Russell Roper was born in 1943 in Charleston, SC. and in this interview he describes his memories of Mosquito Beach beginning in the 1950s. He relates that he and friends would enjoy the water, dance in the pavilion, swim, etc. There were boat races on Sundays and various clubs to visit like Uncle Jimmy's Club and Jack Walkers Club. Mr. Roper shares his memories of the segregation at Folly Beach and recounts an experience of being part of a group of young black men who went to Folly Beach one afternoon to cool off by the ocean until they were confronted by an angry group of white men. Andrew "Apple" Wilder was his uncle and Russell talks about his hotel, the Pine Tree Hotel where Russell worked on occasion. Mr. Roper also worked doing parking, operating bumper cars and operating a photo booth on Mosquito Beach. He tells of entertainers Bob Nichols, Honest John, John Ford and Shake-A-Plenty.
Cassandra Roper was born on Sol Legare in 1945, the daughter of Laura Wilder and step-daughter of Apple Wilder. In this interview, Ms. Roper recounts how, as a child, she and her cousins came to Mosquito Beach on Sundays after church and chores. She describes the boardwalk, the pavilion and the hotel, all run by her mother and stepfather. Like many people from the area, Ms. Roper went to live in New York City, returning to the realities of Jim Crow segregation at school and other places when she was about 13 years old. Ms. Roper recounts that Folly Beach was off-limits to African Americans except for work. She remembers the large crowds at Mosquito Beach and how it was an oasis from daily realities and how it functioned as a place for music and as a dating scene.
Interview with Yvonne Tucker, who purchased the house at 258 Ashley Avenue through Historic Charleston Foundation's Neighborhood Impact Initiative. Ms. Tucker recalls growing up on the East Side, later moving away, then returning to Elliottborough. After an unsuccessful attempt to purchase a home on Bogard Street through the Charleston Bank Consortium Program, Ms. Tucker believed that she'd never be able to buy a home until sometime later, Historic Charleston Foundation contacted her about its Neighborhood Impact Initiative and offered 258 Ashley Avenue to her. Skeptical at first due to the condition of the house and neighborhood at the time, she purchased the house with assistance from HCF, which also undertook the restoration of the house. Ms. Tucker recalls participating with HCF during the restoration and she learned to appreciate preservation. Asked about how the neighborhood has changed since she bought the house, Ms. Tucker states that there is much less crime and that she and her two daughters who grew up in the house feel safe. There are also more local businesses and her job is within walking distance. The downside is that the neighborhood has priced out some homeowners and that a historic house is expensive to maintain. Despite all the odds stacked against her, Ms. Tucker states that she wouldn't have been able to purchase a home without HCF and that both she and her daughters are proud of their home. "I didn't go looking for a home; a home came looking for me." Interviewed by Katherine Pemberton on March 3, 2016, at Ms. Tucker's home at 258 Ashley Avenue. Richard Almes, videographer. Recorded as part of HCF's "Changing Neighborhoods" series, made possible by a grant from the SC Humanities Commission.
"Notes on the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston," listing statistics from the "Real Property Inventory" of 1934 and housing data from the 1940 Census.
Page 1 of article from The Christian Science Monitor Weekly (Nov. 11, 1936) about Frances Benjamin Johnston entitled "Preserving a Nation's Architecture" and her photographs of historic buildings.
Map entitled "The Historic Heart of Charleston ... Compliments of the Old Slave Mart Museum," with advertisements on back of "The Historic Heart of Charleston."
