Mount Pleasant Magazine May/June 2018

57 www.SullivansIslandMagazine.com | www.SullivansIslandHomes.com A Connection To the Past T he narrow strip of land that extends into the marsh at the end of Pitt Street in the Old Village of Mount Pleasant provides breathtaking views of the beauty of the Lowcountry and gives locals and visitors the opportunity to engage in a variety of outdoor activities, from walking and running to fishing and bird-watching. But beyond its current use as a recreation destination, the area known as the Pitt Street Bridge is a vital connection to the past with a history that spans generations. From the Revolutionary War to the Civil War to the Roaring ’20s, the Pitt Street Bridge – also called the Cove Inlet Bridge and the Cove Inlet Causeway – was once the only land-based route for people to get from Mount Pleasant to Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms. GADSDEN’S BRIDGE When Revolutionary War historian Benson John Lossing visited Sullivan’s Island in 1849, he wrote, “On the northwestern side of the island are the remains of an old By Pamela Brownstein causeway or bridge, extending to the main, nearly upon the site of a bridge of boats, which was used during the battle in 1776. It was constructed after that conflict, at the cost of Christopher Gadsden, and was called Gadsden’s Bridge.” Suzannah Smith Miles, an author and respected Lowcountry historian, described Gadsden as a great patriot who was also well-known as the designer of the “Don’t Tread On Me” flag. Building this nearly mile long bridge across the marsh and through the pluff mud was no easy task, and it took nine months, according to Miles. “But on June 7, 1777, almost a year after the Battle of Fort Sullivan, the bridge was finished,” Miles wrote. THE CIVILWAR By the time of the Civil War, the bridge had been rebuilt. In 1864, the crew of the H.L.Hunley was staying in Mount Pleasant and used the footbridge to reach Breach Inlet, where the Confederate submarine was stored. The Pitt Street Bridge Photos courtesy of the town of Mount Pleasant.