Cluskey Vaults

A row of three massive, brick-arched tunnels sits embedded directly into the bluff along the Savannah River. These are the Cluskey Vaults, built in eighteen forty-two to act as an ice house and a ballast storage facility. James Cluskey designed them to withstand the intense pressure of the riverbank, using thick masonry that remains cool even in the Georgia heat. During the Civil War, rumors persisted that the vaults served as a holding area for prisoners, though records remain silent on that.