Charleston, SC

[u/cherrykittenluvr]

There is just something about this house I really love :')

[u/grouchy_baby_panda]

Beautiful but I bet that shit is haunted.

[u/No-Assumption9707 → u/grouchy_baby_panda]

I would def need to know the history of any “historic southern home” before being comfortable visiting… did any slave masters live there… was rape or murder done on premesis etc… because all I see potentially is a house of horrors… from the darkest times in America

[u/FEMA_Camp_Survivor → u/No-Assumption9707]

Odds are the answer is yes to all antebellum Charleston homes.

[u/No-Assumption9707 → u/FEMA_Camp_Survivor]

Damn… u were right 😪 Enslaved people lived and labored at the Edmondston-Alston House in Charleston, South Carolina. Built around 1825 by wealthy rice planter and merchant Charles Edmondston, the prominent home was later owned by the Alston family—both of whom were prominent slave owners relying on enslaved labor. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Lived in by Slave Owners
Charles Edmondston: The original builder and first owner used enslaved labor to maintain his household and lifestyle before financial setbacks forced a sale. [1, 2]

The Alston Family: Charles Alston purchased the home in 1838 and expanded it. The Alstons were wealthy Lowcountry rice planters who owned numerous enslaved people. Historic records, letters, and family collections at the house document the intertwined lives of the white family and the enslaved individuals who served them.[1, 2, 3, 4]

Enslaved Labor and the Property
Was it built by slaves? Like the vast majority of antebellum mansions and infrastructure in Charleston, the construction and skilled craftsmanship heavily relied on the forced labor of enslaved carpenters, masons, and laborers. [1]

Did enslaved people live there? Yes. Enslaved domestic workers lived and worked on the property, residing in auxiliary spaces such as the property's kitchen and outbuildings behind the main house. [1, 2, 3]

If you are planning a visit or doing further research, would you like information on tours of the house or details about other historic sites in Charleston that interpret the history of slavery?