What Is The Exchange and Provost?
The Exchange and Provost was an important commercial and government building that both symbolized and oversaw the wealth of early Charles Town!
What Makes It Historical?
Designed by William Rigby Naylor and built by John & Peter Horlbeck, this Georgian-Palladian style Exchange and Custom House is one of South Carolina’s most historic buildings! Built over the old Palace of Arms, which was built over the Half Moon Battery on Charleston’s original wall, the Exchange opened its doors in 1771, meant to protect British interests, including the slave trade, but history had different ideas for it!
In the basement of the Exchange, Revolutionaries stored confiscated British tea and hid 10,000 pounds of gunpowder in the Provost, or dungeon (while British soldiers occupied the building)! Anti-British meetings were held here in 1774, and the Exchange was temporarily the state house of South Carolina when the old one burned down! It was also where, in 1788, the leaders of South Carolina ratified the first U.S. Constitution!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
- Volunteer with the Historic Charleston Foundation!
- Donate to the Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
122 East Bay Street
Charleston, SC 29401
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM, and on Sundays from 11:00 AM until 5:00 PM!