Many visitors to Charleston who join my Charleston Footprints walking tour ask about the iron horse head figures protruding from many sidewalks in the historic city. These are tethering posts from the horse and buggy era, to which drivers would tie horses while attending to other business. Electric trolleys came in the 1890’s, and automobiles by the early 20th century, but for most of Charleston’s past, the street traffic was horse-drawn. There were no traffic signals or stop signs until the 1920’s, and before that it was generally understood that at certain intersections, North-South bound horses and wagons had right of way over East-West. There are still horse-drawn wagons taking tourists on rides through scenic Charleston today, but a small reminder of the hoof traffic that once existed. <img.src=”Charleston History” alt=”Tethering Posts”
