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| Inside the Sheds |
The historic City Market sits on the peninsula that cradles
the oldest section of Charleston, South Carolina. When I say historic, I’m not kidding. The market’s on the U.S. National Register of
Historic Places and also designated as a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The official name is Market Hall and Sheds,
the sheds being the brick buildings strung out for over a thousand feet behind
the hall. Big deal, right? Seen a enough old buildings and historic
markets to last you a lifetime?
Don’t be so quick! History
is not the main reason I race to the market area every time I visit The Queen
City. True, the place carries the patina
of the centuries, but the real reason I crave a visit is that the old City
Market is just plain interesting and fun.
Forget this date and that date and who slept where, blah, blah,
blah. Go for the great food, drink,
shopping, all in surroundings you will find few other places. I mean that truly. It’s one of very few old U.S. market
complexes still surviving into the 21st Century.
More than surviving.
It’s thriving! The reason ain’t
the old bricks!
Anyway, old is a relative term. Although the Sheds went up in 1790, and the
Market Hall in 1841, this place has had more facelifts than an aging Hollywood
harlot. Wars, hurricanes, tornadoes did
their best, but the old lady is back stronger than ever.
The last devilish torment by Mother Nature came in 1989,
when Hurricane Hugo slashed the entire city and tore the roof off Market Hall.
Many visitors think the City Market was once the slave
market. Not so. Started out as a beef market, then morphed
into produce. Back in 1905, commerce
dropped off enough that the city fathers wanted to tear it down and open a
public bath. Today, the sheds stung out behind Market Hall hold artisans of
every variety, as well as snack shops, restaurants, and jewelry stores.
Of special note are the ladies making and selling sweetgrass
baskets. These Gullah specialties date
from when the baskets were used for winnowing rice, to get rid of the chaff. Yes,
there were rice plantations here in the Carolinas, employing throngs of
slaves. In the south, cotton was king,
but a host of other crops, such as tobacco, indigo, rice, fruits and nuts have
always been cash crops.
Quick! Which State
currently produces the most rice? Read
on.
The Gullah people and Gullah language are a fascinating part
of the history of the southeastern seacoast.
Here’s a link that hits some of the high points: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gullah
Back to the market itself.
Market Hall has been so many things over the years. During the Civil War, also known as the War
of Northern Aggression, the hall was a recruitment office. The upper floor (since 1899) has been a
museum, owned and operated by Charleston Chapter #4 of The United Daughters of
the Confederacy.
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| Market Hall |
Noted the frieze on the building. Bull and sheep heads testify to the market’s
original purpose.
Directions: Market
Street runs right into Market Hall, and then splits into North and South Market
streets, running parallel to the complex.
On both sides are more craft and food shops, restaurants, ice cream,
fudge, and souvenir shops. At night the
market closes, but this area is still the place to be!
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| The farthest Shed from Market Hall |
When you reach the end of the sheds, step out the door and
look to the right. That huge white
building, with the fluted Corinthian columns is the Customs House, also on the
National Historic Register. Begun in
1853, construction halted in 1859 and resumed in 1870. Eventually, it was used by a number of federal
agencies, but it wasn’t until 1964 that United States Customs House was engraved
in the frieze.
See, when you visit the market, you get a view of another
historic building free of charge!
Charleston is such an historic city, it’s hard to know where
to begin. I’ve settled that for you.
Start at the old City Market!
Oh, yeah, the state that produces the most rice is Arkansas,
accounting for 49% of U.S. rice production.
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