This 19th century painting shows the area known in #Charleston as the High Battery. I take my tour group walking along this scenic spot everyday, and explain that the area was mostly marshes and sand flats facing Charleston Harbor in the early days of the city. A Charleston dredging project in the 1830’s filled waterfront areas to create lots for the houses now known as Battery Row, but it wasn’t until the raised sea wall promenade was finished in 1854 that the are became free of constant tidal action. The name originally came from an historic cannon battery that was located at this spot in the early years of the city, and the quarter-mile walkway was built about 14 feet above low tide, which added the “high”. In fact, the painting is incorrect in that the sea wall is substantially higher than the lots behind it. The area just inside the High Battery was a carriageway for nearly 70 years, and now is a roadway for a steady stream of driving sightseeing visitors. <img.src=”Charleston Landmarks” alt=”High Battery”
