Old Charleston Jail
| Location | Charleston, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32.7820, -79.9382 |
| Access | Exterior view only - private redevelopment site, no general interior access |
The Old Charleston Jail held people for 137 years, but its history reaches further back than the building. The four-acre square had been set aside for public uses, and before the jail opened in 1802 it included a workhouse for enslaved people who had escaped bondage. The jail later became part of a system that confined people under laws shaped by slavery and racial control, alongside debtors, people accused of crimes, pirates, and prisoners of war.
The rest of this file is sealed. 4 more sections: what happened next, what people still report, and how to visit.
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