Archives & Research

Caden Chapman, a College of Charleston graduate with a BA in English now pursuing his master's degree, interned in the Archives with Shannon Duffy at Historic Charleston Foundation this summer. His research uncovered unforgettable stories woven into Charleston's history, including a hidden dairy farm once located on Vanderhorst Street, an alligator named Wishy-Washy who lived on the grounds now home to Ashley Hall, and the tale of bootlegger Frank "Rumpty Rattles" Hogan, who was murdered by a rival on Market Street. Chapman calls the experience a privilege and an honor.

Before shrimp and grits became synonymous with Charleston cuisine, a free Black entrepreneur named Charles C. Leslie was reshaping the city's entire seafood industry. Born poor in present-day Mt. Pleasant in the mid-1800s, Leslie built a wholesale seafood empire, championed species once dismissed as “trash fish,” and became one of Charleston's wealthiest Black businessmen — leaving a legacy written into the city's food culture, its historic architecture, and the scientific record. This is his story.

The next phase of the Nathaniel Russell Kitchen House Project is now underway!