Why go
Read this before visiting the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon or walking toward the former wharves. It links the wealth visible in Charleston's historic core to plantation crops and the people forced to produce them. The Exchange also gives the city's Revolutionary history a specific setting.
The full story
By the mid eighteenth century, Charleston was a major Atlantic port for the southern colonies. Rice and indigo from coastal plantations moved through its harbor. Enslaved people grew those crops, and enslaved Africans were also sold in the city's markets. The scale of that trade helps explain the substantial civic and commercial buildings that still shape the peninsula. The Old Exchange is one place to read that history on the ground. Colonists stored seized tea there during the dispute with Britain, and representatives met there as the colonies moved toward independence. British forces later captured Charleston and occupied it until 1782. The city adopted the name Charleston after their departure. The port's story continues after independence. Banks supported export trade, while Market Hall and its sheds became a center for everyday commerce. The Civil War and emancipation changed the city's economy and its people, but freedom did not end poverty or discrimination for formerly enslaved residents. Avery Normal Institute, established during Reconstruction to educate Black students, adds an essential later chapter to this account of Charleston's public life.