Six Miles to Charleston (2012)
“The City Jail, or as it was referred to back then, “The Gaol,” was built in 1802 to replace the Provost Dungeon. It was built over a potter’s field cemetery of slaves, vagrants and derelicts. A jail that was built to hold approximately 130 people often held 300 or more. The ancient building has often been described more as a place of torture rather than a jail or correctional facility. One estimate places the deaths at this location in the area of 10,000 or more. Whippings, beatings, physical assaults and sexual assaults were commonplace, and that was with the jailers (or gaolers as they were called) and prisoners alike. The bars on the windows did little to keep out the bone-chilling cold of Charleston’s winters or the stifling heat and humidity of the city’s summers. It also did little to keep out the insects and rodents that infested the city.
In early times, the most dangerous of the prisoners were secured by being chained to a large ring in the center of the floor. These would be... your violent offenders and your escape risks.MoreLess
In early times, the most dangerous of the prisoners were secured by being chained to a large ring in the center of the floor. These would be... your violent offenders and your escape risks.MoreLess
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