Interview with Herbert A. DeCosta, Jr., former trustee, about Historic Charleston Foundation, historic preservation in Charleston, and life in Charleston throughout the years. Mr. DeCosta discusses growing up in Charleston in the 1920s and 1930s and his role in the city's preservation movement. He recalls childhood memories of living on Smith Street and on Sullivan's Island and his school days, including his attendance at the Avery Normal Institute. DeCosta's grandfather founded DeCosta construction in the 1890s, and Herbert speaks about the many historic properties in Charleston the company restored during his time as head of the company, including work completed for Historic Charleston Foundation's Revolving Fund. He goes on to discuss his family's ancestry and his involvement in St. Mark's Church and the Brown Fellowship Society. Interviewed by Kitty Robinson at the Missroon House on June 24, 2003.
Interview with Bill and Suzanne McIntosh, long-time owners of 66 Anson Street (Chazal House), who reminisce about their home and the changes in the Ansonborough neighborhood that they have witnessed over the past 50+ plus years. Mr. McIntosh was a long-time Charlestonian who descended from Mary Fisher Bailey Cross, a Quaker, who came to Charleston in 1680. He grew up on Greenhill Street and later lived on New and Broad Streets. He went to the Craft School and High School of Charleston. He owned a successful travel agency on Broad Street and was the president of the Preservation Society during the "Omni [now Charleston Place] controversies." Mrs. McIntosh is from New Orleans where they met when both were in college. Mrs. McIntosh worked for the Evening Post. They purchased 66 Anson Street from Historic Charleston Foundation in 1961 through its Ansonborough Rehabilitation Project. They bought the house because as preservationists they wanted to restore a house. Also the house was inexpensive and they wanted a house with a yard. They had followed the lead of Peter Manigualt (Evening Post Industries) who had previously purchased a house in Ansonborough. Within eight years after they bought the house, at least 8 other Evening Post/News & Courier staff bought homes in Ansonborough, and as word spread, many others got excited and moved there. Repairing, restoring, and renovating the house has been an ongoing process, starting when the McIntoshes cleared out sand on the ground that had reached the front steps, added a new roof, and installed electricity and plumbing. Herbert DeCosta did the work and also advised on the interiors. Through the Ansonborough Rehabilitation Project under Frances Edmunds's leadership, Ansonborough became one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Charleston. Regarding neighborhood conditions and changes, like other homes in Ansonborough, 66 Anson Street was in deteriorated and neglected condition when the McIntoshes bought it. Many people thought the area was a dangerous slum but "many didn't see the neighborhood for how good it was … It was a poor community, not a slum … After World War II there wasn't any money" so the homes slowly became run down and weren't repaired. There had been corner grocery stores which were essential as most residents didn't have cars. (The corner stores were converted to residential during the Ansonborough Rehabilitation Project.) Many new Ansonborough homeowners were young couples before they had children. They socialized and shared information, eventually forming the Ansonborough Neighborhood Association. Ansonborough was a close community but has changed significantly over the years. Mr. and Mrs. McIntosh are the only original ARP homeowners living in the borough and they don't know many of their neighbors. Tourism has had an impact on Ansonborough, largely that of the carriage tours which Mr. and Mrs. McIntosh have not liked since the earliest tours. The rising value of homes has made it more expensive to live and maintain a house; almost all of the McIntosh's former neighbors have moved. There are also many part-time residents, which has changed the character of the neighborhood. Interviewed by Katherine Pemberton on April 21, 2016 at the McIntosh's home at 66 Anson Street.
Interview by April Wood of Erica and Dan Lesesne who purchased their home on Warren Street in 1989 from Historic Charleston Foundation through its Home Ownership Program (revolving fund). They are now some of the longest-term residents in the neighborhood in Radciffborough. The Lesesnes talk about the changes they have observed in the neighborhood including the demographics. For example, there had been many more older families who lived in there but they have moved out, and also are fewer African-American families than there used to be. They also describe the neighborhood as eclectic, which appealed to them. They discuss their experience purchasing the house from HCF and how they appreciate that it is protected by a covenant. They reminisce about Charleston architect Randolph Martz and also about Robert Ballard, who was the president of the neighborhood association and very involved in civic affairs. The Lesesnes also discuss their backgrounds. Mrs. Lesesne was an English teacher at Porter Gaud and an acting teacher. They also talk about spearheading an effort to preserve the family cemetery on Daniel Island. Grants from both the South Carolina Humanities Commission and the Employees Community Fund of Boeing allowed HCF to proceed with this initiative and several oral history interviews have been conducted that focus on specific neighborhoods and the changes these residents have experienced over time.
Interview by Valerie Perry of Arthur Lawrence who lives in Charleston's West Side. Mr. Lawrence reminisces about growing up on the West Side when it was primarily an African-American community. He recalls day-to-day life in the West Side, referring to businesses, grocery and corner stores, restaurants, movie theaters, and hotels/boarding houses. He also talks about the changes to both Charleston and the West Side community and reflects on gentrification, segregation, integration, housing, and heirs' rights, about the roles of hotels for African-American visitors during segregation. Mr. Lawrence, who was president of the neighborhood association for 20 years, worked with Mayor Riley and the Chief of Police on efforts to improve the community. He discusses the efforts and its successes. He also touches upon the importance of the church in the community. Grants from both the South Carolina Humanities Commission and the Employees Community Fund of Boeing allowed HCF to proceed with this initiative and several oral history interviews have been conducted that focus on specific neighborhoods and the changes these residents have experienced over time.
Richard Brown is native to Sol Legare and was born "just off of Mosquito Beach" in 1953. Mr. Brown's family farmed and they sold their produce in the Market in downtown Charleston. He took a three minute walk from his house to Mosquito Beach on the weekends with friends. He described the different experiences for children, teens and adults- saying that elders told kids to "stay with your equals." He recounts starting work in the oyster business with Irving Singleton when he was aged six or seven. He collected and shucked around 16-18 bushels of oyster a day from Kings Flats. He details the harvesting process and how the Sol Legare area historically had an abundance of seafood and fresh produce. He talks too about the hard work and self-sufficiency of the residents and their strict parenting techniques. He also relates stories about Joe Chavis and his wife Middie.
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 by Katherine Pemberton of Elizabeth Lanneau Cox, who was born in Charleston in 1943 and was raised and lived in Summerville, SC for most of her life. Her parents were also Summervillians but her family had connections to downtown Charleston through family ties and various family businesses on King Street (like Siegling's Music House). Mrs. Cox talks about her childhood in Summerville, various houses, families and business. Summerville landmarks that she touches on include: Town (Hutchinson) Square and the train station, Timrod Library, Bethany Church, Summerville Presbyterian Church, Guerin's Pharmacy, Summerville Theatre (Playhouse), Summerville Elementary, Rollings (Old High School), Azalea Park. Old Town Hall and the Pine Forest Hotel. She also discusses various aspects of town life, like the gradual paving of sand roads, the construction of the historic houses in town, going to the movies, etc., and talks about going with her father and step mother to Indian Fields church campground in the summers. In high school, Mrs. Cox worked as a school bus driver and was the drum majorette for the Summerville High School Marching Band. She married Edmund Knight and they restored a Victorian House at 620 Richardson Avenue. She goes on to talk about the house, the surrounding neighborhood and neighbors like the Cox Family who lived in the old Prettyman House on Oak Street. (Ironically, in 2018 Elizabeth married Dr. Joel Cox her old neighbor.)
Bill "Cubby" Wilder was born in Charleston in 1940 and perhaps more than anyone else, has championed the revitalization of Mosquito Beach and has safeguarded its history. As a child, people called the area "The Factory" for the old oyster factory that was located there. His father, mother and aunt all worked at the factory. Mr. Wilder also recounts how Joe "Kingpin" Chavis had a store where he would sell seafood and other items to beach visitors. Wilder also explains some of the connections between various families like the Lafayette's and Wilders and talks of how his uncle Apple Wilder built the Harborview Pavilion in 1953 and how other clubs and businesses followed suit. Hurricane Gracie in 1959 did a great deal of damage and destroyed the first pavilion. Mr. Wilder talks about the popularity of Mosquito Beach in context with other poplar Black entertainment spots and how people were drawn here from a large geographic area. He talks about the long journey to Atlantic Beach. He describes the dating scene as the "bird and the bees" and relates his memories of moonshine and bootlegging in the area. Wilder talks too about how Mosquito Beach was a safe haven during segregation and recounts that the Pine Tree hotel was open from 1962 to 1989 when it was wrecked by Hurricane Hugo. He also discusses the recent past and the future for Mosquito Beach.
Interview with Eduardo (Ed) Curry, who lives in the Eastside neighborhood and is the Central Manager of the St. Julian Devine Community Center. As a third-generation Charlestonian, Mr. Curry reflects on his roots in Charleston. He details how his passion for education and criminal justice was largely shaped by the experiences of his father, an attorney and former police officer. Mr. Curry gives an in-depth overview of his work at the St. Julian Devine, a central hub within the Eastside community, where he has facilitated after-school and summer care programs, coordinated enrichment programs for adults, and expanded educational opportunities for the children he serves. In the near future, Mr. Curry wants to transform St. Julian Devine to a cultural arts center. He expresses that he wants to empower the people of his community through education to ensure that their roots are emboldened in Charleston. Mr. Curry offers his perspective on diversity, as his family is multi-racial, and wants to ensure that children of all backgrounds are offered the same chances to express themselves through his community center.
Interview by Katherine Pemberton of Daisy Prince Walsh, long time resident of West Ashley. Mrs. Walsh reminisces about her childhood and also about life in Charleston before, during, and after World II. She was one of nine children. Her mother's family owned Cameron & Barkley and a metal factory. The family lived on St. Philip, Coming, and Pinckney Streets, and later in Garden Hill, an extension off of Rutledge Avenue. Mrs. Walsh recalls her day-to-day life when the family lived downtown: going to school, going shopping, going to Folly Beach, etc. She talks about shopping on King Street and recalls various shops, department and grocery stores, movie theaters, etc., recalling how King Street seemed to be racially based on being above or below Calhoun Street. She also mentions driving on the Old Cooper River Bridge and the origins of the Knights of Columbus Thanksgiving Day Race (now known as the Turkey Day Race). She also recalls life during World War II including rationing, "blackouts," and being afraid. She talks about meeting her husband. After they got married, she and her husband, who was in the Navy, lived in Buffalo for a time but then moved back to Charleston. In 1957, moved to a house on Yeamans Road in Byrnes Down in West Ashley, a neighborhood that had been developed in the 1940s as housing for Charleston Navy Yard workers during World War II. As her family grew, they moved to a second house on Yeamans Road. (She and her husband had eight children.) Then in 1965, they moved to a fairly new neighborhood in West Ashley where she still lives. She recalls life in West Ashley and the changes she has seen there, from the 1950s when it was mostly farmland and how it developed over the years as more and more people moved to the suburbs, including Harrison Acres, Lenevar, North Bridge, and Byrnes Down. She has witnessed many changes in Charleston during her lifetime: how it began as a "small town" and now after so many people from Charleston have left and after so many newcomers have arrived, commenting especially on the traffic. Grants from both the South Carolina Humanities Commission and the Employees Community Fund of Boeing allowed HCF to proceed with this initiative and several oral history interviews have been conducted that focus on specific neighborhoods and the changes these residents have experienced over time.
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