FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - NOVEMBER 10, 1998

For More Information Contact:
Byron Miller
Tel: 843-577-8121 FAX: 843-577-8127
Internet: scspainfo@scspa.com

Plan Calls for Protecting Castle Pinckney

Charleston, SC -- Castle Pinckney, one of Charleston Harbor’s most visible and historic landmarks, could get some much needed protection under a proposed plan by state and federal governments.

Under the plan, the South Carolina State Ports Authority and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would share the cost of a 260-foot long breakwater along the southern end of the historic fort, which is in danger of falling into the water.

"Castle Pinckney is recognized as a treasure for Charlestonians and the entire state," said Bernard S. Groseclose, Jr., president & CEO of the South Carolina State Ports Authority. "The Ports Authority and the Corps are taking steps to responsibly protect this landmark for generations to come."

After an unsuccessful attempt by the Sons of Confederate Veterans to clean and develop the site, the State Ports Authority approached the Corps of Engineers in 1995 about stabilizing the fort. After a thorough $40,000 study financed by the Corps, it was determined that a breakwater should help control damage from wave action along the structure’s southern wall.

The proposal calls for a breakwater to be constructed about 15 feet from the fort’s southern wall. It will stretch about 260 feet long and will be 40 feet wide at the base. The breakwater will consist of a 12-inch stone bed over a geo-textile material base covered with large granite stone. After a public comment period and bid process, the project should begin early next year. In all, study work and construction costs could total $250,000.

Castle Pinckney’s history begins just after the founding of our country, when Congress proposed constructing harbor fortifications to protect valued ports from Maine to Georgia. A hurricane in 1804 destroyed the initial log and earth fort that was completed in 1799, but it was later re-built to its existing brick castle structure in 1809.

Five sleepy decades would pass before the fort would see any serious action. It went virtually unused through the War of 1812 and the Nullification Crisis in 1832, but in 1860 Castle Pinckney gained the distinction of being the first federal fort taken over by the South. During the first Battle of Manasas in 1861, Castle Pinckney was used as a prison for Union soldiers and stood guard as protector of Charleston from federal ships.