was opened in 1802 when the prisoners well being was not all that important.
The third floor in the image above held the prisoners considered dangerous. Each cell held men, women, and children in an area about 12×12.
A small coal fireplace in one corner provided some heat in the winter.
Each floor held a different type of prisoner. The first floor was for guards, supplies, and special people of Charleston society. Second floor was a debtors prison, third for long term inmates.
The only personal hygiene considerations was a communal bath on the first floor for the removal of lice.
Light and fresh air came from an air shaft center of the building.
The jail was shutdown in 1939.
From The Inside, 1800’s Jail
A different perspective.
Old Jail Building Bars
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.
Up Inside The Old Charleston Jail
There are 3 stories in the old jail. An 1886 earthquake damaged the building and the 4th floor and a tower were removed.
Open air stairs, running through a large shaft connect each floor. The entrances and other openings are barred shut.
A guess on my part is that there were some type of openings on the main stair shafts for ventilation. Growing up in an old NYC tenement I an aware of the air shafts built into buildings this age. In NYC it was law all 1800’s buildings have a shaft to prevent disease. Given the crowded cells and damp rooms I may be too kind here, after all this was an 1800’s prison where many people never left.
For a short time, starting in 2000, the American College Of Building Arts owned the jail. Some features, like the above plaster carving, were added. In a short time it was discovered there were little skills available to maintain the historic nature of the construction and the building was sold. It is now a project of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Because the building housed the wardens family, civil war prisoners, actual high sea pirates, and overnight innocents several different sets of stairs and entrances are available.
The different stairs and steel barred hallways meant that in pretty short order I was lost. I have no sense of direction… none.
Oyster Catchers Working The Tide
Some photographers just look and instinctively see images like this. Not me, which is why I appreciate these photographs when I am able to recognize them.
