By the late 1700s, Charleston had become a bustling port city with a thriving economy. The City Council, attempting to organize the brisk trading in meat, vegetables, and other provisions, established a public fish market by the Cooper River. The market was filled with French auctioneers called “vendue masters,” so the wharf became known as Vendue Range.
Business along Vendue Range thrived until the Civil War, when fighting made trade difficult. Blockade runners became local heroes, and they used the old buildings along the street as their warehouses. When the war finally ended, the warehouses returned to use by the fishing industry, but were also used as waystations for sailors.
As Charleston grew from an outpost to a port to a major travel destination, the Vendue Range evolved along with the city. The warehouses became The Vendue Inn, a popular French Quarter hotel.
