87 Church Street, a

87 Church Street, a

c. 1956-1957

11/15/2016 (date digital)

"Heyward-Washington House

Back of photograph: ""(c) Henry P. Staats / Heyward-Washington / 1750 / 87 Church St."" 87 Church Street or the Heyward-Washington house has had many important American figures darken its doorways. A house was originally on the land built in the 1740s, but when the Heyward's purchased the land in 1770 the house was razed and the only things to remain were the stables and kitchens. A Georgian style double town house was built out of brick in the stead of the original home. It contains a central hall with two rooms to each side

a second floor with a large and small drawing room, as well as exterior brick jack arches over the windows. Thomas Heyward jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence, rented the house to George Washington during this 1791 visit to the city, which is why the house is called the Heyward-Washington house. In 1794, the house was sold to Revolutionary War officer John Grimke, father of suffragettes and abolitionists Sarah and Angelina Grimke. By the late nineteenth century the house had been sold again and the bottom floor had been converted in to a bakery, along with some other renovation made during the period. In 1929 the house was purchased by the Charleston Museum from the Society of Preservation, although it was not finalized until 1950. In 1978 the house was placed on the National Register for Historic Landmarks. During one of the many restorations after 1929, the formal gardens were restored to include only plants that would have been common in Lowcountry South Carolina gardening when George Washington stayed in Charleston. The house is currently available to visit through the Charleston Museum and includes priceless examples of colonial furniture as well as the only mid-eighteenth century kitchen open to the public on the peninsula. References: Poston, J. (1997). The buildings of Charleston: A guide to the city’s architecture. Columbia, University of South Carolina Press. The Charleston Museum. Charleston's Revolutionary War House. Retrieved from: http://www.charlestonmuseum.org/historic-houses/heyward-washington-house/

visible image 12 x 12 cm

Donated to CLS by Henry P. Staats.

Vories, Dylan (digital assistant)

This item is in copyright but can be used for educational purposes. Please contact Charleston Library Society for more information for any use not qualifying as educational use.

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StillImage

Hinson Audio/Visual Collection

chls:374

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