Information & history on rear of piece:
East Bay Street has some of Charleston's first houses built along the waterfront.   Bounding east on the Cooper River,  there literally was nothing to the east of East Bay but marsh and water.   Originally called  "Bay Street"  or  "The Bay,"  East Bay was the center of a growing commerce.

Information & history on rear of piece:
The importance of the waterfront sites to the commerce of Charleston was recognized early.   In 1700,  an Act of the Assembly authorized the building of a brick seawall.   It served to protect the riverbanks in front of the town from frequent storms.