Part of the mission of the Mayor’s Walled City Task Force is to promote a greater awareness of Charleston’s colonial fortifications—most of which were dismantled long ago or are no longer visible above ground. To this end, the Task Force has hosted several lectures and walking tours, which have been enthusiastically received by the public. In order to provide learning opportunities for a broader audience, however, we will use this website to provide educational resources that can be accessed by anyone in Charleston or beyond! We encourage you to keep visiting this website to see the latest offerings.
We invite you to browse the accompanying pages:
Educational Posters (from the South Adger’s Wharf dig, 2008–2009)
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Rediscovering Charleston's Colonial Fortifications 
27 December 2009 at 12:38 am
I see that the ‘walls’ around Charleston were between 6 and 8 feet tall, but was wondering (after reading A Gallant Defense) what the approximate height of Hampstead Hill was, and whether or not it was a naturally occuring elevation or manmade. Also was wondering when it was lowered/leveled. I live near Houston, but visit in-laws in Charleston now and then and don’t remember anything resembling a hill near where Hampstead Hill would have been.
15 January 2010 at 5:07 pm
If you drive north or south on East Bay Sreet in Charleston and then turn west onto Columbus Street, you will drive slightly uphill and observe that Hampstead Hill still exists! The site represents a low but definite bluff overlooking (if ever so slightly) the banks of the Cooper River. Hampstead Mall, bordered by Columbus, Drake, America, and Blake Street, is still slightly higher than the surrounding areas. The “hill” once appeared higher, however, as much of the surroundings lands were raised with fill dirt in 1855.