The Robert Smalls House is a historic house at 511 Prince Street in

Beaufort, South Carolina Beaufort ( , a different pronunciation from that used by the city with the same name in North Carolina) is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South ...

. Built in 1843 and altered several times, the house was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1974 for its association with

Robert Smalls Robert Smalls (April 5, 1839 – February 23, 1915) was an American politician, publisher, businessman, and maritime pilot. Born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina, he freed himself, his crew, and their families during the American Civil W ...

(1839-1915). Smalls, born into slavery, achieved notice for commandeering the CSS ''Planter'' and sailing her to freedom during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. After the war he represented South Carolina in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

during

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

. and

Description and history

The Robert Smalls House is located in central Beaufort, at the northeast corner of Prince and New Streets. It is a two-story wood-frame structure, with a side gable roof and a two-story porch extending across its (south-facing) front facade. A two-story ell extends to the rear, giving the house a basic T shape. The house was built in 1843, originally with a single-story porch and ell, which were expanded to two stories in 1850 and 1870. Robert Smalls was born into slavery in 1839, and spent most of his early years in this house, where his master (and father) was Henry McKee (Son of John McKee). Around 1851 he was hired out by McKee to work in Charleston, where he worked on the docks, and eventually learned to sail. In 1862, during the American Civil War, he successfully commandeered the ''Planter'', sailing her to the blockading Union fleet. He later served in the Union Navy, and became involved in South Carolina politics after the war. His bravery was made a key argument in favor of the Union Army's enlistment of African-American soldiers.

References

External links

Robert Smalls House, Beaufort County (511 Prince St., Beaufort)
with six photos, at South Carolina Department of Archives and History * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smalls, Robert, House Historic American Buildings Survey in South Carolina National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina Houses in Beaufort, South Carolina Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Houses completed in 1839 National Register of Historic Places in Beaufort County, South Carolina Historic district contributing properties in South Carolina

Description and history

See also

References

External links