Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon
Built between 1767 and 1771 atop the older Half Moon Battery, the Old Exchange served as Charleston's custom house, public market, and jail before the British turned its basement into a military prison during their 1780-1782 occupation. The dungeon held Revolutionary patriots and, in legend, awaiting-trial pirates of the Stede Bonnet era; the Patriot Colonel Isaac Hayne was confined here before his 1781 hanging for treason against the Crown. Visitors and guides have long reported moans and cries rising from the cells, the rattle of unseen shackles, and sudden cold drafts in the brick-vaulted basement. Most persistent is the figure in Revolutionary-era dress mistaken for a costumed staff member, who vanishes when approached. The building is now a National Historic Landmark and museum run by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
📍 122 East Bay Street, Charleston, SC 29401, Charleston, SC · Get directions