The cobblestone streets of Charleston are very picturesque with stones of various sizes and shapes that are easy on the eye, but hard on the driver. Cobblestones are erosion-formed igneous rocks that get their name from the old English term “cob”, which is a lump. They should be distinguished from cut Belgian blocks, which can be found on other streets. These stones originally came in the bottom of sailing ships, as what is called ballast, that kept ships upright in the wind. But ship owners wanted as much valuable cargo in the ships that docked in Charleston in the sailing era, and often dumped the cobblestones on the wharves. Charleston was happy to have them, because we have no natural rock on the coast, and they were used to fill in lowlands and muddy streets. At one time, Charleston had 10 miles of #cobblestone streets, but today only 5 through-streets are surfaced in cobblestone. <img src=”Charleston curiosities” alt=”cobblestone streets”>