Underground Charleston may seem like a misnomer for a city next to the ocean, but we do have some substantial subterranean sites. Such as this hydrant tunnel that was built beneath a cotton warehouse in the 1880’s to keep a ready supply of water in case of fire. The first hydrants in Charleston were actually wells dug in areas where they could be accessed by fire brigades, who would use hydraulic and steam pumps to spray on burning areas.
This tunnel was discovered just off East Bay Street between East Elliott and South Boyce’s Wharf streets about 15 years ago by developer Brownie Hamrick. He was replacing the old gas station there with the current condominium that is beautifully built to fit the historic street. The gas station was first built there in the 1920’s, replacing the old cotton warehouse that pre-dated the Civil War. Brownie said that the block-length masonry tunnel was fully high enough to stand up a walk through, showing how much water capacity was needed on hand in the event a cotton warehouse and its valuable goods caught fire.