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Avery Research Center Oral History Collection

The Avery Research Center houses a variety of oral history interviews, largely documenting African American experiences in the Lowcountry. Oral history projects include the Avery Normal Institute documentation effort and the Sea Island Preservation Initiative.

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College of Charleston Oral Histories

The College of Charleston Oral Histories collection seeks to preserve the history and culture of the South Carolina lowcountry through recorded interviews with area residents. Currently highlighted are interviews with production managers, directors, performers and behind-the-scenes contributors from Spoleto Festival, USA in Charleston, SC.

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Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society Oral Histories

The collection of oral histories capturing the history and sea island culture of Edisto Island, South Carolina, stems from two different periods. Two of the interviews (Alice Stevens and Marion Murray) were recorded in the 1990s. The remaining interviews were conducted in 2016.  The purpose of the interviews was to gather impressions of Edisto’s unique way […]

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Historic Charleston Foundation Oral History Project

Historic Charleston Foundation’s Oral History Project began in 2003 as a staff initiative which grew from the realization that Charleston was rapidly losing members of the generation involved with the founding of Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF).  At that time, the decision was made to videotape hour-long interviews with former trustees and other pioneers in the […]

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Irish Heritage Oral History Collection

In conjunction with College of Charleston Libraries’ Special Collections, College of Charleston’s Irish and Irish American Studies program sponsors the Irish Heritage Project. The Irish Heritage Project is striving to become the repository for papers of local Irish American families, professionally preserving and cataloging such records for future generations. The program aims to provide finding […]

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Jewish Heritage Collection Oral Histories

The Jewish Heritage Collection Oral Histories, archived in Special Collections at the College of Charleston’s Addlestone Library, offer an inside perspective on the lives of Jewish residents of South Carolina’s cities and small towns. The majority of interviews focus on first- and second-generation Americans of the twentieth century, and address topics such as immigration, assimilation, […]

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Somebody Had To Do It

The “Somebody Had to Do It” project is a multidisciplinary research project documenting the experience of the first African American children to attend formerly all-White schools through video oral histories. The Project takes its name from the often-stated response of the no longer young activists who stepped forward, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, to […]

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South Carolina Historical Society Oral Histories

Interviews with Charlestonians of various backgrounds, recorded in the 1970s and 1980s. The subjects talk about growing up in Charleston and cover such topics as preservation, race relations, the Exposition of 1901, and Charleston’s involvement in World War I and World War II.

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South Carolina LGBTQ Oral Histories, Archives, and Outreach

These oral histories, a part of the SC LGBTQ: Oral Histories, Archives, and Outreach Project, are narratives of mostly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) people in South Carolina. The oral histories are archived in Special Collections at the College of Charleston’s Addlestone Library and are part of the SC LGBTQ’s mission to […]

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Sullivan’s Island Oral History Collection

The Sullivan’s Island Oral History project’s purpose is to collect and record the experiences and memories of people who have enjoyed a long-term relationship with Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. The interviews document both facts and lore related to the Island and its culture. By creating digitally accessible oral histories, this project serves to protect these […]

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The Charleston Oral History Program

Founded in 2008, The Charleston Oral History Program seeks to deepen understanding of the Lowcountry’s rich history and culture through the gathering and presentation of recorded memories from area residents. The Program has three main objectives: 1. Program staff and their associates conduct interviews with people from all walks of life in order to promote […]

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Voices of the Santee Delta Oral History Collection

The Voices of the Santee Delta project’s primary purpose will be to record an oral history of this significant biological and historic area. The Santee Delta was once the location of an important branch of the Rice Kingdom, and a slave labor force whose descendants have provided a lasting Gullah culture. The voices are diverse, […]