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CITY UNDER SIEGE: CHARLESTON IN THE CIVIL WAR
Ongoing permanent exhibit
Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting Street
Admission: $10/Adults; $5/Children
Contact: Charleston Museum (843) 722-2996 http://www.charlestonmuseum.org
This permanent exhibition provides a rich overview of events in and around Charleston from secession to 1865. Including the Federal naval blockade, Union bombardment, social dislocations, privations and five major Union attempts to capture the “Queen City of the South,” the war and its effects changed the lives of Charleston’s residents forever. Their story—one of suffering, sacrifice, initiative and tenacity—is told with extensive images and artifacts from the Museum’s collections. These include uniforms, artillery shells, firearms, “gunboat china,” the watch of a fallen South Carolina soldier, and the recently-acquired prosthesis of Colonel Peter Gaillard, who lost his hand in action against Union forces on Morris Island.
CONFEDERATE MUSEUM
Ongoing; open Tuesday-Saturday 11am-3:30pm; closed Sunday-Monday
Confederate Museum, 188 Meeting Street, Downtown Charleston
Admission: $5/Adults & Teens; $3/Children 6-12; Free/Children under 6
Contact: Charleston Chapter #4 of the “United Daughters of the Confederacy” (843) 723-1541
Owned and operated by the Charleston Chapter #4 of the "United Daughters of the Confederacy," the museum features artifacts from the War Between the States.
THE HUNLEY
Ongoing; tours on Saturday from 10am-5pm, Sunday from 12-5pm
Warren Lasch Conservation Center, 1250 Supply St. (former Charleston Naval Base), North Charleston
Admission: $12/Adults; $10/Seniors, Military, and Members; Free/Children under 5; order in person, at www.etix.com or call (877) 448-6539
Contact: Friends of The Hunley (843) 743-4865 ext. 10, www.hunley.org
On the night of February 17, 1864, the H.L. Hunley embarked on a dangerous mission that would forever mark her place in history. Eight men, led by Lt. George Dixon, entered an experimental vessel that was to become the first successful submarine in world history, with a mission to sink an enemy ship, the USS Housatonic. That night, the Hunley rammed her spar torpedo into the hull of the Housatonic. She then surfaced long enough for her crew to signal their comrades on the shore of Sullivan’s Island with a blue magnesium light, (or lantern) indicating a successful mission. The shore crew stoked their signal fires and anxiously awaited the Hunley’s safe return. But minutes after her historic achievement, the Hunley and all hands onboard vanished into the sea without a trace.
THE OLD SLAVE MART MUSEUM
Ongoing; open Monday-Saturday from 9am-5pm
The Old Slave Mart Museum, 6 Chalmers Street; Downtown Charleston
Admission: FREE
Contact: The Old Slave Mart Museum (843) 958-6467; email:
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; http://www.charlestoncity.info/dept/content.aspx?nid=1469
The Old Slave Mart Museum, located at 6 Chalmers Street, recounts the story of Charleston's role in this inter-state slave trade by focusing on the history of this particular building and site and the slave sales that occurred here. Possibly the only known building used as a slave auction gallery in South Carolina still in existence, the Old Slave Mart was once part of a complex of buildings known as Ryan's Mart that occupied the land between Chalmers and Queen Streets. The complex consisted of a yard enclosed by a brick wall and contained three additional buildings: a four-story brick building partially containing a "barracoon" or slave jail, a kitchen, and a "dead house" or morgue. Slave auctions at the Old Slave Mart ended in November 1863. The property changed hands many times after the Civil War. Recognizing the significant importance the institution of slavery has had in Charleston's history, the City of Charleston acquired the property in 1988.
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