In the 17th century, the Port of Charleston was one of the largest and wealthiest ports in the nation— and the hub of commerce and trade to the entire southern region. Crisp sails flapping in the breeze, horse-drawn wagons loaded with cargo, stories of intrigue and pirate encounters on the high seas and sea salt drifting in the air—all this and more was part of the scene during its infancy and for many years following.
Business Black Box
Although Charleston remains one of the most important ports in the U.S., even until today, time and technology have changed everything, and the sights and sounds today are far different from what they were in the late 1600s. Today’s behemoth ships make the ships from the 17th and 18th centuries look like toy boats. (The first boats to Charleston, not unlike the replica Adventure housed at Charles Towne Landing, were around 73 feet long. In comparison, today’s cargo vessels are upwards of 958 feet in length.) And as the ships get larger, their depth gets deeper, requiring ports worldwide to deepen their harbors. While “deepening” of the Charleston port may, at least on the surface, seem like something that the Lowcountry alone should address (after all, they are the region most influenced by the port, right?) the fact is that without that positioning for the import and export of goods from and for the state of South Carolina, we could all be run aground quicker than we realize.
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Q3 2011