Look Up, Charleston! A Walking Tour of Charleston, South Carolina: The Battery

There is no better way to see America than on foot. And there is no better way to appreciate what you are looking at than with a walking tour. Whether you are preparing for a road trip or just out to look at your own town in a new way, a downloadable walking tour from walkthetown.com is ready to explore when you are.

Each walking tour describes historical and architectural landmarks and provides pictures to help out when those pesky street addresses are missing. Every tour also includes a quick primer on identifying architectural styles seen on American streets.

The nascent city of Charles Town was enclosed by a protective wall from 1690 to 1720 which extended down to today's Water Street. Water Street itself was Vanderhorst Creek which was later filled in. Outside the wall, at the entrance to the harbor an earth wall was held together with sticks and topped with grass along the water. Wooden boards were laid across the wall and guns aimed out across the mouth of the harbor.

In 1787, after the British had departed the city, work was begun to improve the wall. Ricks used as ballast in ships were piled into the wall. By 1820 a granite wall was completed. At this time the city's richest merchants and bankers began building Charleston's finest mansions with views of the water. The open space at the tip was used as a public park beginning in 1837.

After the Civil War began on Fort Sumter in the Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861 the bombardment of the Battery ensued. Only one house, at the corner of Atlantic Street and East Battery was destroyed. Evnetually the park became known as White Point Gardens because of the pile sof bleached oyster shells on th epoint.

This walking tour will visit Charleston's oldest and finest homes in the Battery below Broad Street, an area that is virtually completely residential...