Sullivan's Island Winter-Spring 2018-19

15 www.SullivansIslandMagazine.com | www.SullivansIslandHomes.com [ Feature ] gun emplacements, it spent decades as little more than an exciting playground for adventurous island youngsters. The founding of the Gadsden Cultural Center – now the Battery Gadsden Cultural Center – began to change the face and the mission of the once-mighty fortification. When founder Macmurphy took her final bow in 2007, this “underground” organization nearly died with her. Then, in 2014, a group of concerned islanders leased Battery Gadsden from the town for a nominal $10 per year and worked to restore its 501(c)(3) status. A major cleanup and new paint soon made the old battery usable, and the organizers negotiated a longer, five-year lease with Sullivan’s Island. According to current Battery Gadsden Cultural Center President Dr. Mike Walsh, “Right now we are at the start of a long project.” Immediate past President Hal Coste said, “The town is our landlord and has agreed to provide us with appropriate heating and air conditioning. These will be essential not only for the comfort of visitors but to accommodate a research room and artists’ space, as well as to preserve the trove of historic documents, photos and memorabilia that have had to be temporarily housed elsewhere.” “We will also need an upgrade to our existing electrical circuitry, better lighting and a reliable Wi-Fi connection,” he added. Dr. Walsh said that a structural engineering study by the town had concluded that it might take as much as half a million dollars to properly refurbish the battery. “But,” he noted, “we intend to accomplish that goal for much less.” concrete walls and reinforced on top with layers of sand, dirt and grass. These would house, service and protect heavy artillery pieces turned seaward. They became known as Endicott Batteries, and several were established on Sullivan’s Island. While the big cannons were never fired in anger, the Sullivan’s Island batteries stood guard during the Spanish- American War before many were shipped to France when the United States entered World War I. By the 1940s, advances in air and submarine warfare had made massive coastal artillery an anachronism, and the Sullivan’s Island batteries were decommissioned. Some, such as Battery Logan, lie fallow. One, a World War II battery on the Marshall Reservation – part of Fort Moultrie – was converted into three separate residences. Civilians were quickly attracted to these unusual homes, which rarely needed heating or air conditioning due to their extraordinary earthen and concrete insulation. Several families, including the Curds and Edens’, lived in these bunkers for many years and still retain connections to the properties. One element of Battery Gadsden – named for an officer who served during the War of 1812 – became an enduring asset for the Lowcountry as the Edgar Allan Poe Memorial Library. Poe was stationed at Fort Moultrie, where he found the inspiration for one of his memorable tales, “The Gold Bug.” Another element of that battery, located to the west at I’On Avenue, did not fare as well. A mirror image of the Poe property with 12-foot-thick concrete walls and four