RECOVERY A ROUGH ROAD

Posted By Bill Payer on Nov 29, 2020 | 0 comments


A view of the south side of Broad Street looking east. The 1886 earthquake caused extensive damage. The old News and Courier building stood a short distance from East Bay Street.

As if post-war Charleston didn’t have enough challenges, fires, hurricanes and a devastating earthquake added to the recovery woes.

“With the 1880s looming, Charleston still hadn’t remedied much of the damage inflicted on it by the war, and a serious fire had raged up King Street in 1876, eventually spreading to St. Philip’s. More than 100 of the city’s poorest families were left homeless.

Charleston’s finances remained in shambles, a result of Reconstruction-era corruption, and nearly 90% of the peninsula’s water supply was tainted by leaking privies. Diphtheria and scarlet fever epidemics claimed hundreds of local lives each year.

National leaders proclaimed Charleston one of the most disease-ridden cities in the country.”

CLICK HERE TO READ the 30th installment of the Post & Courier’s Brian Hicks columns celebrating 350 years of Charleston history.

For links to all 30 (so far) Hicks columns, CLICK HERE.

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *