Downtown Charleston, S.C. (WCBD) – If you’ve taken a stroll around Downtown Charleston, odds are you’ve crossed paths with Huger Street, but do you know that the street name has ties dating back to 1742?

Dr. Eric Lager, an Adjunct Professor of History at the Citadel, says that street got its name from Isaac Huger, the son of a Huguenot merchant and a planter. Lager explains that Isaac was the grandson of Huguenot exiles who came to Charleston over being forced to flee France when King Louis the 14th revoked the Edict of Nantes.

Isaac was born in 1742 at Limerick plantation on the Cooper River in Berkeley County. He received his education in Europe and began his military career by serving as an officer in Colonel Thomas Middleton’s Provincial South Carolina Regiment during the expedition against the Cherokees in 1761.

Lager explains, “The reason the street is named after him is because of his service during the American Revolutionary War. He fought at the battle of Stono’s Ferry and he also commanded militia outside the siege of Savannah in 1779. He came back to Charleston and served in the siege of Charleston in 1780.”

Huger earned impressive titles as Lieutenant Colonel in the South Carolina Militia, a Lieutenant Colonel in the 1st South Carolina Regiment, and Brigadier General in the Continental Army.

If you have a street, landmark, or a piece of history you want Temple Ricke to help uncover, send your suggestions to tricke@wcbd.com​.