Between 1957 and 1971, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot. Three of them to be exact. By 1971, nearly 90% of the nineteenth-century dwellings on Henrietta Street in downtown Charleston were demolished for surface parking. No. 27 Henrietta Street stands as one of three antebellum single houses left on a block once populated by over 30. United States Federal Census records and City of Charleston directory records confirm that Henrietta Street was home to dozens of African-American families both prior to and after the Civil War - including No. 27. By 1900, No. 27 Henrietta served as the primary residence for African-American gardener Alexander Turner (b. 1856), his wife Louisa and the
The building now known as the abandoned Laing Middle School is so much more than just an empty structure. It was constructed in 1953 as Laing High School, a school for Mt. Pleasant’s African-American population. According the News & Courier on Jan. 8, 1953, the building’s construction marked "the current phase in the comprehensive school equalization program” and was strategically placed in proximity “to the home locations of the pupils.” The property, originally known as the Joseph Seabrook Estate, was surrounded by lush woods and small Lowcountry Gullah Geechee communities, such as Six Mile, Seven Mile and Snee Farm. No shopping centers. No traffic. Just nature and families. The new Laing
Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina is one of America's fastest growing communities. Every day, the construction of housing developments, apartment buildings & shopping centers is approved & initiated, often times leaving elements of the old, original, TRUE Mt. Pleasant in its wake. From Freedman's cottages to historic oaks, the architecture & landscapes (& even the people!) that defined the area for decades are being replaced or overshadowed by overabundant 21st-century construction. When will enough, be enough? Location: Southbound on Highway 17 (right after the Mt. Pleasant Town Center); in proximity to the Snee Farm Gullah Geechee community Age: Early 20th century Status: Threatened by the encr
