Make time for a visit to the Powder Magazine, the oldest public building in South Carolina. Constructed in 1713 to store the city's gun powder, the magazine was built during a volatile time when the Spanish, French, and British feuded over land rights in the area. Constructed to implode if any of the gun powder ever exploded inside, the magazine was a useful and necessary highlight of Charleston's early days.
A new magazine was built in 1748, but the Revolutionary War created a new need for gun powder storage. From 1820 until the turn of the 20th century, the building served a variety of uses such a storage building, printing house, and livery stable. Today, the Powder Magazine houses a museum of Charleston history, and is open to the public for tours and exhibits.
