Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, Charleston, Ghid vizitatori și ce de văzut în apropiere

The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon stands at 122 East Bay Street in Charleston, South Carolina, on the edge of the old waterfront. Completed in 1771 as the colonial customs house, it was a place of trade, politics and celebration above ground and a prison below. It is one of the most historically layered buildings in the city.

The story behind it

The Exchange was built by the British colonial government as the customs house, and its name comes from the goods and business that passed through it. In its day the harbour reached much closer to its walls than the streets do now, and a building this size would have been one of the first things a visitor arriving by sea noticed. The basement was built over the remains of the Half-Moon Battery, part of the early city's defences, and the brick undercroft there later became the Provost Dungeon.

The building kept two lives at once. Upstairs, the large hall hosted public gatherings and formal events, and in 1791 President George Washington was honoured with a ball at the Exchange during his visit to Charleston. Downstairs, the dungeon held prisoners. During the Revolutionary War the British held Americans here after they took Charleston, among them Isaac Hayne, who was later executed. Popular stories link pirates to the dungeon too, but the building was not yet standing in the era of the famous pirate trials, so treat those tales with caution.

What to look for

• Look at the building's formal, symmetrical brick front and the steps leading up to the main entrance, which show how a customs house was meant to project authority.
• Notice how close you are to the bay, and imagine the waterline reaching much nearer to the walls in the 1700s.
• If you go inside, seek out the low brick vaults of the basement, where the remains of the old Half-Moon Battery are part of the structure.
• Pay attention to the contrast between the grand upstairs hall and the cramped, damp rooms below, which tells the story of the building better than any plaque.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about 30 minutes to look at the outside and the surroundings, and more if you plan to tour the interior. Check current opening hours and admission before you go.
• Go in the morning for softer light on the facade and quieter streets along East Bay.
• It sits close to Broad Street, St. Michael's Church and Rainbow Row, so it fits easily into a walking loop of the historic downtown.
• Wear comfortable shoes, as the cobbled and uneven pavements around the old waterfront are best enjoyed on foot.

See it on a quest

Historic Charleston: Charming Downtown brings you to the Old Exchange on foot as one stop of a longer route through the historic centre. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle right in front of what you are looking at. One ticket covers the whole group.

Kid Quest: Solve the case of the lost senses in Charleston is a good way to bring younger travellers along. You walk to the spot, hear what makes it interesting, and solve a puzzle on the spot, so children get involved rather than just listening. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Haunting File: Charleston, Below the Holy City suits a building with a dungeon in its basement. You reach the Exchange on foot as part of a longer route, the app tells you about the place as you get there, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.