Salt-glazed border tiles made from kiln-fired red clay, used to line walkways and gardens. Made by slave labor on a plantation near Hickory Hill, South Carolina. Four tiles exist in the collection, two of each shown here.
Copper slave badge, square in shape, reading "Charleston 20 Servant 1823." Under the date, a stamp reads "LAFA," signifying the maker, John Joseph Lafar.
Manilla, a type of metal currency formerly exchanged for slaves, especially in West Africa. Originally imported from Europe then later re-cast and used as a local currency.
Manilla, a type of metal currency formerly exchanged for slaves, especially in West Africa. Originally imported from Europe then later re-cast and used as a local currency.
Two manillas, metal currency formerly exchanged for slaves, especially in West Africa. Originally imported from Europe then later re-cast and used as a local currency. These were made in Birmingham, England.
Copper slave badge, square in shape. Face is stamped "Charleston 1840 Servant 1869." 1840 is the year produced and 1869 signifies that it was the 1,869th "servant" badge sold that year.
Chair made by slaves from Ridgley Plantation near Florence, South Carolina. The chair is made with mortise and tenon joints reinforced with square nails. The seat is of animal skin. Evidence that the legs of the chair have been shortened indicates that it was a slave's chair. Slaves were not permitted to sit higher than the master or his children.
Kaolin pipe with a landscape scene molded into the bowl. The scene contains a multi-storied building with an arched entryway and flag flying. Pipe stem is broken. Origin Africa.
This scrapbook, compiled by James H. Holloway (1849-1913), contains legal documents, personal and business correspondence, receipts, ephemera, clippings and photographs pertaining to the Holloway family, a prominent free family of color in Charleston, SC. Legal documents include deeds (1806, 1821, 1871), a conveyance (1811), slave bills of sale including one for the slave "Betty" (1829), an agreement (1829) to apprentice the slave boy Carlos in the carpenters and house joiner's trade, exhorter licenses to preach and a photograph of a 1797 document declaring patriarch Richard Holliday (Holloway) a free mulatto. Personal and business correspondence include letters concerning the hiring out of slaves, an offer (1837) to buy the "Holloway Negroes", a letter (1831) from Samuel Benedict about emigrating to Liberia, agreements for carpentry work, and information about the Brown Fellowship Society, the Century Fellowship Society, the Minors Moralist Society and the Bonneau Literary Society. Also included are invitations, Confederate and corporate tax receipts, receipts for general merchandise, and Confederate scrip. Other letters and newspaper clippings, including letters to the editor written by James H. Holloway, concern Negro taxes, Negro slaveholders, the Liberia movement, the Methodist Episcopal Church, civil rights and related topics. James H. Holloway's niece, Mae Holloway Purcell, preserved the scrapbook after his death and added to its contents. The bound scrapbook was microfilmed by the South Caroliniana Library in 1977 but was later disbound and reorganized. Using the microfilm as a guide, archivists at the Avery Research Center attempted to recreate the original order and this digital presentation of the scrapbook reflects those efforts.
The Friendly Moralist Society was a benevolent society for free brown (mulatto or mixed race) men established in Charleston, S.C. in 1838. The group provided burial aid and purchased plots for those in need and provided charitable assistance to widows and orphans of deceased members. This Proceedings section consists of minutes taken at organizational meetings from 1841 to 1856. These minutes offer insight into the conflict between free black and brown individuals at this time. Monthly minutes of May 1844 and Oct. 1848, for instance, detail the exclusion of prospective members for being black rather than brown and the Annual Day speech of 1848 addresses the issues of being colored versus black or white. This conflict and frequent issues with finances resulted in several schisms and mass resignations in the society and is mentioned in a brief history of the society in the Annual Day address of 1853. 398p.
This "Absentees Book" of the Friendly Moralist Society details member attendance from 1842 to 1849. Many of the entries are annotated frequently in pencil, providing explanation for member absences such as "sick", "out of town", or "not summoned", etc. It also notes fines levied for unexcused absences per society rules. 38p.
A recount of William Lloyd Garrison's life, in particular his rise to become one of the most prominent Abolitionist leaders. In particular it describes his imprisonment for libelity, lecture series in New York and Boston, Establishment of his newspaper the "Liberator", and the formation of the Abolition Society at Boston. 9.5in.x 3in.
Set of iron wrist shackles with two D-shaped cuffs, one containing a pin lock and the other with overlapping links. Relatively small cuffs indicate that they may have been designed for a child.
Copy of the Act of Procuration of Mrs. Stilwell to her attorney, Hudson English regarding the death of her husband. Stilwell grants English full power of attorney over the entire estate of her deceased husband.
The estate of John Towns, as described by executor George Towns, consists of several senslaved people including a young woman named Caroline with two children and a seventeen year old male.
Slave auctioneer's token, 1846. These tokens were distributed as one-cent pieces and served as advertisements for the businesses and services depicted on the coins. Face view of token reads "W.W. Wilbur Auction & Commission Merchant; Charleston, So. Ca.; Going at Only A Penny" encircling the image of an auctioneer. Obverse view of token reads "Merchants & Manufactors Agents; Collection Broker Notary Public" encircling the image of a tree.
