Collection Name
Description
Size
(1911-1962)
Winfred Kent Alston served as principal of Robert Smalls High School in Beaufort, SC from 1937 to 1962. Through his work with the school and community he founded the first African American Boy Scout Troop and high school band in Beaufort County. Contains programs from activities at South Carolina State and in Beaufort, articles, photographs, and a 1962 copy of the Robert Smalls High School newspaper, The General. Also contains a book about his life written by his wife, Mayme Eady Alston.
1 Box 0.25 lf
Ms. Bobbie Nuite Auld grew up in Georgia and attended Furman University. Her interest in preserving the tradition of African American spirituals and gospel music led her to develop this collection. Ms. Auld, retired from the Medical University of South Carolina, resides in Hendersonville, NC.
Contains programs from concerts and church services along with fifty-one audiotapes of musical performances, oral history interviews, conversations spoken in or about the Gullah language, and programs held at the Rural Mission on Johns Island, SC.
6 Boxes 6.0 lf
The Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture was founded in 1978 by a group of Avery alumnae and other interested persons in the Charleston area. Its mission was to rescue the old Avery School buildings and to develop an archives and museum for preserving African- American history and culture of the Lowcountry. Working with the College of Charleston, the property on Bull Street was acquired and, in 1985, the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture was established as a part of the College. The restored Avery building was opened in 1990 as an archives and museum. The Avery Institute continues its commitment to the community through programming, publishing The Bulletin, and providing support for the Avery Research Center.
Contains program and membership documents along with minutes, correspondence, and other Institute records.
3 Boxes 1.25 lf
The Avery Normal Institute in Charleston, South Carolina was opened in 1865 to educate African Americans in the aftermath of the Civil War. The American Missionary Association (AMA) and native Charlestonian, Rev. Francis Cardozo, established this private school, which offered a classical education as well as a teaching training component. Avery operated through the AMA until 1947, when it merged with the Charleston Public Schools, and closed its doors permanently in 1954. Contains annual reports of the AMA, administrative correspondence, financial reports, and other administrative documents. Also includes newspaper clippings and other miscellaneous Avery histories.
7 Boxes 3.5 lf
The Avery School Memorabilia Collection contains documents that pertain to the activities at the Avery Normal Institute. These items include programs from musical and dramatic performances given by the students, commencements, invitations, dance cards, and other memorabilia from extra-curricula activities. Also includes some copies of the Avery yearbook and student newspaper.
3 Boxes 1.5 lf
Bell Family Papers
MSS 1001
The African American Bell family of Charleston, SC were descended from Sally (Sarah) Johnson, the matriarch of a free family of color. These papers document properties owned by the family, especially the historic home at 2 Green Street, Charleston, sold to the College of Charleston in 1971. With materials on the history of the Bell, DeReef, and Purvis families; health of Hiram Bell, Sr. and references to Friendly Union Cemetery. Printed materials and certificates from Morris Brown A.M.E. church (1926), Avery Normal Institute, Shaw School and Hampton College; with various printed materials documenting the Bricklayers, Masons and Plasterer's Union, of Charleston and elsewhere.
(1926-2002)
Papers,
c. 1969-1986
Contains articles and other items pertaining to the 1969 Charleston Hospital
Worker's Strike and to Mr. Bennett's campaign for Charleston County Council
in 1980.
1 Box 0.5 lf
Papers
This collection represents work done by Margaretta Pringle Childs as a field
archivist for the South Carolina Historical Society (SCHS), c. 1984.
Contains Dr. Child's correspondence and working files, plus photocopies
of church histories, Work Progress Administration papers, and other related
documents.
1 Box, 0.5 lf
(1917-1997)
Walter N. Boags was the proprietor and photographer at Boags Modern Arts Photo Studio on Spring Street in Charleston. Serving mainly the African- American community, Mr. Boags photographed buildings, events, groups, and individuals in formal portraits.
Contains negatives of photographs taken by the Boags Studio.
2 Boxes 1.0 lf
The Book Lover's Club of Charleston was founded in 1927 by African- American Women as a literary club with a purpose of establishing a high literary culture among its members as well as social improvement for Charleston African Americans. It helped battle racism and sexism through community-wide projects as well as neighborhood and youth activities throughout the city of Charleston.
Contains organizational documents, including constitution, correspondence, minutes, and account books. Also includes some program material and newsletter.
1 Box 0.25 lf
MSS 1005
The Brown (or Century) Fellowship Society was a benevolent society of free African- American and racially mixed men, affiliated with the St.Philip’s Episcopal Church, Charleston. The organization was founded in 1790 to benefit widows and orphans of members, provide burial spots in the cemetery it owned, and to provide other member services. The Brown Fellowship papers are arranged in three small series. Organizational materials include a copy of the Rules and Regulations of the Brown Fellowship Society as founded in 1794, but published in 1844. The series also contains two original meeting minute logs that cover the events of mostly monthly meetings held from 1869 to 1911.
A graduate of the Avery Normal Institute and South Carolina College, J. Arthur Brown assumed the presidency of the Charleston Branch of the NAACP in 1953. As president, he focused his efforts on public accommodations and public education. Under his leadership, branch membership increased from 300 to 3,000. His efforts toward desegregation included his participation in the desegregation of the Charleston Municipal Golf Course, Edisto Beach State Park, and the suit that integrated Charleston Schools.
Contains correspondence, financial records, legal documents, newspaper clippings, printed materials, and a family photo album. Includes documents of the NAACP, Humane Friendly Society, and Avery's Class Reunion.
11 Boxes 4.75 lf
(1902 - 1997)
MSS 1006
Ethyl R. Brown, daughter of John and Lula Richards and wife of B.W. Brown, was born in 1902 in Charleston, S.C. She attended Avery Institute, Charleston, and graduated from Poro College of Beauty and Culture of Chicago. She operated a beauty shop in New York for several years and founded the Palmetto (Poro) Beauty Culture School in Charleston. This collection includes photographs of Ethyl Brown, her family, and activities as well as certificates, awards, and other documents related to Brown's professional and social activities.
Papers
(1934-1994)
W. Melvin Brown, Jr. was born on February 19, 1934 in Charleston, South Carolina to William and Eva Taylor Brown. Growing up in Charleston, Brown attended public schools for a while, but later his parents sent him to Immaculate Conception Catholic School. He was a well-rounded student who played football and basketball, performed in the school plays, and spoke in oratorical contests. He graduated from South Carolina State College in 1956 and was drafted into the U.S. Army. After serving two years he started life as a school teacher in 1958. Along with his teaching duties, he coached football and basketball at Burke High School in Charleston.
In 1972, Melvin Brown went into business for himself with a grant from the Small Business Administration's 8a Program which assists minority businesses in getting started. He started a company called American Development Corporation, or more commonly, ADCOR. ADCOR first appeared on Black Enterprise Magazine's "Top 100 Black Businesses in the U.S." list in 1978 and remained there until Brown's death in 1994. In addition to being CEO and President of one of the largest minority-owned companies in the United States, Brown made time to serve the Charleston and South Carolina communities in many ways.
The collection of W. Melvin Brown, Jr. (MB), 1934-1994, contains personal documents, correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings and numerous materials dealing with American Development Corporation (ADCOR) and Mr. Brown's many other professional and civic endeavors. The materials in this collection date from the early 1950's up to the late 1990's and give an intimate view into the personal and professional life of Melvin Brown.
11 Boxes 5.0 lf
MSS 1003
The Carr Family Scrapbook traces its members - including John W., Leroy, and their families - through their attendance at Avery and other points in their lives.
Contains photographs of family and friends, clippings, correspondence, and other memorabilia of African-American life in Charleston.
1 Box 1.75 lf
Papers, c. 1857-1980
The Centenary United Methodist Church was established by free blacks that
had worshiped in the gallery of Trinity United Methodist Church before
the Civil War. With the help of the American Missionary Association, they
acquired the current building from the congregation of the Wentworth Street
Baptist Church in 1866. Upon learning that the transaction was being arranged
for an African-American congregation by northern missionaries, the sellers
stipulated that the transaction had to be completed in gold. The elegant
Greek Revival structure at 60 Wentworth dates to 1842 and was designed
by noted Charleston architect E. B. White.
Contains ledger books of all types, including baptism, marriage, financial,
and Sunday School records.
2 Boxes, 1 Ledger 3.75 lf
The Central Baptist Church, established in 1891, and is located in downtown Charleston on Radcliffe Street.
Contains copies of pages from the Church Record Books: Book 1, 1891-1899, and Book 2, 1891-1916.
1 Box 0.25 lf
Papers,
c. 1882-1990
The Charleston County Black School Directory is an extension of the 1989
Research Conference, "The History of African American Education in
Charleston, South Carolina." The purpose of this Avery Research Center
project is to begin documenting the long struggle of African-Americans in
the Lowcountry to educate their children-despite the laws and customs that
hindered them.
Contains information on individual historically African-American schools
in the area, along with survey information on these institutions. Also contains
guidelines for organizing school histories and historical documentation
of Charleston's African-American Schools.
4 Boxes 1.25 lf
Department of Social Services
The Department of Social Services Collection is a compilation of non-confidential administrative reports and various public welfare studies donated by the Charleston County Department of Social Services. The majority of the material pertains to Charleston County, but some has statewide significance. Approximately 40% of the collection pertains to the African -American experience in the region.
Contains letters, memoranda, reports, statistics, and other documents regarding the system of social services. Includes histories of the system in South Carolina, state and national surveys, and several theses.
7
Boxes,
3 Account Books
10.5 lf
The Charleston South Carolina chapter is part of the Links, Incorporated, a historically African American national women’s service organization committed to educational, cultural, and civic activities. The organization was founded in Philadelphia, PA in 1946; the Charleston chapter was organized in 1951. There are three major series: one on the local Charleston Chapter; another on the regional Southern Area; and the third relating to National Headquarters, in Washington, DC; with the bulk of the collection focusing on the Charleston Chapter. Each series contains organizational papers; minutes; financial reports; memorandums; and correspondence along with brochures, programs, and newspaper clippings.
(1912 - 2000)
MSS 1013
Margaretta Pringle Childs worked as archivist at the College of Charleston, head archivist for the City of Charleston and a field archivist for the South Carolina Historical Society. In addition to her archival work, Childs was a member of the Charleston Interracial Committee and a Civil Rights activist. The materials in this collection form the working files of Margretta P. Childs's unsuccessful project to collect and house the records of Charleston's black churches at the South Carolina Historical Society. The collection contains mostly photocopied correspondence from Childs to various ministers re church records and brief histories of some of the churches.
Septima Poinsette Clark (1898-1987) was born on May 3, 1898 in Charleston, SC. Her father had been born enslaved and her mother was a native of Haiti. Mrs. Clark was a graduate of the Avery Normal Insititute in Charleston, and began her long teaching career on rural John's Island, SC in 1916. She earned a bachelor's degree at Benedict College and a masters degree from Hampton Institute in Virginia. Mrs. Clark took an activist position early on in her career, and was ultimately fired from the Charleston City Schools for being an active member of the NAACP. This ended her career in public education, but not her career as an advocate and activist for civil and human rights. Mrs. Clark became a lecturer under the sponsorship of the Highlander School and a teacher training supervisor for the SCLC. In 1962 she published her autobiography, "Echo In My Soul." In 1964, she accompanied Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Norway when he was presented the Nobel Peace Prize. President Jimmy Carter presented Mrs. Clark with a Living Legacy Award in 1979.
Contains personal papers, records, correspondence, photographs interviews and discussions, numerous writings for speeches and/or publication, various honorary degrees and awards, and materials reflecting Clark's activities as an educator and civil rights activist.
11.5 Linear Ft.
Clark,
Septima Poinsette
(1898-1987) and
Bernice Robinson
(1914-1994)
A graduate of the Avery Normal Institute, Septima Poinsette Clark began her teaching career on rural John's Island, SC in 1916. Often called the grandmother of the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina, Mrs. Clark helped to organize a Charleston branch of the NAACP in the 1920s, joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in the 1960s, organized "citizenship schools" to help illiterate African Americans overcome one of the legal barriers to voting, and was active in the YWCA, and The Charleston Public Health Department. Bernice Robinson ********
Contains correspondence and clippings that pertain to Mrs. Robinson and Mrs. Clark's work with the Highlander Folk School and SCLC. Also includes transcripts of interviews done with Mrs. Robinson (1) and Mrs. Clark (6).
Also listed as Clark, Septima Poinsette (1914-1994) and Bernice Robinson (1898-1987).
2 boxes 0.5 lf
Ruby P. Cornwell, a native of Forestaw, SC, earned a B.A. from Talladega in 1925 and taught English for many years. In Charleston she was active in Plymouth Congregational Church and served on the boards of several organizations, including the Charleston Branch of the NAACP. Through her work with the NAACP she developed close ties to U.S. District Judge Julius Waites Waring and his wife, Elizabeth. Judge Waring presided over several noted civil rights cases-ruling for integration and equal status. Mrs. Waring was known as an outspoken advocate for integration.
Contains personal correspondence, including that from Mrs. Waring, as well as a variety of programs, articles, and newspaper clippings. Also contains court documents, speeches, and a great deal of information that pertains to the Warings.
8
Boxes
6 lf
Frank A. DeCosta (1910-1972), was born in Charleston, SC. He was the eleventh child of Anna Harrenburg DeCosta and Benjamin R. DeCosta. DeCosta, a noted administrator, college professor, and scholar, played a major role in helping African American schools and colleges move into the mainstream of American education. In a career that spanned four decades, he served as teacher and principal of two high schools, supervisor and chairman of an education department, director of instruction and of student teaching, foreign service statistical officer, and organizing dean of two graduate schools.
Contains photographs, documents and a wealth of correspondence from the 19th and 20th centuries. With this collection, in addition to the three-tiered generational DeCosta family material, we are also given an intimate view into the life of Frank A. DeCosta, scholar, educator, administrator, writer, world traveler, and devoted husband and father.
12 Boxes
5.5 lf
Mr. Herbert DeCosta Jr., an Avery graduate and prominent local business man, worked as a part of the Charleston Community Relations Committee which operated through the Mayor's office on initiatives like Voter Education Programs on the Sea Islands.
Contains various organization documents, including minutes, statements of purpose, and reports. Also contains lists of members and local businesses.
1
Box
0.25 lf
(1905-2001)
Contains lesson plans for Social Studies and Reading/Literature for the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Also contains memorabilia and information for community and organization programs.
2 Boxes 0.5 lf
(1923-1979)
Walter Earl Douglas wrote for a number of newspapers as a journalist and essayist. He moved to Mt. Pleasant from New York City in 1968 and wrote a column for the The Chronicle, an African-American newspaper based in Charleston. In his Column, "The Earl of Charleston," Mr. Douglas addressed, among other things, issues concerning the African -American community both at home and around the world. He was known for his conservative views and corresponded with other noted conservatives, including Jesse Helms, Gordon Hanna, and William Loeb. He also was active in community service, serving on a variety of boards and committees around the state.
Contains correspondence and an extensive collection of Mr. Douglas' writings, including columns, articles, speeches, poems, and other creative writings. Also contains some newspaper clippings as well as research notes and materials.
13 Boxes, 7.5 lf
Papers, c. 1952-1964
Dr. Duckett of Rock Hill, SC was a Civil Rights activist and physician.
He worked with the South Carolina Advisory Committee to the National Commission
on Civil Rights and was an advocate for Licensed Practical Nursing in
South Carolina.
Contains correspondence, memos, speeches, and clippings as well as minutes
and official statements and records of the South Carolina Advisory Committee
to the National Commission on Civil Rights.
1 Box 0.5 lf
Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney, is the Executive Director of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture and Chair of the College of Charleston History Department. He became director of the Avery Research Center in 1994 and chair of the History Department in 1998. He served in both positions from 1998-2000. In addition to leading the Avery Research Center and the History Department, he has also served on numberous local, state, and national boards, including the Cannon Street YMCA, 100 Black Men of Charleston, the Palmetto Project, and the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History.
Contains correspondence, program notes, and articles that relate to the development, operation, and the 2nd phase of the renovation of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture. Includes documents regarding The African American National Heritage Museum and The Association for the Study of Afro-American Life & History (ASALH). Also includes some materials pertaining to Dr. Dulaney's classes and other activities at the College.
13 Boxes 7.25 lf
Ebenezer AME Church was established in 1903, having previously been associated with the Presbyterian Board of City Missions. The congregation constructed its current church at 44 Nassau Street in 1949.
Contains information on church officers, class members and leaders, as well as minutes of board meetings.
1 Box 0.25 lf
Lucille Roper Edwards was an educator in Virginia, South Carolina, and Florida from 1947-1987. She currently resides in Moncks Corner, South Carolina.
Contains series of lesson plans for second grade as well as several other articles and items that relate to education.
2 Boxes 1.0 lf
Charleston, S.C.
MSS 1035
The Entre Nous Bridge Club ("between us" in French) was formed May 27, 1924 by a group of sixteen African-American women who had a passion for bridge and enjoyed the company of close friends. More than seventy years later, the original members' descendants and their friends have kept the tradition alive.
Contains the constitution of the Entre Nous Bridge Club and record books of the meeting minutes with the club roll.
2 Boxes 1 lf
(1888-1987)
Mamie Garvin Fields began her teaching career after graduating from Claflin University. In 1908, she and her sister, Hattie, founded the first African -American school in Pinewood, S.C. The next year she returned to teach at Humber Wood Elementary on Johns Island, and then as principal at Miller Hill. In 1926 she relocated to Society Corner School on James Island. Mrs. Fields was the founder of the Modern Priscilla Club, an African -American Women's literary club, whose motto was "Lifting as We Climb." Active in many community efforts, she received numerous awards for her accomplishments. Mrs. Fields authored the book, Lemon Swamps and Other Places.
Contains various materials that pertain to her club and organizational activities, particularly church related and Federated Clubs. Also contains some correspondence and a number of unidentified photographs.
5 boxes 1.75 lf
"Looking Quite Like Soldiers: Reliving the History of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers" is an Interdisciplinary Inquiry Curriculum developed by Jonathan Cooper-Wiele, Sarah Lahr, Maurice Nobles, Jr. and Mary Rerisi-Patota of the James P. Timilty Middle School of Roxbury, Mass., who won the 1996 Steppingstone Prize for this program.
Contains curriculum guidebook and photographs.
1 Box 0.25 lf
The First African Baptist Church of Savannah, Georgia was established c. 1774 by George Leile, an enslaved minister who preached along the Savannah River. Although still without a permanent church structure, the congregation organized with a constitution in 1788. In 1832, Rev. Andrew Marshall, led the congregation to purchase property on Franklin Square where a church would be built. In the 1850s, parishioners, both free and enslaved African Americans, constructed the building that houses today's congregation at that site. The First African Baptist Church is the oldest surviving black church in North America.
Contains mainly photocopied materials detailing the history of the church, including organizational documents.
1 Box 0.25 lf
In the 1940s, Donald Fraser attended the Avery Normal Institute, as had his brother, James, as well as his father, aunts, and uncles. Before that, Mr. Fraser attended Immaculate Conception School.
Contains items related to the Avery Normal Institute and Immaculate Conception School, including report cards and tuition receipts.
1 Box 0.25 lf
and Social Organization
(1813 - 1981)
The Friendly Union Society was formed in Charleston in 1813 for the relief of orphans and widows and to provide for the general welfare of the community.
Contains original and photocopied documents of the organization, including the constitution and bylaws, minutes, ledger books, treasurer's materials, and plat map of burial ground by Magnolia Cemetery.
1 Box 1.25 lf
Contains articles, correspondence, and other information about The Old Slave Mart Museum, Black Heritage Research Center, Political Elections, The Hospital Workers Strike (Union Local 1199), and the Community Relations Committee (1992-3), among others.
2 Boxes 0.5 lf
(1925-1984)
Tobias Gadson was born in Walterboro, South Carolina and grew up in Charleston as the youngest of thirteen children. In 1947, he graduated from Immaculate Conception School and married Zelia Washington. They had two sons, Tobias, Jr. and Arnold. A veteran, Mr. Gadson studied industrial arts at Voorhees College. Later, he studied at the Buchanan Barber College in Chicago, and then opened his own barber shop on Spring Street in 1957. In 1980 he successfully ran for state representative and worked diligently for his district-particularly appreciated were his efforts for appropriations for much needed drainage work in the Union Heights area.
Contains correspondence, event programs, newspaper clippings and campaign memorabilia from Mr. Gadson's career.
1 Box 0.5 lf
The Gethsemane Baptist Association, a regional organization established in 1867, was the first black Baptist Association in South Carolina. In 1877, it was renamed as the Ashley Baptist Association.
Contains minutes of conference meetings held throughout the region as well as statistical data and governing documents for the association.
1 Box 0.25 lf
Henry L. (1925-1990)
The Reverend Cannon Henry Lacy Grant, born in North Augusta and educated at the University of Iowa and Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary. In his early years in the priesthood, he served at the Church of the Atonement in Walterboro, Epiphany in Summerville, and as the Chaplain of Voorhees College in Denmark, S.C. Rev. Grant married Owilender Kennedy of Walterboro and they had one son, Henry, Jr. In 1962, Rev. Grant came to Charleston as the rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal church, where he worked with some of the city's poorer residents on Charleston's East Side. It was there that he established St. John's Mission Center in an old church building at 18 Hanover St. that provided organized youth activities promoting educational and leadership skills. Rev. Grant also founded Operation Compenso at Camp Baskerville on Pawley's Island, which offered summer camp opportunities for junior high school students needing academic assistance. He was also involved in numerous community organizations.
Contains correspondence, articles, photographs, and other documents that pertain to Rev. Grant's career and civic activities , including program and financial information of the St. John's Episcopal Mission Center as well as operational material and articles about Operation Compenso. Collection also contains correspondence and construction information for the renovation of St. Stephen's Church, plus items and articles about Rev. Grant's participation in national and community organizations.
7 Boxes 2.75 lf
Chief Reuben Greenberg was appointed Chief of Police of the Charleston, South Carolina Police Department in 1982. His first book, Let's Take Back Our Streets, was published in 1989. He has authored numerous police-related articles, and appeared as a guest columnist for several newspapers. As Charleston's first African- American and Jewish police chief, Chief Greenberg has been profiled in a variety of newspapers and magazines, as well as on the television news magazine "60 Minutes."
Contains a variety of articles, correspondence, and programs from special events.
1 Box 0.5 lf
Contains transcripts of speeches, programs, and other memorabilia from Avery Institute (1940s) and Baptist Hill High School (1960-85).
1 Box 0.25 lf
The Harleston Funeral Home, now the Harleston- Boags Funeral Home, was owned and operated by descendants of the Mickey family who had established Charleston's Mickey Funeral Home in the nineteenth century. Edwin Harleston, an Avery graduate who was actively involved in establishing the Charleston chapter of the NAACP, was an undertaker as well as respected painter.
Contains ledgers and receipt books, including information on individual funerals, insurance records, inventories, and receipts.
See also the Mickey Funeral Home Collection.
5 Boxes 7.5 lf
MSS 1032
Born in Hampton, Virginia in 1898, Helen (often called Evangeline, or "Vangi") Banks, the daughter of Issiah and Anna DeCosta Banks. The collection consists of personal materials and those documenting Harrison's mother, Anna DeCosta Banks, the Hospital and Training School for Nurses and McClennan-Banks hospital. Personal papers of Evangeline Banks Harrison and her family include her Avery Institute graduation program (1917), a school essay, biographical data, inspirational clippings, photographs, including an unidentified daguerreotype (ca. 1850s) and a sporadically kept diary (ca. 1937-40s).
Dr. Louis Hassell of Cuspids, Inc.
Contains information from Cuspids, Inc., a book of newspaper clippings and photographs of 1896 Black History Month at the Naval Weapons Station.
1 Box 0.25 lf
Contains genealogical documents of Ms. Hicks' family, including several photos, c. 1900-1915, an 1882 marriage certificate, and family tree for John R. Steele, c. 1904.
1 Box 0.25 lf
(1900-1977)
After graduating from the Avery Normal Institute, Alphonso Hoursey went on to Fisk University where he received a B. A. in Education in 1926. Mr. Hoursey returned to Avery as a teacher and became director of the junior high school where he taught various subjects, including Latin, English, Psychology, and Education. He became Chief advisor to the Hi-Y Club, dedicated to manners and civility. When Avery Normal School closed in 1954, Mr. Hoursey moved to Burke High School where he taught until he retired in 1966.
Contains photographs, articles, and memorabilia relating to Mr. Hoursey's life as an educator. Also contains some items from the Simmons Family Collection donated by Thelma Hoursey Simmons, Mr. Hoursey's sister.
3 Boxes 3.65 lf
James Harrison Holloway (1849-1913) was born a free person of color in Charleston where he attended a private school for free Negro children and grew up attending in the gallery of Trinity Methodist Church on Meeting Street. Dedicated to preserving his family history for future generations, he began this scrapbook. He also took interest in the achievements of all African -Americans, collecting newspaper articles and postcards to document their notoriety.
Contains documents, correspondence, and clippings that pertain to business, family history, social activities, and organizations, including the Brown Fellowship Society, Trinity Trustees, Centenary United Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Christian Benevolent Society, among others.
10 Boxes 5.25 lf
Mrs. Holmes collected materials that show her broad range of interests and reflect the life of African- Americans in the Lowcountry and South Carolina. Mr. Holmes was an educator, doctor, and an activist with the NAACP.
Contains articles, pictures, correspondence, and memorabilia that follow the lives of the Holmes family. Included is information about Mr. Fordham, a black police officer in Charleston at the end of the nineteenth century, and Thomas E. Miller, the Reconstruction politician and the first president of South Carolina State Unversity.
1 Box 1.25 lf
(1917-1994)
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 Master's 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 in Charleston from 1941 to 1972. In 1972, he became an Assistant Professor of English and Speech at the College of Charleston, moving up to Associate Professor in 1985. He taught at the College until his retirement in 1992. Mr. Hunt was active in many community organizations, including the NAACP, Avery Institute, and St. Mark's Episcopal Church.
Contains numerous, diverse materials that follow Mr. Hunt's interests and activities, especially education and African- American activism. Includes correspondence, articles, books, magazines, and papers from his own collection as well as additional materials donated to him because of his involvement as president of Avery Institute for Afro-American History and Culture.
See also Hunt Photo Collection, Various Collections I, II
16 Boxes 40.5 lf
See Above
8 Boxes 3.5 lf
South Carolina,
(Records of the)
The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen, Local No. 1 of South Carolina was organized as an association of bricklayers in 1885. This African -American labor union is the oldest in continual operation in the state. Its first members were both free and enslaved people prior to the Civil War.
Contains membership cards, financial records, minutes and correspondence-some concerning the A. Philip Randolph Institute of South Carolina. Also contains some photographs and memorabilia, including the program and award information from the brickwork competition won by this group as part of the South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition held in Charleston in 1901.
16 Boxes 11.5 lf
William Henry Jackson was an artist and director of the SCAF Gallery.
Contains correspondence from Eugene Hunt, Jean Fleming, Alfred and Bessie Hutty, among others. Also contains some photographs and an assortment of articles about Mr. Jackson and his activities.
1 Box 0.25 lf
(1926-1994)
Cambridge Jenkins, Jr. joined the Charleston Police Department in 1950, becoming one of the first African- American policemen in the Department. With a promotion in 1955 he became the first African- American detective on that force. He joined the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) in 1961. Detective Jenkins later returned to the Charleston Police Department until 1963. He was appointed as the first minority United State Deputy Marshall for the Southeastern District of South Carolina. He retired in 1983.
Contains photocopies of a scrapbook covering the career of Detective Jenkins. Also includes correspondence, police reports, certificates, memorabilia, and newspaper articles.
1 Box 0.25 lf
Esau Jenkins, a businessman and civil rights leader, was born on Johns Island, a Sea Island near Charleston, South Carolina. He and his wife, Janie Jones, had seven children who Mr. Jenkins bused to school in Charleston along with other black children from the sea islands. He purchased a bus in 1945 for this purpose and also began to transport adults into the city for jobs. He founded the Progressive Club in 1948 for the purpose of educating the Island people and attended the Highlander Folk School where he acquired the financial assistance for the establishment of Citizenship Schools with the assistance of Septima Clark and Bernice Robinson. Classes were held on Johns Island, Edisto Island, and Wadmalaw Island. Mr. Jenkins became a close friend to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and was on the boards for the Charleston chapter of the NAACP, SCLC, Highlander Research Center, and the Conference of Human Relations. He organized the Citizens Committee of Charleston in 1966 which initiated the employment of the first African-American sanitation truck drivers with the city, the first African American bus drivers for public transportation, and the first Headstart Center for children in Charleston. Mr. Jenkins was a member of the Wesley United Methodist Church on Johns Island and owned several businesses, including a fruit store, The Hot Spot Record Shop, and the J&P Motel & Café.
Contains correspondence, speeches, notes, articles, newspaper clippings, and other documents that pertain to his humanitarian and political activities.
1 Box 0.5 lf
Fredericks Celestine
Fredericka Celestine Jenkins-Andrews graduated from the Avery Normal Institute in 1931 and pursued a career in elementary education, retiring in 1979. Teaching in New York, she achieved great success and several awards.
Contains articles written by and about Mrs. Jenkins-Andrews, some correspondence and announcements.
1 Box 0.25 lf
Jerome Johnson is a professional photographer who has photographed numerous events in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
Contains negatives and prints of such events as Penn Center Heritage Days, the Inauguration of Charleston's Mayor, Joseph P. Riley, the South Carolina Conference of Black Mayors, and various
ceremonies at the Avery Research Center.
2 Boxes 1.5 lf
Laing High School, established in Mount Pleasant in 1866, served the African- American community there.
Contains photographs, programs, articles, and memorabilia from the archives of Lois Simms, an Avery graduate who taught there. Also includes some school records, yearbooks, and histories of the school.
1 Box 0.5 lf
(1936-1969)
Herman B. LaSaine, the son of renowned Charleston educator Mrs. Mary Alice LaSaine,
Contains correspondence, mainly of a personal nature.
1 Box 0.25 lf
(c. 1858-1940)
Graduated from the Avery Normal Institute in 1875, Edward Lawrence returned to Avery and taught for almost twenty years. He served as president of the Avery Alumni Association, worked as a real estate agent, and later taught at South Carolina State College, his alma mater. In 1920, Mr. Lawrence and his wife moved to New York where he worked in real estate and insurance.
Contains correspondence, clippings, and documents pertaining to the legal status Mr. Lawrence and other family members.
1 Box 0.25 lf
(1895-1981)
MSS 1008
Born in Charleston, S.C. to Merton and Sylvia Lawrence, William Lawrence studied piano, organ, and voice at the Avery Institute (early 1900s), at the New England Conservatory of Music (1913-1916) and in Paris, France (1926-1931). The papers relate to Lawrence's professional career and personal life, that of Lillian Thompson Lawrence, Lawrence's wife, and that of her family, the Thompsons. Correspondents include Alain Locke, Countee Cullen, Marian Anderson, W. H. Brennan, Roland Hayes, and Todd Duncan. Miscellaneous items in the collection include radio and play scripts of productions, some directed by Lawrence.
The Lecque Family was one of the founding families of Liberty Hill Community in North Charleston, South Carolina. The family has remained active in that community to the present.
Contains information about the Lecque Family and Liberty Hill area as researched by Mrs. Carolyn Lecque Collins. Includes correspondence, legal documents, articles, and a few photographs.
1 Box 1.25 lf
(1874-1958)
James Logan began these scrapbooks to document not only his own achievements, but also the political, racial, and cultural activities in the community. Mr. Logan served for over forty years at the Charleston Navy Yard (without taking any sick days) where he was the first native Charlestonian to receive a civil service appointment for work. Part of a musical family, he organized Logan's Concert Orchestra and directed Logan's Military Band and the choirs of Calvary Protestant Episcopal Church and Zion Presbyterian Church.
Contains clippings about life at the Charleston Navy Yard during Mr. Logan's tenure as well as information about community events and activities. Holds programs, correspondence, and articles about the achievements of African Americans in many realms, plus copies of speeches made by Mr. Logan.
3 Boxes 2.25 lf
Dr. John Bruce Massey was born in Summerville and obtained a B.S. from Howard University in 1927 and his M.D. in 1931. Dr. Massey practiced medicine and surgery at several hospitals throughout his career, including, Roosevelt Hospital, Newark Community Hospital, and several hospitals in the Los Angeles area. In 1974, he returned to Charleston, opened a practice, and was on staff at McClennan-Banks Hospital. Dr. Massey also received patents on several inventions, including several medical devices.
Contains several books, awards received by Dr. Massey, and photographs-a 1931 staff photo from Freedman's Hospital in Washington, DC and several framed portraits.
2 Boxes 1.25 lf
(1894-1984)
Dr. Benjamin Mays received his PhD from Howard University and was active as both an educator and a minister. He served as Dean at Morehouse College for many years and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to Dr. Mays as his "spiritual mentor." Dr. Mays held forty-nine honorary degrees, served on the Atlanta school board as well as advisory committees for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.
Contains copies of correspondence with Martin Luther King, Jr. and others. Also contains biographical information on Dr. Mays.
1 Box 0.25 lf
(The Hospital and Training School for Nurses)
(1897-1977)
McClellan Banks Hospital (1897-1977), also known as The Hospital and Training School for Nurses or The Cannon Street Hospital and Training School. The facility was closed in 1977 and the building was leased to the Charleston County Substance Abuse Commission.
Contains articles, news reports, and some administrative records from the hospital. Also includes photocopied documents and photographs from the collection held at The Waring Library of the Medical University of South Carolina.
1 Box 0.5 lf
Family Papers
(1881-1999)
The McCottry Turner Smith Family Papers records the family's genealogy, educational backgrounds, careers, religious and social affiliations through photographs, obituaries, yearbooks, financial statements, correspondence, certificates, diplomas, memorabilia, account ledgers, and meeting minutes.
12 Boxes 6.75 lf
"A Goree Memory"
George Metze II created this scrapbook from materials collected on his trip to Goree Island. (Goree Island is in the Atlantic Ocean, off the Western-most point of Africa. It is a short ferry ride from Dakar, Senegal.) Goree was used for over 400 years as a port of exportation for captured Africans who were being enslaved and sent to the New World. Today, it is opened as an historic place of memory.
Contains photographs, ticket stub, and article.
1 Box, 0.25 lf
Edward Mickey helped found Charleston's Humane Brotherhood Society in 1843. This benevolent society of "free dark men" provided insurance for burial and care for the families of its deceased members. Edward C. Mickey was a tailor in the antebellum period and a legislator during Reconstruction. Samuel G. Mickey, a physician, graduated from the Avery Normal Institute in 1884. Edward Crum Mickey, who became an undertaker, graduated from Avery in 1901 and was active in African- American community affairs, sitting on the Avery Board. Edward Crum, his brother Richard H. Mickey, and cousin Edwin Harleston were actively involved in establishing the Charleston chapter of the NAACP. The Mickey family was active in Centenary Methodist Church. The Mickey Funeral Home, operated by descendants of the Mickey family, is still prominent in Charleston doing business as The Harleston -Boags Funeral Home.
Contains general correspondence, account books, business journals, ledgers, and other documents pertaining to the operation of the business.
See also Centenary Methodist; Harleston Funeral Home.
5 Boxes, 2.25 lf
Morris Brown AME Church, named for Morris Brown, was established in 1867upon the purchase of the old Lutheran Church Building on Morris Street. The congregation was named in honor of Morris Brown, the free black lay preacher from Philadelphia who was instrumental in establishing the African Methodist Church in Charleston in 1818, and was later expelled from the city in the wake of the threat of the Denmark Vesey revolt.
Contains several programs from anniversaries of the congregation and conferences.
1 Box 0.25 lf
1916 - 1996
MSS 1002
Dyctis Jack Moses, Sr. (D. Jack Moses), born August 20, 1916 in Americus, Georgia, was the son of Jordan and Lola Morgan Moses. The collection contains four series. The first series includes programs and correspondence re Avery’s music department; a scrapbook with autographs of Avery Choral Society and others; and a 1940s script of radio broadcast featuring Avery Choral Group and several Charleston notables. The second series contains programs related to Moses’ position as supervisor of music for Charleston County public schools and the third and fourth series address the “Talent Parade,” and Moses’ death. Miscellaneous materials include a national radio script about Charleston, SC and a brochure re East Bay Elementary School, later Sanders-Clyde.
The area known as Mosquito Beach is located off of James Island and was a popular recreation spot for Lowcountry African Americans, unable to use the area's segregated beaches. Over time, a thriving boardwalk and "juke joint" developed there. The Mosquito Fleet is the name given to the independent black fishermen who were an important source of seafood in nineteenth and twentieth century Charleston. The Mosquito Fleet Association, Inc. was established in 1988 "to promote independent fishing, …and to maintain the history of the Mosquito Fleet."
Contains correspondence, articles, and other documents that interpret the history of Mosquito Beach. Also contains minutes, bylaws, and legal documents of the Mosquito Fleet Association, Inc.
1 Box 0.25 lf
MSS 1026
Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church, Charleston, S.C., was formed in 1882, splitting from Emmanuel AME Church, Charleston, which was unable to accommodate all its members. The records in the collection consist of bound volumes in two separate series, each in chronological order.
Albertha Johnston Murray, a Charlestonian, was a teacher and principal in the Charleston area for almost fifty years. In 1909, she was a normal graduate of Claflin University and returned to begin teaching at Humbert Wood Public Elementary School on Johns Island. She taught at several schools in the area, including the Avery Normal Institute, before accepting the position of principal at Cut Bridge Elementary School on James Island-where she served for thirty-two years. Mrs. Murray, who was married to Richard Gaillard Murray, was also active in community organizations, including Central Baptist Church, the Missionary Society, American Red Cross, Tuberculosis Association, the Order of the Eastern Star, YWCA, McClennan- Banks Memorial Hospital, the Robert Gould Shaw Boys Club, and the Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. In 1955, she won her battle to have Cut Bridge School updated-the school was remodeled and opened as the Murray-LaSaine Elementary School in honor of Mrs. Murray and Dr. M. Alice LeSaine, former supervisor of the Negro Schools of Charleston County.
Contains correspondence, speeches, newspaper clippings, and articles that reflect the
educational activities and community work of Mrs. Murray. Also contains some programs from events and a variety of certificates.
1 Box 0.5 lf
New Directions in Colonial South Carolina Lowcountry Studies was a conference held at the College of Charleston as part of the Program in the Carolina Lowcountry and the Atlantic World.
Contains copies of the twenty presentations made at the conference by visiting historians.
1 Box 0.5 lf
Collection, 1914-1990's
The Owls' Whist Club, organized in 1914, was established by sixteen men and was "strictly social and for the entertainment of our friends." With meetings held in members' homes, they limited the club to sixteen men. In 1947 the Club increased its membership to thirty-six and acquired a permanent meeting facility. The club is still active today in its pursuit of entertainment and the game of whist.
Contains records of the Owls' Whist Club, including its constitutions, bylaws, minutes (incomplete), financial records, committee reports, and correspondence. Also includes some membership information, including guest lists.
7 Boxes 2.50 lf
Papers, c.1937-1988
The Old Slave Mart Museum, which closed in 1988, was founded by Miss Miriam B. Wilson and located at 6 Chalmers Street-the site of a nineteenth century slave auction house. Its collections, curated by Judith Wragg Chase, included slave crafts, African art and artifacts, contemporary black art and crafts, and archival materials.
Contains copies of documents created by the Miriam B. Wilson Foundation, including history of the museum, some correspondence, bylaws and minutes of the Foundation, and copies of the Old Slave Mart Museum's collection inventory. Also contains a 1929 postcard of the site and two audiotapes of 1986 minutes.
1 Box 0.5 lf
Artifacts, c.1767-1990
Walter Pantovic is a collector of African-American artifacts and antiques.
Contains a variety of artifacts and documents, including shackles, ship's manifest, sales records and titles of enslaved people, slave tags, pictures, postcards, manillas, and various publications.
16 Boxes 20.5 lf
Collection, c.1904-1990
Ethelyn Murray Parker graduated from the Avery Normal Institute in 1914 and taught in several counties in South Carolina. After completing additional training at the Voorhees Institute, she taught for several more years and then was awarded a scholarship to Tuskegee Institute where she earned her degree. She returned to Voorhees and then to Charleston as a teacher. Mrs. Parker later completed a correspondence course in journalism and wrote columns for several African- American newspapers, including The Lighthouse and Informer, The Pittsburgh Courier, and The Charleston Chronicle. Mrs. Parker was active in numerous community organizations.
Contains a variety of materials, including books, programs from events and meetings, magazines, scrapbooks of newspaper clippings, and an assortment of photographs.
6 Boxes 2.5 lf
Collection, c.1805-1895
Jane and William Pease, until their retirement, were Associate Professors of History at the University of Maine in Orono and the College of Charleston, South Carolina. They authored numerous books and articles on nineteenth century black life and the abolition movement.
Consists of research notes, records, statistical information, and microform materials from institutions such as The Library of Congress' manuscript division, The Freedmen's Bureau, and The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Included are source materials on free and enslaved African Americans, anti-slavery, and the abolitionist movement. Also contains vertical file collection of articles and clippings that include information on a wide range of topics within their area of expertise.
3 Boxes 2.5 lf
and Social Club
(1916-1992)
The Phillis Wheatley Literary and Social Club, originally the Wheatley Community Club, was established by nineteen African- American Charleston women, led by Mrs. Jeannette Keeble Cox. Mrs. Cox was the wife of Principal Benjamin Cox of the Avery Normal Institute, and about half of the original members were teachers at Avery. The purpose of the club was to establish a forum for discussion of literary works and to seek out answers to problems in society. The group subscribed to a variety of literary magazines, sponsored an Avery scholarship, and held fundraisers for local charities, including Jenkins Orphanage, the Cannon Street YMCA, and the NAACP. The club, which is still in existence, also hosted lectures on a variety of topics.
Contains ledgers, minutes, histories, and other club documents, as well as a few photographs, flyers, and articles about the organization.
1 Box 0.5 lf
Lucille and Peter Poinsette
Contains a variety o f Avery Normal Institute memorabilia, including programs from graduations and other school events, plus a 1939 yearbook, The Averyite, and 1954 issue of the school paper, Avery Tiger. Also contains photographs, newspaper clippings, and other materials related to church and parent organizations, fire fighters, and U.S. Postal Workers' National Alliance.
2 Boxes 1.75 lf
(1908 - 1998)
MSS 1036
H. C. Lucas Raymond
Contains encyclopedia entitled Heroes of the Dark Continent.
1 Box 0.5 lf
and McNeil Family
Papers, c.1900-1993
Toby Richardson arrived in South Carolina in 1810 as an enslaved person belonging to a John Richardson of Port Royal. By the late nineteenth century he was farming twenty-four acres on James' Island and working as a fisherman and carpenter. He was interested in literacy of the local black children and a member of Brown Church. A widower with nine children, Mr. Richardson married Jane McNeil in 1897. The daughter of Daniel and Maria McNeil, Mrs. Richardson had already been widowed three times and brought six children to the marriage. They had two children together.
Contains genealogy and family history compiled by Richardson descendants for family reunions in the 1990s. Also contains some legal documents, copies of family photographs, and information on the First Baptist Church of James Island. Also listed as McNeil and Richardson Family.
1 Box 0.25 lf
(1914-1994)
Papers
A veteran in the struggle for Civil Rights and a developer of political education for African Americans across the state, Bernice Robinson was born in Charleston, South Carolina on February 7, 1914. James C. Robinson and Martha Elizabeth were her parents. After completing the tenth grade at Burke Industrial School, she married Thomas Leroy Robinson in 1930. She then went to New York where she completed high school at Wadly High. She attended Poro College in New York, took courses in real estate brokerage there in 1945, enrolled in a course in Community Development in 1967 at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and completed a correspondence course in Interior Design.
Mrs. Robinson, along with Septima Clark, began the first Citizenship School to help adults on Johns Island to become responsible citizens in their community. Robinson and Clark were able to help spread Citizenship Schools throughout the Deep South. In 1974, Mrs. Robinson announced her bid as a petition candidate for the South Carolina House of Representatives from District 3 desiring to oppose Joseph Murray in the November general elections.
The Bernice Robinson Collection consists of 19 boxes of correspondence, speeches, memos, articles, printed materials, and memorabilia from 1952-1989. Box 6 contains information about her candidacy for a House Seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives and information regarding Citizenship Schools. Also, Box 7(3) and Box 8 contain additional materials about Highlander and Citizenship Schools.
19 Boxes 9.5 lf
Robert N. Rosen Legal Papers
MSS 1028
The son of Ida and Morris Rosen, Robert N. Rosen was born in 1947 in Charleston, South Carolina, where his mother was a teacher and his father an attorney. Rosen attended public schools in Charleston and was a student at Rivers High School when it became the first integrated school in the city. He graduated from University of Virginia in 1969, earned his Master's in history at Harvard University in 1970, and graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1973. Rosen has practiced criminal and personal injury law; civil and commercial litigation; and administrative and zoning law. In the three cases represented in this collection, he defended the Charleston County School system against the initial charge that the Charleston County School District violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Aside from being an attorney, Rosen is also the author of several books on historical topics.
"Hush Dat Gullah"
Papers, c.1996
Eleanor Kinlaw Ross is the author of the play "Hush Dat Gullah," performed at the Charleston MOJA Festival in 1996. Contains a signed copy of the play script, as well as programs from the 1996 MOJA Festival and the "Hush Dat Gullah" performance from the Festival.
1 Box 0.25 lf
Contains various articles, magazines, and pamphlets relating to the African- American experience in the areas of women's organizations, women's professions, literature, Civil Rights, and education, including documents issued by Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc., The Harvard Review, and Alexander's Magazine from 1906.
1 Box 0.5 lf
(c.1895-1942)
Papers, 1916-1946
Herbert U. Seabrook was born in Georgia, son of Amerinthia, and raised mainly in New York. He graduated South Carolina State College in 1909, completed medical school, and settled in Charleston as a practicing physician around 1917. Dr. Seabrook worked at McClennan Hospital with Dr. McClennan-a distant relative of Amarinthia Seabrook-and married Miriam DeCosta in 1923. Dr. & Mrs. Seabrook lived on Congress Street in Charleston and had one child, Herbert, Jr., who was born in 1924, graduated from the Avery Normal Institute, studied medicine in Nashville, and became the first black pediatrician in Dayton, Ohio.
Contains mainly personal records of Dr. & Mrs. Seabrook, including receipts, legal papers, memorabilia, and some correspondence between Mrs. Seabrook and Herbert, Jr.
2 Boxes 0.75 lf
Collection, c.1940-2000
Cleveland L. Sellers, Jr., born in Denmark, S.C. began his civil rights activism during his years at Voorhees High School. As a freshman at Howard University in 1962, Sellers continued his activism. He worked full-time for SNCC as an organizer and participant in the Mississippi Summer Project in 1964. In 1965 at the SNCC annual convention, Sellers was elected Program Secretary. In 1967, Sellers was helping to organize students at S.C. State in Orangeburg through a campus organization, the "Black Awareness Coordinating Committee," when a non-violent protest to desegregate the local bowling alley became violent as police opened fire on a group of unarmed students. That event is now known as the Orangeburg Massacre. In 1987, Sellers earned a Doctorate in education administration from the University of North Carolina. Dr. Sellers now teaches at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where he is the Director of African American Studies.
Contains correspondence, business documents, magazines, newspapers, memorabilia and other materials from organizational affiliations including SNCC, SCLC, AAPRP, sobu, The African Liberation Day Committee, Malcolm X University and the Jackson for President campaign.
16 Boxes
20.5 lf
Memorabilia Collection
Papers, 1876-1889
Shaw School began as Shaw Memorial School in 1868 and was established in the aftermath of the Civil War to educate African- American children, many of whom had been born enslaved. Named in honor of Robert Gould Shaw, commander of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, Shaw Memorial School was located on Mary Street and funded, in part, by donations from the Black Union soldiers stationed in Charleston as well as the New England Freedmen's Aid Society. In 1874, Shaw School became a part of the Charleston school system, serving African- American students ages 6-15. The school was closed in 1938 and the building was used to house social service offices and community endeavors.
Contains attendance certificates for Whithers Houston (1876), Robert Mears (1881), and Martha Mears (1882-1889).
1 Box 0.25 lf
Collection, c.1980-1995
Phillip Simmons was born on Daniel Island in Charleston Harbor. As a young man he moved to Charleston and worked with local blacksmith Peter Simmons to learn that trade. By the 1940s, Mr. Simmons was engaged in the creation of decorative iron works that grace the gates, windows, and fences of this community. His work is displayed by many art museums-including The Smithsonian Museum. For his art, as well as his community spirit, he has been awarded The Order of the Palmetto-South Carolina's highest award-and has been recognized by The Folk Arts Program of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Contains correspondence, sketches, photographs, and maps that relate to various projects Mr. Simmons has executed over the years. Also contains articles about Mr. Simmons and programs from various dedications of his work.
1 Box 0.25 lf
Papers (1937-1990)
Lois A. Simms was born in Charleston, S.C. She graduated valedictorian from Avery Normal Institute in 1937. She continued her education at Barber Scotia Junior College and later received a B.A. in English and social studies at Johnson C. Smith University in 1941. She completed her Master of Arts in education at Howard University in 1954 and did postgraduate work at Syracuse University and The Citadel.
Ms. Simms returned to Charleston and taught at Avery from 1941-1942. Later, she taught at Laing High School in Mt. Pleasant from 1942-1944. Ms. Simms spent one year at Henry P. Archer Elementary School before accepting a position at Burke High School. She remained at Burke from 1945-1975. Ms. Simms retired from teaching in 1976 after spending one year at Charleston High School.
Ms. Simms still resides in Charleston. She remains active through her membership in the Presbyterian Women's Organization.
Contains magazines, photographs, scrapbooks, yearbooks, academic papers, awards, and federal statistical publications.
14 Boxes 13.25 lf
Papers
Robert Lee Smith, a black youth from McClellanville, was sentenced to life in prison for murder. Mrs. Margaretta Childs and others worked to free Mr. Smith, believing that he was wrongly convicted.
Contains clippings, correspondence, working notes and papers.
1 Box 0.25 lf
South Carolina Voices
of the
Civil Rights Movement
Papers, 1982
In 1982, The Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture, in cooperation with the Charleston Museum and the College of Charleston, sponsored "South Carolina Voices of the Civil Rights Movement: A Conference on the History of the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina, 1940-1970." The conference held sessions on various topics, including Voting and Political Action, Labor, Education, The Highlander Influence, The Youth Movement, and Protest.
Contains audiotapes and transcripts of the conference sessions.
1 Folder, 13 Videos
Collection, c1841-1950
In 1841, the Reverend Norman Bascom Sterrett, D.D. (1841-1921) was born in Maryland of free parents. During the Civil War he enlisted and served in the Union Army as a Sergeant Major (Chaplain) under General U.S. Grant. He served for several years as the pastor of Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston and then as Presiding Elder in the Georgetown, South Carolina District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. All of his children were educated at Avery Normal Institute before pursuing higher degrees, including his daughter, Gertrude Minerva Sterrett (1866-1946), who married Leander Watson Hodge (1861-1934), in New York City. Their son, Bascom Franklin Hodge (1898-1978), collected and preserved these family items.
Contains about forty black and white photographs of Sterrett and Hodge family members dating from 1841-1950, a scrapbook, and several legal documents. Also contains several pieces of personal correspondence and information on the Tuskegee Airmen, with which Bascom Hodge was associated.
1 Box 1.5 lf
Papers, c.1865-1990
St. Mark's Episcopal Church was established at the end of the Civil War (1865) by a group of prominent black Episcopalians. The church building was begun in 1877 and is located at 16 Thomas Street in Charleston, S.C.
Contains original manuscript materials from the vestry. For other related materials, see Hunt, Eugene.
1 Box 0.5 lf
St. Matthew's Baptist Church is located at 268 Huger Street in Charleston, SC. The Reverend Dr. Benjamin J. Whipper, Sr. served as its pastor from 1940 to 1998.
Contains historical materials from both St. Matthew's Church and Reverend Whipper. Includes Rev. Whipper's correspondence, sermons, speeches, and notes from active participation in the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
Also listed under Whipper, Reverend Dr. Benjamin J., Sr.
1 Box 0.25 lf
Basket Collection