Some may recognize the building in the picture below. The Powder Magazine, built in 1713 at 79 Cumberland Street in Charleston, South Carolina, is the oldest public building in the City. From the day it opened in 1748 to the American Revolution, when it was used to defend the Holy City, the building was used to store gunpowder.
We have covered this building in the past, but wanted to dive deeper. The walls are several feet thick, and the eaves were constructed with sand. Why? It was designed because it’s located within the City of Charleston, and if it had exploded, the force of the explosion would have been directed upwards, and the sand would have extinguished the fire.
If the rumors are true, it is also one of the most haunted in the City.
Guests have claimed that the female pirate Anne Bonney still haunts the premises to this day, and ghostly soldiers are said to protect the grounds in the afterlife. Other shadowy figures have been observed in the old building.
Some even believe this building may hold the secret behind the Great Fire of 1861 and a witch who met her fate a hundred and fifty years earlier when she was burned in the Holy City.
If walls could talk or write, the Powder Magazine could pen one of the best history books ever.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr
Image: John G. Clark Jr.
