The Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon

The site of some of the most important events in South Carolina history, the Old Exchange Building has been a custom house, post office, city hall and military headquarters. During the American Revolution, the British used the bottom floor as a military prison, which became known for its harsh conditions. While a few crates of tea were dumped in the Cooper River during Charleston’s “Tea Party”, most East India tea was confiscated when the taxes were not paid. Governor Rutledge would later sell the confiscated tea for the SC Patriot cause. Gunpowder from the Powder Magazine was walled up in the building and never discovered by the British during the occupation of Charleston.