Let's say you have a property where you would like to build something... Read More
Charleston District Regulatory Division recognizes that conditions... Read More
successfully completed the long term erosion control project... Read More
The first tap was turned at the Lake Marion Regional Water Treatment Plant on April 28... Read More
The (ASBPA) named the top seven restored beaches for 2007 .... Read More
With a marked decline in insurgent activity in recent months, Fallujah is on the road... Read More
The Charleston Technical Services Division is partnering with the (DoE)... Read More
History of the Charleston District
The history of the Charleston District starts less than fifty years after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was established in 1775.
The Corps presence in Charleston began when military engineers came to the area to examine sites for additional defensive fortifications in the area in 1821. Soon after they began the construction of Fort Moultrie and Fort Johnson in 1826, and that of Fort Sumter in 1829.
Early civil projects by the Corps included erosion control at Sullivan’s Island beginning in 1829, and maintenance of a navigable channel in Charleston Harbor began in 1851. The Corps also assisted in the survey and design of the first railroad in the region in 1829.
In 1869, Col. Quincy Gillmore, regarded as the first District Engineer, was placed in charge of Corps activities from Cape Fear, N.C. to St. Augustine, Fla. A permanent Corps office was established in Charleston in 1871. Gillmore was responsible for clearing Charleston Harbor of all of the ships sunk during the Civil War and for making the harbor more stable. His solution was a pair of jetties at the harbor's mouth, which would harness the scouring power of the ebb tide by funneling its flow. Work on the jetties began in 1882. They were completed in 1895. Other navigation projects of that period were construction of the jetties at the mouth of Winyah Bay and a number of canals to aid coastal navigation. In the 1930s, the system of protected coastal channels was linked to form the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. With the outbreak of hostilities in 1917, the district was required to assist the construction of three new training posts: Camp Sevier at Greenville, Camp Wadsworth at Spartanburg, and Camp Jackson at Columbia. In addition, the district supported construction of the Army Depot in North Charleston.
As World War II neared, the Corps launched a mammoth construction program. The most ambitious segment was airfield construction to accommodate the large pilot training mission planned for South Carolina. By the war's end, more pilots were trained in South Carolina than any other state. The district built or expanded airfields at Charleston, Columbia, Anderson, Spartanburg, Sumter, Florence, Georgetown, and Charlotte. Today, nearly all of these fields are in service as public airports. Projects to shore up harbor defenses, plan for air defenses, and build training areas and ranges also went forward. To sustain this effort, the district facilities expanded across Charleston from Market to Broad Street, and the work force grew to 1,000. Since the war, the Charleston District has tailored its specific missions and has adjusted to suit changing times. It remains committed to enhancing a strong national defense and to providing the best in federal engineering for civil programs.
