Charleston County Jail, 21 Magazine Street, Charleston, Charleston County, SC

Significance: Built in 1802, the Charleston District Jail was the result of a state effort to erect a modern structure that incorporated recent reforms in the national criminal code. The Robert Mills addition to the jail included cells for the solitary confinement of prisoners, an innovation advocated by penitentiary system reformers. In the 1850s, the jail was remodeled as part of a local building campaign organized to compete with other cities across the country.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N240
Survey number: HABS SC-688
Building/structure dates: 1802 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1820 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1855 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1886 Subsequent Work