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After the Great Earthquake

Souvenir booklet containing photographs of the aftermath of the Charleston Earthquake of 1886, featuring the damage done to buildings. Published by Walker, Evans & Cogswell (Charleston, S.C.), 1886. Photographs by Heliotype Printing Co., Boston, Mass. [24] leaves of plates, 12 x 20 cm.

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Anita Pollitzer Family Papers

The Anita Pollitzer Family Papers is comprised of documents and photographs gathered by multiple members of the Pollitzer family. The collection contains correspondence, funeral programs, an issue of The Jewish Women Quarterly, Gustave M. Pollitzer’s prayer book in  the original Yiddish, marriage and birth certificates, tickets to events, and family photographs.

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Anna D. Kelly Papers, 1930s – 1999

Anna D. Kelly (1913-2007) is known for her efforts to connect Lowcountry African Americans with the Highlander Folk School, most notably recruiting Septima Clark. A graduate of the Avery Normal Institute in Charleston, South Carolina, Kelly was a charter member of the Avery Institute of African American History and Culture. She then played a crucial […]

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Ansonborough Rehabilitation Project

In the 1950s many houses in Ansonborough were threatened with ”demolition by neglect,” having stood vacant or fallen into severe disrepair. In order to encourage homebuyers to move into the neighborhood to save these formerly unwanted treasures, Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF) was the first organization in the country to develop the Revolving Fund as a […]

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Architecture Publications

This collection features publications related to architecture, including Charleston architecture. Additional works may be added in the future. See also the White Pine Series of Architectural Monographs Collection.

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Avery Normal Institute

Founded in 1865, the Avery Normal Institute provided education and advocacy for the growing Charleston African American community and trained blacks for professional careers and leadership roles. Although the Institute closed its doors in 1954, it graduates preserved the legacy of their alma mater by establishing the Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture.  This […]

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Bernice Robinson Papers, 1920-1989

The Bernice Robinson Papers, 1920-1989 provide information regarding Robinson’s role as a teacher and social activist for voter education, adult literacy, child development, and social work. Contents include biographical papers, writings and talks, correspondence, and affiliations. Biographical papers include transcripts of her oral history interview. Her correspondence includes letters from Guy and Candie Carawan, Andrew […]

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Charleston City Directories

Very likely the earliest known printing of a directory of any American city or town, the first directory of Charleston was published as the American Revolutionary War was drawing to a close.  It appeared in the South Carolina and Georgia Almanack for the Year of Our Lord 1782 by John Tobler under the caption The […]

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Cleveland L. Sellers, Jr. Papers, 1934-2003

Cleveland Sellers, Jr. (born 1944), an African American from Denmark, South Carolina, was a participant and leader of a variety of student, civil rights, leftist, and Pan African movements in the 1960s and 1970s. Sellers alone was indicted and convicted for inciting a riot during the Orangeburg Massacre, in which three students of South Carolina […]

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College of Charleston Magazines

The College of Charleston Magazine was published monthly by the students of the College of Charleston during the academic year, under the auspices of the Chrestomathic Society. It’s aim was “to foster and encourage a literary spirit among the students, to bring the College more into public prominence than it has heretofore been, and also […]

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College of Charleston Pamphlet Collection

The College of Charleston Pamphlet Collection is a growing collection of pamphlets digitized from the College of Charleston archive. The pamphlets originate from a selection of collections, including the Thomas Smith Grimke pamphlet collection.

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Craft and Crum Families, 1780-2007

The collection of artifacts pertaining tot he Craft and Crum families of the Lowcountry includes a myriad of materials; photo albums, letters, account books, and land deeds. The Craft Family Photo Album includes images of Craft family members, famous abolitionists, and other family friends, many of international historical significance. Also included in the collection are […]

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Esau Jenkins Papers, 1963-2003

Esau Jenkins (1910-1972) was born and raised on Johns Island, South Carolina. With very little formal education, he became a businessman and civil rights leader. Jenkins founded the Progressive Club in 1948, which encouraged local African Americans to register to vote, through the aid of Citizenship Schools, a topic he was educated in by his […]

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Eugene C. Hunt Papers, 1834 – 1994

Eugene C. Hunt graduated from the Avery Normal School and went on to Talladega College, where he received a Degree in English in 1940. He earned a Masters Degree in Theater from Northwestern University in 1954 and continued with postgraduate study in Speech and Education. Mr. Hunt taught English and Speech at Burke High School […]

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Glimpses of the South Carolina, Interstate and West Indian Exposition

Souvenir booklet entitled Glimpses of the South Carolina, Interstate and West Indian Exposition Including Some Characteristic Views of the City of Charleston and Scenes at the Pan-American Exposition Recently Held at Buffalo: 126 Half-tone Pictures and a Map of the Grounds. Booklet contains captioned photographs, including some with descriptive text. Measures 13 x 18 cm.

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Historic Charleston Foundation Tours of Homes

One of the first fundraising programs developed by Historic Charleston Foundation after its incorporation in 1947 was its annual spring tours of historic houses, during which trained “hostesses” would guide visitors through several private homes in Charleston’s historic district. In addition to raising revenue to support Historic Charleston Foundation’s preservation efforts, the tours performed an […]

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Historical and Governing Records, 1841-1925

The St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church Historical and Governing Records Collection consists of documents and photographs that capture the early history of the church and congregation. It includes documents of historical and architectural significance, including the Church Constitution, a program about the 1925 reopening, and early members of the church. The collection also includes correspondence by […]

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Hutson Lee Papers, 1858-1865

Hutson Lee, 1834-1899, was a Charlestonian and quartermaster in the Confederate army.  Within his manuscript collection are 15 slave auction broadsides advertising sales of slaves in Charleston, South Carolina in 1859 and 1860.  Each broadside contains information about the time and location of the sale, with many advertised as taking place at Ryan’s Mart on […]

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Irish Volunteers Company records, 1798-1929

Organized in Charleston, South Carolina about 1798, the Irish Volunteers Company was first on active service in the War of 1812 where they served on patrol and constructed defenses. This collection contains typescript copies of “The History of the Irish Volunteers Company” (1798-1836) and minutes from organizational meetings from 1884-1901 and 1915-1929. Also included is […]

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J. Arthur Brown Papers, 1937 – 1988

J. Arthur Brown was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1914. After graduating from the Avery Institute in 1932 he continued his education at South Carolina State College in Orangeburg, SC graduating in 1937. While at SCSC, Brown met his future wife MaeDe Esperanza Myers (1918-2012), marrying in 1940. The couple had three daughters: MaeDe […]

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Lawrence Layden Scrapbook, 1941-1945

The Lawrence Layden Scrapbook contains photographs and papers documenting his wartime service. Lawrence Layden was a Captain in the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group during World War II. Personal papers consist of induction papers, forms listing the date for reverting to inactive service, military security passes, promotion papers, transfer papers, letters of recommendation to attend Officer Candidate […]

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Millicent E. Brown Papers, 1949 – 2003

Millicent Ellison Brown (b. 1948) is an educator and civil rights activist. Born in Charleston to MaeDe and J. Arthur Brown, local and state president of NAACP (1955-1965), Brown, in 1963, replaced her older sister Minerva as the primary plaintiff in a NAACP-sponsored lawsuit (Millicent Brown vs. Charleston County School District #20). The collection consists […]

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Nathaniel Russel Middleton Papers, 1823-1881

Nathaniel Russel Middleton’s writings consist of poems, essays, and addresses about Christianity, the fine arts, philosophical materialism, temperance, secession, fame, the U.S. Constitution, and other subjects, many of which were probably delivered to the students of the College of Charleston during his tenure there as professor and president.

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Rabbi Jacob S. Raisin Papers

The Rabbi Jacob S. Raisin Papers digital collection is comprised of correspondence, writings, records, and photographs encapsulating the life and work of Rabbi Jacob Salmon Raisin and his family. A prolific writer and supporter of the Reform, Jacob Raisin served as rabbi of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE) in Charleston, South Carolina from 1915 to […]

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Senator Burnet R. Maybank Papers, 1914-1973

Legislative files, correspondence, printed material, voting records, and personal papers of Burnet Rhett Maybank (1899-1954), United States Senator from 1941 to 1954. Materials primarily relate to Maybank’s professional life as a United States Senator and include his legislative working files and constituent correspondence. The collection also includes a small amount of personal papers concerning Maybank […]

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Septima P. Clark Papers, ca. 1910-ca. 1990

This collection contains material relating to the life and work of Septima P. Clark. The biographical papers include tributes, clippings, certificates, awards, family correspondence and transcripts of various oral history interviews in which Clark discusses her parents; husband; growing up and race relations in Charleston, South Carolina; her work in Citizenship Schools; her work at […]

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South Carolinians at Work

The South Carolina Historical Society’s South Carolinians at Work collection is comprised of correspondence and other records, constitutions, and by-laws of organizations in Charleston, South Carolina. The organizations include Charleston Iron Works, American Federation of Musicians Local 502, Mechanics’ Union No. 1, Charleston Fire Department, and the Bricklayers, Masons and Plasterers International Union of America. […]

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Summerville Museum and Research Center Pamphlet Collection

The Summerville Museum and Research Center Pamphlet Collection consists of pamphlets published during the 1800s and early 1900s. The pamphlets cover numerous topics, including anti-abolition arguments from slaveholders, histories of the Battle of Fort Sumter, and histories written by Secretary of the Historical Commission of South Carolina Alexander Samuel Salley.

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Walter Pantovic Slavery and African American History Collection

The Walter Pantovic Slavery and African American History Collection contains documents and images that reflect African American history primarily in the United States. Walter Pantovic was a Yugoslavian immigrant with an interest in Black history, in particular the history of Slavery and the Civil War. Highlights from this collection include slave bills of sale, glass […]

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White Pines Series of Architectural Monographs Collection

The White Pine Series of Architectural Monographs was created under the auspices of the White Pine Bureau to encourage the use of white pine as a building material. The by-monthly series was edited by Russell F. Whitehead, former editor of The Architectural Record and The Brickbuilder, with advertising support from Weyerhaeuser Forest Products, a Minnesota-based […]

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YWCA of Greater Charleston, Inc., Records, 1906 – 2007

The Young Women’s Christian Association of Greater Charleston, which originated in 1907, has served communities in Charleston and the Lowcountry area of South Carolina for over a century. Currently, the YWCA of Greater Charleston, Inc., strives to provide programs and services for all people and holds a mission to eliminate racism and to empower women. […]