Fort Moultrie

Fort Moultrie

Fort Moultrie Credit Danielle Bopp

Welcome to Fort Moultrie, the series of fortifications on Sullivan’s Island built to protect the city in 1776. This fort is located specifically on Middle Street of Sullivan’s Island, on the same embankment as Fort Sumter. The National Park Service took over this fort in 1947, making this the only place in the area that can present 171 years of history of the American Seacoast defense. Fort Moultrie has seen two centuries of seacoast defense and tells the story nicely through a unique plan of restoration, the five different sections and two outlying areas commemorating typical weapons and heroic stories throughout.

Your group will discover the complicated history of the forts two major war eras, one during which the fort wasn’t even complete. Learn about the Revolutionary War attack in which the British defeated the fort after a long and tough nine hour-long battle, and of the many years of successfully defending the city against Union forces during the Civil War. The first fort here is made of palmetto logs and is available for touring, the structure lending the state its nickname and flag design and making a quite interesting stop while here. The entire complex was named such in honor of General William Moultrie, as you will learn about while visiting the preserved harbor entrance control post and BCN 520, the main remaining relics of the infamous WWII era. Fort Moultrie was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 and has since then seen many crowds of history buffs. Be sure to head to the top of the adjacent Fort Sumter to visit the site’s museum, gift store, and bookstore!