On August 31 , 1886 , Charleston was nearly destroyed by an earthquake . The shock was estimated to have a moment magnitude of 7.0 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X ( '' Extreme '' ) . Major damage was reported as far away as Tybee Island , Georgia ( over 60 miles away ) and structural damage was reported several hundred miles from Charleston ( including central Alabama , central Ohio , eastern Kentucky , southern Virginia , and western West Virginia ) . It was felt as far away as Boston to the north , Chicago and Milwaukee to the northwest , as far west as New Orleans , as far south as Cuba , and as far east as Bermuda . It damaged 2,000 buildings in Charleston and caused $ 6 million worth of damage ( $ 133 million ( 2006 USD ) ) , while in the whole city the buildings were only valued at approximately $ 24 million ( $ 531 million ( 2006 USD )
Charleston was nearly destroyed
1886 Charleston earthquake
History of Charleston, South Carolina