Fort Pemberton is a large earthen fort on James Island. The main section was constructed in 1862 under orders from Brigadier General John C. Pemberton and carried out using enslaved laborers. The fort was pentagonal with four bastions, shown in the LiDAR image below. It measured approximately 400 feet by 350 feet with ramparts 10 to 12 feet high and 20 feet thick at the base. An additional 700-foot-long extension from the eastern most bastion was constructed the following year. It guarded the Stono River in order to prevent the Federal navy from accessing Charleston Harbor through Wappoo Creek. It was strongly fortified and by October of 1862 it mounted twenty guns of various calibers. The city purchased the property (3 parcels totaling 8.3 acres) for 6.1 million dollars in 2019 for conversion into a multipurpose park. The park not only preserves a large earthen fort of historical significance but also provides a dock for those who want to enjoy the river and a great place to watch the sun set. It’s a great addition to the city’s park system.

Recently, I met with Matthew Compton the Special Projects Administrator for the Department of Parks Capital Projects Division at the fort. He and the construction crew have made significant progress in the last year. The house on the property has been removed, a public bathroom placed, a picnic pavilion built, one of the two docks on the property repaired, walkways constructed, and grass planted. The images below were taken during my visit several weeks ago when the fort was in its final stages of construction. I divided the pictures I took into numbered stops in the figure below. Interpretive signs will be placed at a future date. I spoke with Mr. Compton this evening and he informed me that the fort will begin a soft opening to the public tomorrow. A formal ribbon cutting ceremony with the mayor will be scheduled in the coming weeks. When I visited the crew was working on two entrances to the property- one at 221 Yates Avenue (the driveway from the old house on the property) and around the corner at Aubrey Drive.

One of the two entrances to the fort (#1 in the image above).

At the end of the driveway is a drainage area.

The magazine is shown below (#2 in the figure). It is currently covered by vegetation.

The public bathrooms are in the tan building at the left of center.

The dark brown structure at the top of the hill to the left of center is the picnic pavillion.

Stairs and a bridge lead to the exterior of the fort.

Looking from the stairs toward the river.

Exterior wall #3 in the figure

Path to stop #4

Stop #4

Stop #5- the breach in the wall near #5 was made by the previous property owner. It is not a wartime structure.

Stop #6

Stop #7

Path to the dock

Images from the dock

Looking out at the Stono River from the repaired dock

Stop #8- A bombproof obscured by vegetation.