S.C. Preserves Part of Charleston's Fort Johnson-- Part 4

That spring and summer of 1865,  seven companies of the 21st USCT regiment, formed the garrison at Fort Johnson.  On July 31, , the men of the 54th Massachusetts dismounted the fort's guns and the fort was abandoned.

In 1872 a quarantine station was established there.  Thus began its association with public health.  In 1948, the station was closed and the 90 acre site was transferred to the state.  Six years later, the College of Charleston devised a plan to establish a marine biology research  center there, and the Medical  College set up an animal research facility.

The old quarantine officer's residence was occupied by the president  of the Medical College.

In 1970, much of the Fort Johnson  tract was transferred to the DNR's forerunner, the South Carolina Department of Wildlife and Marine Resources.  

In the years since,  the condition of the MUSC buildings has  deteriorated, posing safety hazards.

--Old B-Runner