MYSTERY PHOTO: Breaking a sweat

Here are some runners plodding down a street.  But where?  Send to editor@charlestoncurrents.com.  And don’t forget to include your name and the town in which you live.

Our previous Mystery Photo

Our Aug. 31 photo, “Dock scene you may recognize,” should have looked familiar if you’ve ever been to Fort Sumter.  It portrays the Charleston skyline across the harbor from the fort’s dock.

Congratulations to eagle-eyed readers who correctly identified the photo: Marnie Huger of Richmond, Va.; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Paul Hedden of James Island; Chris Brooks and David Lupo, both of Mount Pleasant; Don Clark of Hartsville; Jay Altman of Columbia; Joe Mendelsohn, Delia A. Smith, Carol Ann Smalley and Charles Darby, all of Charleston; Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas; Ross Lenhart of Stone Mountain, Ga.; Harvey Glick of Sullivan’s Island; and Kristina Wheeler of West Ashley.

Peel shared a lot of interesting information about Fort Sumter, then and now:

“Today’s mystery photo is of the boat dock at Fort Sumter, the sea fort that the United States Army started building on an artificial island at the entrance to Charleston Harbor in 1829. Construction of the fort began after the War of 1812 in recognition of the importance of protecting the harbor from invading forces. The fort was still under construction when the first battle of Fort Sumter began on April 12, 1861, when the South Carolina Militia Artillery Division (the Confederate Army did not yet exist) fired on the Union garrison at the fort, officially kicking off the Civil War.

“Arrival at this dock is currently the only way that visitors can embark on an official tour of Fort Sumter. Only one company, Fort Sumter Tours, is permitted to run the ferries that shuttle passengers to/from the island via Downtown Charleston at Liberty Square or from across the harbor at Patriots Point.

“Before August 2019, some locals had found a way to visit the park without paying the $24 fee normally required to visit the site. Unbeknownst to most visitors, there is technically no charge to enter Fort Sumter itself. Instead, the fee is to pay for the ferry service to and from the fort. It turns out that a short distance from the fort is a small sandbar, popularly known as ‘Pine Island’ by weekend-party boaters. Some locals would anchor their boat off of the sandbar, and take a short walk through the low waters to Fort Sumter island. Alas in August 2019, the National Park Service (NPS) officially closed access to the fort from the sandbar beach in an attempt to limit overcrowding and the number of inebriated guests who visit the national monument. It seems that sometimes the NPS can be a real party-pooper!”

• Send us a mystery:  If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!)   Send it along to  editor@charlestoncurrents.com.