Old Navy Base buildings

North Charleston, SC    

Yesterday's fundraising Walk for Water started at the Riverfront Park in North Charleston this year and led us through the old Navy Base. It is always a treat to see these buildings and to hear recent good news that more of them will be renovated.

Post & Courier: North Charleston City Council signed off on plans to hire an interior design firm to turn a 1898 white cottage in the historic district along the Cooper River into a bed and breakfast. A second bed and breakfast eventually will follow inside a neighboring 1905 home already under renovation. Every step toward completing these projects realizes Mayor Keith Summey's larger vision of turning that part of city into a commercial center where locals and tourists alike can enjoy riverfront views."I want this to be the new downtown of North Charleston," he said Thursday.The city is partnering with the Charleston Naval Complex Redevelopment Authority, where Sean McDonell works as an engineer. The views of the Cooper River are only part of the area's attraction, he said. "Everybody loves to see old homes being renovated," McDonell said. "And they all have some stories behind them." If all goes as planned, Summey said he hopes the area will become popular enough to attract water taxis."Our ultimate goal is to have Montague from 526 all the way to the river," Summey said. "And on the river, become downtown North Charleston."

Don't go down the stairs!

North Charleston, SC 

Happy weekend, kids! I felt like yesterday was Friday so this feels like a bonus pre-weekend night. I am sharing one last shot from the old Navy base before we leave the location. It is such a grand hodge-podge of buildings from modern, historic, industrial and disrepair that I was able to stockpile blog shots for the week.

This scene was from the back of the abandoned hospital building in what may have been the psychiatric ward. That is certainly what the graffiti content wants to imply. Boo! Don't let them take you down the stairs!

Have a great weekend. I am off to the Walk for Water in the morning so if you pass me as you carry your bucket of water say hello. 

The Dead House

Dead House, North Charleston, SC  

Anything named the Dead House has to be mysterious, right? I can't find any real reason it is called that but the small brick structure on the old Navy base in North Charleston may be it's most historic structure. I sure do wish they would take off the No Trespassing sign since so many of us show up to take photos. Sheesh.

This information is from the Navy Yard Blog:

The Navy called it the Dead House, and that name “Dead House” appears on an 1895 survey of the area done prior to the design of the Chicora Park on the site by Olmsted Brothers. So the building pre-dates the Navy and Chicora Park. Before that the land was a plantation. Navy Architect Randy Guy’s research identified 15 different landowners from the first land grant in 1672 through 1895. There are many periods of local history when storing powder around the fringe of Charleston would have been called for, but no specific information has yet been found. Of the land owners, one stands out. His name was Sir Edgerton Leigh. He owned the property from 1767-1771. He was the first customs officer and the first postmaster for Charleston. In his customs capacity, it is thought that he assessed a tax on gunpowder carried by arriving ships. How this possible gunpowder connection may tie into the building on the Base is unclear thus far. Graduate student Chris Ohm from the College of Charleston has been researching a number of leads about the building and time will hopefully tell us more of the story.
Mr Hugh’s own theory on the Dead House name is that it stems from the use of the old powder magazine as a temporary place to put bodies until burial was arranged. On the old plantation grounds, this building would have been the coolest place.