About
When going into to Charleston and crossing the Ravenel Bridge, looking north along the Cooper River, you can see this crumbling set of brick buildings sinking into the water.
It was once a coal tipple known better as the Charleston Export Coal Terminal. A tipple is a facility for handling and loading mined materials, such as coal, onto boats. It would have opened in 1915 and was in operation until 1952. Since then, not much has happened, outside of a large fire in the 1970s that damaged the wooden railway trestle. It remains intact mainly because of the issues developing the area from past environmentally damaging activities and proximity to several hundred-year-old cemeteries.
While it would be nice to get close, the land leading up to it was unwalkable, especially with all the recent rains, but it would be easy on a kayak. The railroad trestle wouldn't be safe, especially in the burned areas, so please be careful from above.
Know Before You Go
It is best viewed from the water, on a kayak or canoe. It is difficult to walk up to, and I have personally only seen it from my drone.
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Published
November 23, 2025
