Castle Pinckney is an abandoned small fortification built by the United States government in 1810 in Charleston, South Carolina's harbor. Though it did not serve its intended purpose, the castle by the Ocean was built to protect Charleston from the British navy.  However, it was used as a prisoner-of-war camp and artillery position during the American Civil War. It is now a private property where birds can breed and play in peace.

Invading British

The fort was erected on the remnants of a previous fortress, Fort Pinckney, on Shutes Folly, a tiny island in Charleston Harbor approximately a mile off the shore. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, a Revolutionary War hero, was named after the first log and clay fort. Built to defend the city from a probable maritime invasion by French and British forces.

More than 174 Union Army POWs captured during the First Battle of Bull Run and previously imprisoned at Ligon's Prison arrived in Charleston in 1861 and were held at the Charleston City Jail until Castle Pinckney's lower casemates were converted into cells. Castle Pinckney was the first Federal military installation to be violently seized by a state government in the South.

No War, No Fort

The fort was upgraded after the Civil War for prospective service during the Spanish–American War, although it was never needed. According to some reports, the fort never fired a single hostile shot in its entire lifespan. Parts of the original brick walls and casements were removed to make space for a harbor lighthouse, which operated into the twentieth century.

The plans for the lighthouse were met with local opposition; instead, a campaign was launched to build a retirement home for servicemen on the island. By Presidential proclamation in 1924, Castle Pinckney was designated a United States National Monument. In 1951, Congress passed legislation to demolish Castle Pinckney National Monument and return it to the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Despised Fort

The South Carolina Ports Authority later purchased the fort with the intention of using it as a spoil area. These were met with strong opposition because the plans proved impractical, and the Commission created no successful plans for the island's use as a tourist destination. Plans to return the island to the federal government were also rejected, and instead, the commission was offered a deal to buy the island and turn it into anything but a spoiled area. The organization, too, turned down the offer, and the island was left to rot. The state assumed ownership of the property, but they were unable to restore it, leaving it for nature to reclaim. The island is currently privately owned and does not allow trespassing on their property by locals.