Arsenal of History: The Powder Magazine of South Carolina

By R. Alan Stello Jr.

The Powder Magazine was completed circa 1713 as an arsenal to safely store munitions in the South Carolina colonial capital of Charles Town, serving continuously in defense through the 1740s and periodically until the 1820s. Rescued from destruction in 1902, the building has served as a museum for more than a century, inspiring countless other historic conservation efforts. Museum Director Alan Stello presents the story of the state's oldest public building by establishing connections between the arsenal and the significant episodes it has witnessed. Readers will enjoy an introductory look at South Carolina colonial military history while gaining an appreciation for this icon of history and preservation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The History Press
• Release date: Mar 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781614238676

R. Alan Stello Jr.

R. Alan Stello, Jr. is the director of The Powder Magazine museum in Charleston, SC. He is a licensed tour guide with the city of Charleston and previously served as Special Events Coordinator for the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon. His research interests cover a range of South Carolina history topics, from piracy to public education.

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Introduction

The Powder Magazine

mag • a • zine (noun)

A room or place for keeping gunpowder and other explosives, as in a fort or on a warship

In 1703 Proprietary Governor Nathaniel Johnson declared the need for a substantial arsenal to safely store munitions within Charles Town (Charleston), the Carolina capital. After a decade of postponement, The Powder Magazine was completed by 1713 and used continuously for defense through the 1740s. Although gunpowder was initially removed in 1748, the South Carolina government periodically utilized the facility until the 1820s.

The history of The Powder Magazine is sometimes vague, particularly between the years 1748 and 1902. The building last stored gunpowder in the 1820s. Throughout most of the nineteenth century, its owners continued to maintain The Magazine, using it for a variety of domestic and commercial functions. In 1902 the building was rescued from demolition and developed as a museum the following year.

It is reasonable to assume that early South Carolinians probably never would have anticipated the publication of a book focusing on the history of their gunpowder depot. Also, it is amusing to consider the unlikelihood that a structure, once used to store gunpowder, would stand today as South Carolina’s oldest public building. These thoughts lead to the question: does a relic deserve formal recognition simply for its age? While three-hundred-year-old structures are rare in the United States, I hope the reader will discover that The Powder Magazine represents something greater than its surviving bricks and mortar.

Aerial view of The Powder Magazine, re-created to its early eighteenth-century appearance. Model by Randy Beaver. Photograph by R. Alan Stello Jr.

The Powder Magazine, 1902. Courtesy of The Powder Magazine museum.

Chapter 1

Life, Liberty, and Property

CAROLINA BEGINS

Carolina was conceived during the seventeenth-century religious and political struggles in the British Isles. In 1638 Scottish Covenanters (Presbyterians) battled English Royalists over the mandate that Anglican bishops participate in the Scottish government. The upheaval led to the Bishops’ Wars (1639 and 1640) and triggered a series of civil wars with fighting in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.

In 1649 King Charles I of Great Britain was executed by the new Parliament, led by the Puritan army commander Oliver Cromwell. Although Cromwell was appointed Lord Protector of the Commonwealth, under his rule violence continued to rage in the British Isles for another decade. Approximately one million people perished there between 1638 and 1659.

The 1649 death warrant of England’s King Charles I. After the king’s execution, his son Charles II was exiled, leaving no monarch on the throne for more than a decade. Courtesy of United Kingdom National Archives.

The Monarchy Is Restored

In 1659, less than a year after Cromwell’s death, Parliament abolished the position of Lord Protector. In an effort to avoid further civil strife, General George Monck and others of influence persuaded Parliament to include Pro-Royalists in the formation of a new government. The Convention Parliament decided to restore the monarchy, and on May 29, 1660, King Charles II was welcomed into London.¹

Portrait of George Monck, the Duke of Albemarle, one of the original Carolina proprietors. Author’s collection.

The Carolina Proprietors

Eight English noblemen were recognized by King Charles II as prominent supporters of his restoration. Rewarded for their loyalty, these men—the Lords Proprietors—received the Carolina land grant. On a contemporary map, this grant included parts of fifteen American states and a portion of northern Mexico.

Modern illustration of the Carolina land grant (1665) and an image of an authentic wax seal representing the eight Lords Proprietors. Courtesy of The Charleston Museum.

Beginning in 1665, expeditions explored coastal Carolina in hopes of establishing a colony on behalf of the Lords Proprietors. Charles Town was founded along the Ashley River in 1670 at a location called Albemarle Point, honoring George Monck, the Duke of Albemarle. The Proprietors ruled Carolina from afar, using Charles Town as the capital of their colony.² A decade later the seat of government was relocated to the nearby peninsula.

Did You Know?

As secretary to Lord Proprietor Anthony Ashley Cooper, famous philosopher John Locke is often credited with writing the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina. A century later Thomas Jefferson credited Locke’s works as the chief influence when drafting the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson even uses a variation of Locke’s famous phrase, life, liberty, and property.

Above left: John Locke (1632–1704), by Kneller, 1697. Above right: Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), by