Cluskey Vaults

The Cluskey Vaults built in the 1840’s are mysterious, brick structures. Originally intended to be storage units for cotton and other crops being exported/imported, the vaults are said to have been later used to "store" slaves who had arrived via the port. However, there is no clear evidence of this and modern research shows that they were viewed as a colossal blunder almost from the start; left unfinished and to serve no clear purpose. They remained something of a joke in subsequent decades, referred to as arches, vaults, holes, caves, tombs, “a melancholy monument of inefficiency,” or “an ill-looking affair”… possibly proposed in 1859 for restrooms; in subsequent decades storing disinfectants and fireworks, and even used as parking lots. 

There is extensive documentation on the vaults available, e.g.:
savannahga.gov/1097/Cluskey-Archaeology-Project
savannahhistory.home.blog/2021/03/12/river-street-part-1