 ere is a list of books and websites that may be useful sources of information on Charleston's architecture, historic buildings, and landmarks. Many include photographs and drawings.
Books & Other Printed Materials:
- Bostick, Douglas W. On the Eve of the Charleston Renaissance: The George W. Johnson Photographs
- Brenner, Betty and Francis J. The Old Codgers' Charleston Address Book, 1990-1999 (information compiled from City Directories, etc., by street address; goes up through K)
- Charleston County Public Library, S.C. Room. Building/property files (contain a variety of sources including S.C. Architectural Inventory documentation and newspaper articles).
- Charleston County Register of Mesne Conveyance. Index to Deeds of the Province and State of South Carolina
- Charleston Tourism Commission. Information for Guides of Historic Charleston (brief house/building histories from a number of sources, by street address)
- Curtis, Elizabeth Gibbons. Gateways and Doorways of Charleston, South Carolina in the Eighteenth and the Nineteenth Centuries
- Deas, Alston. The Early Ironwork of Charleston
- Foster, Mary Preston. Charleston: A Historic Walking Tour
- Hudgins, Carter L., et al., eds. The Vernacular Architecture of Charleston and the Lowcountry, 1670-1990: A Field Guide
- Hash, C. Patton. Charleston: Alone Among the Cities
- Holcomb, Brent H. South Carolina Deed Abstracts (a continuation of the abstracts prepared under Clara A. Langley)
- Langley, Clara A. South Carolina Abstracts, 1719-1772
- Light, Sally. House Histories: A Guide to Tracing the Genealogy of Your Home
- Lincoln, F.S. Charleston: Photographic Studies
- Post & Courier (News & Courier) . "Do You Know Your Charleston" articles, which, for many years, was a regular feature that focused on a particular house, building, or street. Back issues of the newspaper are on microfilm and are available at Charleston County Public Library and College of Charleston Library. Also, photocopies of articles may be filed in the building/property files that are maintained at many local repositories.
- Poston, Jonathan. The Buildings of Charleston: A Guide to the City's Architecture
- Preservation Society of Charleston. Preservation Progress (periodical)
- Ravenel, Beatrice St. Julien. Architects of Charleston
- Severens, Kenneth. Charleston: Antebellum Architecture and Civic Destiny
- Simons, Albert. An Architectural Guide to Charleston, South Carolina, 1700-1900
- Simons, Albert, and Samuel Lapham Jr., eds., Charleston, South Carolina (vol. 1 of the Octagon Library of Early American Architecture, reprinted as The Early Architecture of Charleston)
- Simons, Albert and W. H. Johnson Thomas, An Architectural Guide to Charleston, South Carolina, 1700-1900 (in manuscript form)
- Smith, Alice Ravenel Huger, and D.C. Huger Smith. The Dwelling Houses of Charleston, South Carolina
- South Carolina Historical Society. Building/property files and photograph collection.
- Steele, John Carson Hay. Charleston Then and Now: Contemporary Photographs by Robert Pinckney Rhett (1990s), James Moore Rhett III (1970s)
- Stoney, Samuel Gaillard. This is Charleston: An Architectural Survey of a Unique American City
- Stockton, Robert. The Great Shock: The Effects of the 1886 on the Built Environment of Charleston, South Carolina
- Waddell, Gene. Charleston Architecture, 1670-1860
There are many other books available at area libraries. To find others, try searching on the following subjects:
Architecture--South Carolina--Charleston
Charleston (S.C.)--Antiquities
Charleston (S.C.)--Buildings, structures, etc.
Excavations (Archaeology)--South Carolina--Charleston
Historic buildings--South Carolina--Charleston
Historic sites--South Carolina--Charleston
When you do find informative books, be sure to check their bibliographies for additional resources.
Research Databases: Check the database resources at area libraries, e.g., Harper's Weekly; MESDA; 19th Century Masterfile; and more.
Booklets, Guidebooks, Pamphlets: Many libraries and archives have these in their collections. These smaller publications contain information and images of Charleston buildings and landmarks.
Archaeological Reports: Archaeological investigations of many of the most significant buildings and sites in Charleston have been conducted. Reports for these may be found in area libraries and other institutions; find them in a library catalog by the building's common name.
Websites:
Some of these are local websites and searching for information will be straightforward. For resources with a national scope, you will need to phrase your
search terms to include geographic location (i.e., Charleston, SC).
- Charleston County
Under the Online Services tab, click on the relevant link to view maps and to search deeds, mortgages, property, and probate records. Also note the links to the Archival Room and Plat Gallery, where scans of several McCrady and other plats may be accessed online.
- Charleston County Public Library
The Charleston Multimedia Project
(or click on Services, click on SC History & Genealogoy, click on Charleston Multimedia Project). Online exploration of Charleston's heritage via the Guidebook (street-by-street, building-by-building guide to the Historic District); Topics (brief, illustrated subject essays about the city's history, architecture, and culture); Timeline (a chronology of noteworthy events); and Tours (descriptions of landmark buildings and structures).
Sanborn Maps: Click on Resources, then Research Databases, then History & Geography, then Home Access, which will enable you to access the maps remotely (note that you must have a library card for remote access).
- Historic Charleston Foundation
Researching Your Historic House For information about how to research a historic house.
Mapping Charleston Check out the Hartnell maps, which are useful for understanding the evolution of the peninsula.
- Library of Congress
American Memory A gateway to the LC's digitized historical American resources. See especially the Maps, Architecture/Landscape, and Cities/Towns collections. Note that the Historic American Building Survey/Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) collection of architectural and engineering documentation is located under Architecture/Landscape.
Prints & Photographs Online Catalog Search the LOC Prints & Photographs Division's 14 million photos, prints, drawings, and architectural records, including many digital images.
- Morris+Baily Industrial Design's Charleston Illustrated
A Historic District Architectural Map:. A compilation of maps: The Development of Charleston, Panoramic Mapping, and Antique Maps of Charleston.
- National Park Service
National Register Publications, Bulletins and Brochures Of note, #39 "Researching a Historic Property."
Colonials and Patriots, Survey of Historic Buildings An illustrated survey of historic sites and buildings, including many in Charleston.
National Historic Landmarks Program Nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior for their exceptional value or quality in illustrating/interpreting the heritage of the U.S.
- Scottish Rite Center's Charleston Streets Provides the histories behind names of the streets of Charleston.
- South Carolina Department of Archives and History
South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office Links to several SHPO programs and services and to
other preservation-related sites. Of note, Survey of Historic Properties, which gives access to survey documentation of thousands of historic buildings, structures, sites, etc.
On-Line Records Index From the index page, click on Search Page to search various collections like McCrady plats,
- University of North Carolina, Documenting the American South Search the collection for "Charleston South Carolina" for the 1861 Census
- University of South Carolina Libraries for access to photographs at South Caroliniana Library and USC's Digital Collections for Sanborn maps.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Visual Materials to search for photos, architectural drawings, blueprints, etc.
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