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Castle Pinckney Virtual Visit

Greyscale photo of stone wall and entrance to fort
Detail of wall construction at Castle Pinckney (HABS SC-195). Photo taken ca. 1936.

HABS/Charles E. Peterson

Castle Pinckney is located in Charleston Harbor off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. The construction of Castle Pinckney began in 1809 on the site of a previous fort. By 1811, Castle Pinckney was ready for the installation of armaments. The design of Castle Pinckney is attributed to Jonathan Williams, the first superintendent of the United States Military Academy. Williams had served as secretary to Benjamin Franklin in France, where he studied the latest developments in military architecture. He was undoubtedly influenced by the theories of the Marquis de Montalembert, whose 1791 treatise on fortifications included a chapter on circular forts. Williams subsequently designed several circular forts for New York Harbor (called "castles" because of their evocation of medieval keeps), most notably Castle Clinton (1808), a near twin to Castle Pinckney, although built of stone.

On December 27, 1860, in one of the first hostile actions of the incipient Civil War, Castle Pinckney was seized and occupied by South Carolina secessionists, who easily overwhelmed its small federal garrison. The fort was placed under the control of the South Carolina militia. Following the First Battle of Manassas in July 1861, Union prisoners were interned at Castle Pinckney, and housed there until their exchange in October of that year. Over the subsequent course of the Civil War, Castle Pinckney's exterior walls were reinforced with massive earthen berms on both the exterior and the interior, as the fort played an integral role in the Confederate defense of Charleston Harbor.

Project Information

The documentation of Castle Pinckney was undertaken by the Master of Science in Historic Preservation Program of Clemson University/ College of Charleston (CU/CofC), Carter Hudgins, Director; and Ashley Robbins Wilson AIA, Assistant Professor. The project was undertaken in cooperation with the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) of the Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP), Richard O'Connor, Chief. The 3-D laser scanning of the site was undertaken by HABS Architects Paul Davidson and Mark Schara. The measured drawings were produced by CU/CofC students Lora Cunningham, Ryan Pierce, and David Weirick. The large-format photography was undertaken by HABS Photographer James W. Rosenthal. Assistance with historical research was provided by HABS Historian Virginia B. Price.

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Last updated: October 31, 2023