Fort Johnson is a state-owned historic site of military and political significance located on the northeast point of James Island in

Charleston County, South Carolina Charleston County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina along the Atlantic coast. As of the 2020 census, its population was 408,235, making it the third most populous county in South Carolina (behind Greenville and Richland counties). ...

History

Fort Johnson was strategically important during the colonial era, as it was located on the banks of the

Ashley River The Ashley River is a blackwater and tidal river in South Carolina, rising from the Wassamassaw and Great Cypress Swamps in western Berkeley County. It consolidates its main channel about five miles west of Summerville, widening into a ti ...

. The fort was named after Sir Nathaniel Johnson, who served as the Governor of Carolina from 1703 to 1709. It was the site of the first raising of the

South Carolina state flag The flag of South Carolina is a symbol of the U.S. state of South Carolina consisting of a blue field with a white palmetto tree and white crescent. Roots of this design have existed in some form since 1775, being based on one of the first Re ...

in 1775. The

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

was built in 1765 and is a brick structure that measures 27 feet long and 20 feet wide. It was buried during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

soldiers, and uncovered in 1931. Fort Johnson and the magazine were listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1972.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fort Johnson (South Carolina) 1704 establishments in South Carolina Johnson (South Carolina) Johnson (South Carolina) Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Buildings and structures on the Ashley River (South Carolina) Buildings and structures in Charleston County, South Carolina Charleston Harbor Johnson (South Carolina) Johnson (South Carolina) James Island, South Carolina Johnson (South Carolina) Johnson (South Carolina) National Register of Historic Places in Charleston County, South Carolina Protected areas of Charleston County, South Carolina South Carolina in the American Civil War South Carolina in the American Revolution

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...