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| Plat of Chicora Park, the design of Frederick Law Olmstead |
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| Quarters F |
In
1900, when the Federal Government was scouting the southeast for a site to
expand a navy Yard, Port Royal near Beaufort was a top contender. The City of
Charleston successfully lobbied for the new Base and On 12 August 1901, the
Navy took possession of the property. Captain Edwin Longnecker, representing
the Navy, had arrived in Charleston from Washington the day before, accompanied
by the government paymaster. On the afternoon of the twelfth, they took the
trolley to the site and made a final inspection of the property. Once
this was done, a check in the amount of $34,307 was given to the city for 171
acres of Chicora Park and one for $50,000 to Mrs. Celia Lawton’s representative
for 258 acres of the old Marshlands Plantation. The City conveyed the 760
acres of marshland to the south to the Navy for one dollar. The destiny of Chicora Park was forever
changed. On April 8, 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt visited Charleston and stated
that Charleston would be an ideal place for a naval base. Construction began
shortly thereafter. Over the next decade, the United States Navy took
possession of 1,575 acres along the west bank of the Cooper River, consuming
the Park through its expansion. For the next 95 years the naval presence in the
area defined the development of what we now know as North Charleston.
