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The Kitchen and Laundry
The kitchen and laundry rooms were located on the first floor of this building, and the living quarters were on the second floor. The kitchen
was not attached to the main house because of the threat caused by cooking fires.
Slaves prepared and cooked food in the kitchen before carrying it to the Warming Kitchen in the basement of the main house. A stone hearth was
installed in front of the fireplace to prevent stray embers from catching fire. This cooking range was state-of-the-art when it was installed in
the nineteenth century. Additional storage cabinets are in the kitchen, as well as a metal-lined chest for ice storage. The plaster walls in this
space show evidence of brightly painted surfaces.
Doing laundry was an extremely labor intensive chore in the nineteenth century. Laundresses soaked, washed and boiled the garments clean. These
female slaves heated the water in brass or copper kettles in the fireplace. They often stiffened the materials with starch after washing.
The second floor contains a series of dormitory style rooms where enslaved residents lived. These rooms provided the setting for African American
family life. The rooms were simply furnished with beds, tables and chairs, as well as the slaves' personal possessions. Many of these rooms have
pegboards for hanging clothes.
Conditions in slaves' quarters varied by the resident's occupation, reflecting a hierarchy in which house servants had the most prestigious quarters
with plastered walls and individual fireplaces. Workers such as animal handlers had far less accommodating and plainer rooms over the carriage house.
In 1846, Ann Greggs and her son, Henry, lived on the property, as did Sambo and Dorcas Richardson and their children, Charles, Rachel, Elizabeth and
Julia. In addition to the two families, Charles Jackson, Anthony Barnwell and two carpenters, Will and Jacob, lived in the dependency buildings.
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LOCATION
48 Elizabeth Street, two blocks from the Charleston Visitor Center.
Click the map above for Driving Directions.
RESTORATION UPDATES
2008 MUSEUM SPONSOR
HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday - Saturday : 10 a.m. - 5 p.m
Sunday : 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Last tour begins at 4:15 p.m.
Features the only "audio tour" in Charleston
PURCHASE TICKETS
$10 or visit both the Aiken-Rhett House and the Nathaniel Russell House for $16. Tickets may be purchased at either site.
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
GIRL SCOUT OPPORTUNITIES
Learn more about earning credits toward your Local Lore Patch.
INFORMATION
Phone: (843) 723-1159
Email: vperry@historiccharleston.org
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