Downtown Charleston

In 1788, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney ceded the land to the City of Charleston for use as a public market. He also stipulated that the land must remain a market in perpetuity.

To fulfill this requirement, the low buildings, or sheds, that stretch from Market Hall to the waterfront were built between 1804 and the 1830s. Originally, these sheds housed meat, vegetable, and fish vendors. Each booth rented for $1.00 per day, or $2.00 with a marble slab to keep meat or fish cold. Meanwhile, butchers often threw meat scraps into the street, much to the delight of local buzzards, nicknamed Charleston Eagles. Over the years, the sheds have survived fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, and bombardment.

In 1841, three years after fire destroyed the Masonic Hall at Meeting and Market Streets, the current Market Hall was built. Later, architect Edward Brickwell White was paid $300 for its blueprints, which honor the Temple of the Wingless Victory in Athens. At first, the Market Commissioners used the hall for meetings and social functions, while vendors worked beneath it.

Since the 1970s, the original sheds and surrounding neighborhood have housed many small and unique shops. Above all, of special note are the more than 50 sweetgrass basket weavers who carry forth a special Charleston tradition.

Today, the Charleston City Market, one of the oldest in the country, is part of a permanent exhibit entitled “Life in Coastal South Carolina c. 1840” at the Smithsonian’s American History Museum in Washington, D.C.