FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

July 13, 1999

Contract Awarded to Protect Castle

Charleston, SC – A local company is the apparent low bidder for a contract to protect Castle Pinckney, a visible and historic landmark in Charleston Harbor.

Wave action has eroded much of the southern portion of Shutes Folly Island and water occasionally laps at the base of Castle Pinckney, the only round-sided fort left in North America. The forces of nature have placed the structure in danger of falling into the water. With $256,935 in funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Carolina State Ports Authority (SPA), the apparent low bidder, Ashridge, Inc. of Moncks Corner, would construct a 260-foot long breakwater along the southern end of the historic fort.

The SPA approached the Corps of Engineers in 1995 about stabilizing the fort. After a thorough study, it was determined that a breakwater should help control damage along the structure’s south side. The breakwater will be constructed about 15 feet from the south wall. It will consist of a 12-inch stone bed over a 40-foot wide, geo-textile material base covered with large granite. Work should begin in August and conclude within three months.

"The goal is to stabilize the fort and halt further deterioration of the island," said Bernard S. Groseclose Jr., the SPA’s president and chief executive officer. "Castle Pinckney’s history is rooted in Charleston’s role as a powerful seaport. The Ports Authority is taking steps that will hopefully protect this landmark for years to come."

Castle Pinckney’s history began 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.

In December 1860, just one week after South Carolina seceded from the Union, 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. Castle Pinckney was designated a National Monument in 1924 by President Calvin Coolidge. Although later declassified, Castle Pinckney is currently listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The SPA acquired Castle Pinckney and five surrounding acres in 1958 as a potential dredge disposal site. Ten years later the Ports Authority sold the site to the Sons of Confederate Veterans. After an unsuccessful attempt by the SCV to clean and develop the site, the property reverted to the Ports Authority.