The Gov. William Aiken House (also known as the Aiken-Rhett House, or the Robinson-Aiken House) was built in 1820 at 48 Elizabeth Street, in the
Wraggborough Wraggborough is a neighborhood in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, named after slave trader Joseph Wragg, and noted for its association with the slave trade. Wraggborough is part of Mazyck-Wraggborough, also referred to as Wraggborough for short ...
neighborhood of
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
.
Despite being known for its association with Gov. William Aiken, the house was built by John Robinson after he bought several lots in Mazyck-Wraggborough in 1817. His house was originally configured as a
Charleston single house A Charleston single house is a form of house found in Charleston, South Carolina. A single house has its narrow side (often two- or three-bays wide) with a gable end along the street and a longer side (often five-bays) running perpendicular to the s ...
with entrance to the house from the south side along Judith Street. The house is considered to be the best preserved complex of antebellum domestic structures in
Charleston
Charleston most commonly refers to:
* Charleston, South Carolina
* Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital
* Charleston (dance)
Charleston may also refer to:
Places Australia
* Charleston, South Australia
Canada
* Charleston, Newfoundlan ...
. It was the home of
William Aiken, Jr.
William Aiken Jr. (January 28, 1806September 6, 1887) was the 61st governor of South Carolina, serving from 1844 to 1846. He also served in the state legislature and the United States House of Representatives, running unsuccessfully for speake ...
, a governor of South Carolina, and before that the home of his father, the owner of
South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company
The South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company was a railroad in South Carolina that operated independently from 1830 to 1844. One of the first railroads in North America to be chartered and constructed, it provided the first steam-powered, schedul ...
,
William Aiken
William Aiken (1779 – May 5, 1831), or William Aiken, Sr., was the founder and president of the pioneering South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company. and
Born in County Antrim, Ireland, he immigrated to Charleston, South Carolina ...
.
Mrs. Frances Dill Rhett, whose husband was a direct descendant of Gov. William Rhett, donated the house to the
Charleston Museum
The Charleston Museum is a museum located in the Wraggborough neighborhood in Charleston, South Carolina. It is one of the oldest museums in the United States. Its highly regarded collection includes historic artifacts, natural history, decora ...
in 1975. The house was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1977.
Since 1995, the
Historic Charleston Foundation
Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF) was founded in 1947 to preserve and protect the integrity of the architectural, historical, and cultural heritage of Charleston, South Carolina, United States. The Foundation undertakes advocacy, participatio ...
has owned and operated the Aiken-Rhett House as a
historic house museum
A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...
.
Preservation
The Aiken family owned the house for over 142 years until, in 1975, it was donated to the
Charleston Museum
The Charleston Museum is a museum located in the Wraggborough neighborhood in Charleston, South Carolina. It is one of the oldest museums in the United States. Its highly regarded collection includes historic artifacts, natural history, decora ...
. Twenty years later, the
Historic Charleston Foundation
Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF) was founded in 1947 to preserve and protect the integrity of the architectural, historical, and cultural heritage of Charleston, South Carolina, United States. The Foundation undertakes advocacy, participatio ...
bought it. Since the 1995 purchase of the Aiken property, a more traditional approach has been taken to preserve the property. According the Historic Charleston Foundation, what attracted them to purchasing the property was its "unique opportunity to understand and present antebellum urban life and the African American heritage of Charleston to the public."
Slavery
An attractive feature to the Aiken House is its urban development. Most scholars of southern history and culture define antebellum plantation mansions being surrounding by agricultural developments, such as other Charleston area plantations,
Drayton Hall
Drayton Hall is an 18th-century plantation located on the Ashley River about 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Charleston, South Carolina, and directly across the Ashley River from North Charleston, west of the Ashley in the Lowcountry. An exa ...
,
McLeod Plantation
McLeod Plantation is a former slave plantation located on James Island, South Carolina, near the intersection of Folly and Maybank roads at Wappoo Creek, which flows into the Ashley River. The plantation is considered an important Gullah heritag ...
, and
Magnolia Plantation. However most southern antebellum cities were entrenched with slavery - Richmond, Savannah, and Charleston - which populations made up usually one third of the total city population. According to the 1850 census, Aiken enslaved 7 individuals inside the urban residence, although the Aikens enslaved 878 people in the Charleston and Colleton districts combined. Ten years in 1860, the number of enslaved people at the urban residence jumped to 19 individuals. By the time that the American Civil War broke out, at least 13 enslaved people were at the Aiken property, including 6 children.
Exhibits and interpretation
In 2016, a team of archaeologists began to research and survey the slave dwellings on the Aiken-Rhett property. By 2018, the team was able to uncover over 10,000 artifacts. A large majority of the pieces are currently still on display within an exhibit interpreting their cultural significance. The artifacts span from coins and tools, to pieces of bottles and pottery. In a separate research and archeological survey in 2017, a team of archeologists were able to search for evidence of siege lines that British soldiers reportedly dug in the spring of 1780.
The Historic Charleston Foundation launched an app in the fall of 2018, which offers further information on topics and a self-guided audio tour. The tour lasts for roughly 45 minutes and includes exhibit descriptions and photographs. The decision to update the tour reportedly came from the director of museums at the Historic Charleston Foundation, Lauren Northup. The older guide for the Aiken-Rhett was constructed in the mid-1990s, and "left out many of the stories they had discovered since then about the lives of the enslaved on the property."
The foundation later updated the app to cover more of the Charleston area historic house museums, such as the
Nathaniel Russel House and the
Magnolia Cemetery. In addition to the stories of enslaved people and the African American community, women's history and LGBTQ community have been included as well inside the app.
*
William Aiken House and Associated Railroad Structures
The William Aiken House and Associated Railroad Structures make up a National Historic Landmark District in Charleston, South Carolina, that contains structures of South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company and the home of the company's founder ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aiken, Gov., William, House
Houses in Charleston, South Carolina
Historic house museums in South Carolina
Museums in Charleston, South Carolina
Biographical museums in South Carolina
Houses completed in 1820
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina
Historic American Buildings Survey in South Carolina
National Register of Historic Places in Charleston, South Carolina
Greek Revival houses in South Carolina