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 …
“The proposal to build a hotel and convention center complex in the heart of Charleston ignited a fierce debate in Charleston in the late 1970s and early 1980s that divided public opinion locally and attracted considerable attention nationally.” While Historic Charleston Foundation expressed neither support nor opposition for the development of the block, it played …
Gertrude Sanford Legendre (1902–2000) was an American socialite who served as an OSS operative during World War II. She was also a noted explorer, big-game hunter, environmentalist, and owner of Medway plantation in South Carolina. The collection includes scrapbooks of Gertrude’s travels and family life, loose photographs ranging in date from the mid to late …
The Halley’s Comet Project is a collection of first hand accounts of the comet, answers to the attached questionnaire, and offers to help with the research projects. Questions on the questionnaire include: 1. What were the circumstances when you saw the comet? 2. Describe the appearance of the comet. 3. Did you experience any particular …
These LGBTQ Life in the Lowcountry Oral Histories document the life experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people connected to the Lowcountry area of South Carolina. The oral histories are archived in Special Collections at the College of Charleston’s Addlestone Library as part of a larger project that also includes collecting and …
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 …
The Russell J. Arnsberger Postcard Collection is comprised of over 350 postcards of houses, businesses, public buildings, street views, military base activities and structures in and around Beaufort, South Carolina. Some built structures pictured are no longer extant or have been greatly altered. Arnsberger collected postcards about Beaufort County beginning with some by Charles G. …
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 …
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, …
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 …