A black and white copy of a letter from Michael J. Weller to J. Thomas Savage, then curator at the Historic Charleston Foundation. The letter is regarding a punch bowl with various engravings. It goes into detail about the bowl and requests more information on the bowl, if available.
Longtime Charleston preservationist, Elizabeth Jenkins “Liz” Young, was born April 7, 1919 on Edisto Island. In this interview she conveys her love for Charleston and emphasizes the importance of its preservation, gives a brief lesson on the Gullah dialect, and discusses St. Michaels Church. Young also talks about Federal Memorial Day versus Confederate Memorial Day, a holiday designated to memorialize the soldiers lost in the Civil War, which she calls the “War Of Northern Aggression.” Audio with transcript and tape log.
Throughout the interview, world renowned painter and sculptor, William Halsey shares his views on art and the difficulties of being a contemporary artist in historic cities like Savannah and Charleston. He mentions studying under Elizabeth O’Neil Verner, attending the University of South Carolina, graduating from the Boston Museum School, living and painting in Mexico for two years on a fellowship from the Boston Museum School, as well as teaching at Telfair Academy and the College of Charleston. His wife, Mrs. Corrie Halsey, discusses her attendance at the University of South Carolina where she studied medical illustrating, her attendance at the Boston Museum School, and shares her experiences with juggling duties as both a mother and an artist. Audio with transcript and tape log.
Tom Waring discusses the history of Charleston, particularly the population growth in surrounding cities such as North Charleston in the first part of the twentieth century, its designation as the “Holy City,” poverty following the Civil War, the increase in employment during World War I, and the subsequent influx of newcomers to Charleston during World War II. Waring concludes the interview with a local Gullah Story. Hermina Waring discusses the legend behind her family’s silver service. Audio with transcript and tape log.
Dorothy Haskell Porcher Legge was a pioneer of historic preservation in Charleston. In this interview, Legge discusses her early efforts to restore homes on the peninsula and describes the restoration of her family’s residence at number 99 – 101 East Bay Street beginning in 1931. Legge worked privately and effectively to inspire the revitalization of this block of deteriorated eighteenth-century mercantile structures on East Bay Street which eventually came to be known as “Rainbow Row.” In the interview Legge also discusses growing up on Mulberry (on the Cooper River) and Bonny Hill (on the Combahee River) rice plantations and family history including the life of her mother’s grandfather, Rev. John Bachman. Audio with transcript and tape log.
First elected in 1970, Lonnie Hamilton was the first African American to serve on the Charleston County Council. In this interview Hamilton discusses teaching at Bonds Wilson High School in North Charleston, his decision to run for Charleston County Council, subsequent elections, and his daughter. Audio with transcript.
Mrs. Sparkman talks about several different ghost stories that are told about her house at 15 Legare Street in Charleston, South Carolina. Audio with transcript.
John Laurens graduated from the Citadel in 1910. During World War I Laurens was stationed with the Charleston Light Dragoons in El Paso, Texas and later in France. In the interview, Laurens enumerates his siblings and discusses various occurrences in his life and in Charleston including family vacations on the Southern Railroad, a bath house that was once located at the end of Tradd Street, the Charleston Exposition of 1901, a tornado that took off the steeple of St. Philips Church and a fire at the Anderson Lumber Company once located on Broad Street. Audio with transcript.
Rebecca Bryan discusses memories of her life in Charleston. She mentions a contest between the fire departments, the Womens Exchange on King Street, Dixie Antique Shop, transportation as a young girl, several significant earthquakes and hurricanes, the history of her house at 110 Broad Street, the Battery as a child, her childhood schooling, the Charleston Exposition of 1901, and a story about the Charleston Light Dragoons. Audio with transcript and tape log.
Harold Stone Reeves, a native Charlestonian and lifelong performer, discusses the many aspects of his life since his birth in 1892, including his longtime interest in Gullah, attending the University of South Carolina, his commission with the Charleston Light Dragoons during World War I, his involvement with the Society for the Preservation of Spirituals, and his role as the first manager of the of the Charleston Social Security Office. Audio with transcript and tape log.
Mrs. Larry T. Riggs, second from right, president of the Charleston Federation of Women's Clubs, unveils a plaque sponsored by the federation, commemorating the 50th anniversary of women students at the College of Charleston. Looking on are Miss Carrie Pollitzer, who was influential on obtaining entrance for women students, and Dr. Walter R. Coppedge, president. The plaque reads: "This plaque was given in honor of the Charleston Federation of Women and under the leadership of Carrie Pollitzer," photo provided by the News and Courier.
Typescript text of an address delivered at the Charleston (S.C.) Rotary Club on December 22, 1953 by D. A. Amme, Vice President, Board of Firemasters. Speech traces the history of firefighting in Charleston from the 18th century until the 1950s. Also notes the affliation of the police department and lists "Notable Conflagrations."
This collection consists of select photographs from the 'Charleston County Pasture Tour, 1951' photograph album. The photographs depict walks through pastures, cattle, demonstrations, group photos and a shared meal.
A black and white photograph taken from behind a man standing who is giving a presentation behind a table of vegetables. The attendees and participants are outside of a building owned by Coburg Dairy with a list of 'Rental Terms' on the exterior wall.
A black and white photograph of the Agricultural Society of South Carolina and the Charleston A. & I. [Agricultural and Industrial?] Fair Association. The individuals are identified on the label.
A black and white photograph of a man giving a presentation while standing at a table with vegetables. A caption on the back of the photo indicates that the event was in partnership with Coburg Dairy with 75 attendees present. The names of some of those pictured are: Frampton, Wallace [?], Barres [?], Harvey [?], [illegible], and Lingwick [?].
A black and white photograph of a man, young boy and a steer that was awarded a ribbon and title of Champion Steer in a 4-H Club competition at the Charleston Agricultural and Industrial [? Illegible] Fair.
A black and white photograph of nine steers purchased by the Citadel's General Charles Summerall. The cattle had been raised by the Charleston County 4-H Calf Club.
A black and white photograph of the Executive Committee of The Agricultural Society of South Carolina at the Charleston County Market. There is a caption written on the photograph.
A black and white photograph of the Executive Committee of the Agricultural Society of South Carolina in 1935. The names of individuals can be found on the label.
A color photograph of a man next to barrels of spinach harvested from Cherokee Farm, though the caption on the back of the photograph reads, 'E.F. Bellinger Farm at St. Andrews.'
A color photograph with a caption written directly on the photograph that reads, 'Tools Used in Making a Spinach Crop.' The photograph is of a building and the farming equipment housed there and used during harvesting at Tom White's Farm at St. Andrews Parish.
A color photograph of a parade float sponsored by the Agricultural Society of South Carolina, Charleston County Department of Natural Resources, and the Charleston Agricultural and Industrial Fair (November 11-16, 1929). The three are 'Partners Promoting Progress.' The float participated in a parade celebrating the opening of the John P. Grace Memorial Bridge (also known as 'the old Cooper River Bridge'). Five girls dressed as field hands ride the float alongside a pyramid decorated with vegetables: Julia Frampton, Annette Remington, Rosa Belle Blank, Louise Brown, and Isabel Frampton (one may not be pictured). Special attention is paid to the iodine in vegetables and its health benefits.
A color photograph of laborers harvesting potatoes and putting them into barrels in the background while E.W. King [?] observes. Photograph has a caption on the front that reads, '120 bshls [bushels] per acre. E.W. King - St Andrews Parish [Charleston] S.C. 1929.'
A color photograph of four men and a two-horse walking plow in a cultivated field at Harrison's Farm. On the top of the picture the caption 'Lanham Cotton Cultivator' is barely visible.
One of three scrapbooks compiled by William Henry Johnson containing, among other materials, photographs depicting scenes of the South Carolina Lowcountry, with descriptive notes. Volume 1 includes photographs depicting cemeteries, churches, plantations, historic buildings, ruins, landscapes, and the interiors of buildings. Subjects include locations in Berkeley County, St. Johns (Berkeley) Parish, Goose Creek, and along the Cooper River. Other sites and subjects include Belmont, Black Oak Church, Bluford, Casada, Cedar Grove, Cedar Spring, Comingtee, a Prioleau family burial ground, Crowfield, Dean Hall Plantation, Dockon Plantation, Eutaw, Eutaw Springs, Exeter, Fairspring, Fort Dorchester, Four Hole Swamp, Gippy, Gravel Hill, the gravestone of Susan Bee, Hanover Plantation, Indian Fields Campground, Ingleside, Indianfield, Liberty Hall Club, Lewisfield, Magnolia Cemetery, monument of Col. Hezekiah Maham, grave of Major Majoribanks, Medway Plantation, Mepkin, a milestone by the Cooper River, Moorfield, Mount Pleasant Plantation, Mulberry Castle, North Hampton, Numertia, The Oaks Plantation, Ophir, Otranto Hunting Club, Parnassus, Pimlico, Pinegrove, Pond Bluff, Pooshee Plantation, John Poppenheim's plantation, Quarter house, Red Bank Hunting Club, an Episcopal church in Pineville, Rice Hope Plantation, The Rocks, St. James Goose Creek church, St. Johns Berkeley rectory site, St. Johns AME Church, a St. Julien family house, a Santee Canal lock, "Sarrazin house," a shanty, Somerset Plantation, Somerton Plantation, "Francis Marion spring," Springfield, Stoney Landing, Strawberry Chapel, Ten Mile Hill, Thoroughgood, Wadboo Barony, Wadboo bridge, Walnut Grove, Walworth, Wampee, Wampoolah, Wappetaw, Washington Plantation, the Whaley place, White Hall, Wiskinboo, Woodlawn, and Yeamans Hall.
A notebook (ca. 1920) containing reminiscences by Rose P. Ravenel, who writes about her girlhood, her relationship with her "mammy" and her French nurse. She describes life at Farmfield Plantation during the Civil War, knitting socks for Confederate soldiers, making paper and envelopes, salt production, molasses candy, flower dolls, and the family's hardships after the Civil War.
Black-and-white image of two men on deck of boat, one holding a fish. Inscription on back of image reads, "W.E. McLeod on right with member of crew holding a dolphin just caugh. On schooner Helen H. Benedict heading for New York August 1912."
Black-and-white image of two people on deck of schooner, one at the wheel. Inscription on back of image reads, "Capt. H.J. Flynn right, of the schooner Helen H. Benedict bound for New York August 1912 from Charleston S.C."
Black-and-white image of two men sitting on deck of schooner. Inscription on back of image reads, "Captain H.J. Flynn- right and mate. Schooner Helen H. Benedit heading for N.Y. August 1912."
Black-and-white image of man on boat. Inscription on back of image reads, "Capt. H.J. Flynn on Schooner Helen H. Benedict heading for New York August 1912 from Charleston S.C."
Records include correspondence, lists of dues-paying members, and receipts. The names of Carl Metz, R. Emmett Vaughan, and Charles F. Hencken, president, secretary, and treasurer of Local No. 502, figure prominently in the records. "Musicians' Protective Association" appears as part of the name of the local in many records.
The bulk of the material relates to the payment of dues to the union, and some records concern the rental of the German Artillery Hall for the organization's meeting and for concerts by the Metz Band.
3.71 Acres of highland near marsh adjacent to Meeting Street Road. Names associated with this plat are Karl W. Ruth, A.F.C. Kramer, and S. Louis Simons.
Gentlemen at Charleston Cotton Exchange (G.M. Pollitzer front right). Caption below photo: “[J.W. Ward, Ed H. ,E.J. Hart (Top) Benj. Adams, George W. Egan, E. J. Robertson, J. Adger Smyth, E.C. Salinas, Bob W. Mclean, C.P. Landers, Will Steadman, August Kohn...], Charleston Cotton Exchange July 1892.” Black and white photograph.
A page of G.M. Pollitzer's listing and detailing important dates: his engagement and marriage to Clara Guinzburg, the birth of Carrie Teller Pollitzer, Richard M. Pollitzer, Mabel Pollitzer, and Anita Lilly Pollitzer.
Excerpts from minutes of "the regular monthly meeting held in their hall July 4, 1887" concern the election of J. Powell Reid as treasurer of the Mechanics' Union No. 1. The Mechnic's Union No. 1 was a trade union organized in Charelston in 1869.
Office copy of a survey of 31 acres of land for Dr. R. H. Martin in Berkeley County. Notable geographic locations include Wappoo Road and Mill Tract. Names associated with this plat are R.H. Martin, G.G. DuPont, and W.B. Guerard.
The Diary of Julius M. Bacot, 1886 contains daily diary entries discussing Julius Bacot's work as a lawyer, the weather, illness, and his social engagements with members of other Charleston families such as the Manigaults, Lowndes, Rhetts and Ravenels. Other entries talk about weddings, deaths, hunting trips, and property claims following the Civil War. The diary includes entries on the Protestant Episcopal Church Convention in which discussion formed around the admittance of African American ministers which was ultimately denied. Finally, Julius Bacot writes about the 1886 Charleston Earthquake in which he records the event as it happens and the damages, anxieties, aftershocks, and relief efforts following it.
Certificate of citizenship for John McCormick, a "laborer" from Ireland. McCormick lived in Charleston from 1871 until at least 1894. Initially he is listed as a "seaman" in Charleston City Directories. By 1882, McCormick is listed as the captain of the Rattlesnake Shoals light ship. A light ship is a vessel which acts as a lighthouse for locations that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction and many were operated under the auspices of the U.S. Lighthouse Service, later the U.S. Coast Guard. John McCormick served as captain of the Rattlesnake Shoals light ship until at least 1894 when his name disappears from the City Directories. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the Rattlesnake Shoal Light Ship was blown off station by a hurricane on August 27/28, 1892. It was then driven ashore at Long Island Beach (SC), 40 feet above low water mark. While beached, the light ship was damaged by a second hurricane in October. It was hauled off in 1894 and brought to Charleston for repairs. McCormick changed residences frequently during the 1880s living at 129 Coming St., 6 Thomas St., 17 Thomas St., and 55 Chapel St. By 1892, McCormick had settled in at 62 Cannon St., a residence he shared with a Miss Lillie McCormick, who is listed as a teacher at Courtenay School, according to City Directories.
Records chiefly consist of membership rolls for volunteer fire companies of Charleston (S.C.) including the Eagle Fire Engine Company, the Charleston Fire Engine Co., the Vigilant Fire Engine Co., Marion Fire Co., Aetna Fire Co., Washington Fire Co., Hope Fire Co., Charleston Fire Company of Axemen, Palmetto Fire Co., German Fire Co., and the Phoenix Fire Company. Also included is a printed blank form that certifies the bearer is an active firefighter and therefore exempt from Confederate military service. Printed on the certificate are two images of fire engines.
Printed broadside includes description of curriculum, rules of conduct, tuition and refereces. Madame Rosalie Acelie Togno opened her french and english boarding school for young ladies in Charleston under the patronage of James Louis Petigru in 1854. Initially located on Tradd Street, the school and dormitory for students was relocated to Meeting Street soon after. Togno was a fluent speaker of french and arrived in Charleston by way of New York. Her strict teaching style set new standards for education in antebellum Charleston and students were instructed in science, history, geograph and writing . Madame Togno's students included such notable women as Adele Allston Vanderhorst and Elizabeth Allston Waties Pringle. During the Civil War, Togno relocated her school to Barhamville, South Carolina but was forced to flee South Carolina soon after.
Volume contains a chronological record (1855-1856) of the number of bushels, tolls, vessels on which the rice arrived, names of individuals (plantation owners), where the rice was stored (floor and "binn") and the marks used, the names of factors, the vessels on which rice was shipped, and other data. Mill accounts contain expenses for rice, drayage, coopers, carpenters, watchman, Negroes (hire), labor, salaries of various individuals, repairs, baskets and brooms, rice, cords of wood, poles, barrels, mill stones, wharf building, cart license, a butcher's bill, horses, insurance on rice, discount on a note, sales of rice, ironwork, sweep chimney, blacksmith work, and other expenses. Income is from cash received at mill, from various individuals for rice flour and rice, from freight and tolls on rice, from notes, and from other items. The Cannonsborough Mills, begun in 1825 by former Governor Thomas Bennett, included twenty-two pestles driven by steam and fourteen pestles run by tide power. Its property fronted Ashley River a third of a mile. In 1847 Bennett deeded the property to his son-in-law, Jonathan Lucas, III. The larger of the Cannonsborough mills burnt in February of 1860.
1850-1859, 1870-1879, 1860-1869, 1840-1849, 1830-1839, and 1820-1829
Description:
This is the plantation register by Mathurin Guerin Gibbs (1788-1849) for Rice Hope Plantation (January 1, 1824 to December 1844) and Jericho Plantation (December 1844 to 1875). Gibbs, a lawyer before becoming a planter, used the first several pages of the manuscript dating January 1824 to May 1829 for summarizing legal cases. The plantation register primarily documents daily labor activities on the plantation including cultivation and harvesting of staple crops such as corn, cotton (Sea Island Cotton and Santee black seed cotton), rice and potatoes, livestock, and building fences. Gibbes also writes about the use and management of slave labor, the movement of enslaved people between the plantation and Charleston, and selling and purchasing of enslaved people. Slave names are included in portions of the register. Gibbs notes throughout the register the struggles he encounters as a planter including being unable to pay the mortgage of Rice Hope Plantation and the property going into foreclosure. Most of the entries at the end of the register are regarding slave births, slave deaths and distribution of blankets. Gibbs died in 1849 and the management of the plantation was carried out by his son.
Receipt book belonging to Mary Motte Alston Pringle containing recipes, methods and remedies for food, housekeeping, and medicine from family, friends, articles and world travelers. Pringle often notes on effectiveness and provides personal anecdotes. Pages numbered 74 through 97 in Pringle's book are blank and therefore omitted. The table of contents can be found at the end of the book.
A cash book for Robert F.W. Allston for the years 1823-1843. The book includes account transactions conducted by Allston including payment of overseer wages, the hiring out of enslaved people, transportation, taxes, governesses, nurses, crops, sundries, and cloth distributed to slaves. This book also includes accounts between Allston and other individuals including the Estate of Charlotte A. Allston (primarily for the purchases of blankets, shoes, and cloth for enslaved people) and an account with Mary P. Jones. The last several pages of the book contain cash ledgers. Allston explicitly notes accounting related to Matanza Plantation, later known as Chicora Wood. Other account records do not explicitly state plantation sites.
Copy of a plan of lots No.1-7, 9-11 on Cumberland Street in Charleston, Ward No.3. Indicates some buildings including a brick stable at No. 9 and DeBorr’s house and lot. “Lands of Mr. Edwards" is written above the lots. Names associated with this plat include De Borr, Edwards, and Charles Parker. Notable geographic locations include Church Street, Corr Alley or Philadelphia Street, Cumberland Street, and Ward Number 3.
A black and white photograph close-up of the engraving on a punch bowl of a laurel with the initials 'J.M.' engraved within and the date of '1828' engraved below. The 'M' is thought to stand for Miller.
A black an white photograph of an engraving on a punch bowl featuring a vignette of a women gathering what appear to be artichokes while the man on the left looks to be primed to chop wood (center). The word 'Perseverance' is engraved underneath.
A black and white photograph of an engraving on a punch bowl of a laurel with the initials 'J.M.' engraved within and the date of '1828' engraved below. The 'M' is thought to stand for Miller.
A black and white photograph of an engraving on a punch bowl featuring a bird holding a banner that reads, 'Nunc tempus est bibendum.' ['Now is the time for drinking.']
A letter from Thomas Slater in London, England to Isaac Ball at Limerick Plantation discussing a sickness in the Ball family, the European Magazines, the purchase of Quinby Plantation, and planting rice.
The Roslin Plantation journal, kept by Archibald Simpson Johnston, documented enslaved people and slave labor on an antebellum plantation for two years (1813-1815). The journal documents correspondence, equipment, planting and harvesting, livestock, slaves and supplies related to the plantation. There are detailed descriptions of tasks and number of enslaved people working each task, particularly tasks regarding growing cotton and rice and maintainining those fields.
A letter from Isaac Ball in Newport, Rhode Island to his brother John Ball Jr. in Charleston, South Carolina discussing letter writing, advice, drinking "Adam's ale," the weather, the poor health of Mr. Brenton's sister, family matters, and a fever in Providence "that turns people crazy."
A letter from William Ball in Edinburgh, Scotland to his father John Ball Sr. in Charleston, South Carolina discussing his impending graduation, plans to travel to London to attend medical school, his friend John Wilson getting a job in the engineering department in America, the cost of provisions and taxes, and that oatmeal is the "chief support" for laborers in Scotland.
A letter from William Ball in Edinburgh, Scotland to his brother John Ball Jr. in Charleston, South Carolina discussing the cold weather, the upcoming birth of a baby for John, attending a performance of the actress Sarah Siddons, issues with selling the crops in South Carolina, William's opinions on the medical field including his "little faith" in the London Hospitals.
A letter from William Ball in Edinburgh, Scotland to his father John Ball Sr. in Charleston, South Carolina discussing his final exams in medical school, the dangers of traveling to France, and discussions of health and diseases.
A letter from William Ball in Edinburgh, Scotland to his father John Ball Sr. in Charleston, South Carolina discussing a letter of credit, the severe winter in Edinburgh, deciding not to travel to Paris for medical school, plans to return to Charleston to work as a doctor, and William's opinions on the study of medicine.
A letter from William Ball in London, England to his father John Ball Sr. in Charleston, South Carolina on suffering from a fever and cough, plans to travel to Madeira for warmer climate, his friend Micah Bryan, and the Mr. Lockey's loss from a fire.
A letter from financial agent George Lockey in London, England to John Ball Sr. in Charleston, South Carolina discussing finances for William Ball in Edinburgh, Scotland, and national politics.
