Molly and Bates on Preservation in the Field and the Archives: Summer Intern Takeover 2026

As a rising senior at the College of Charleston, majoring in Historic Preservation and Community Planning and Urban Studies, I had an amazing internship experience this summer with Joyce Pope and April Wood in the Preservation Department at Historic Charleston Foundation!

One aspect of the internship that I have particularly enjoyed is helping Joyce conduct easement inspections of beautiful properties across the peninsula. It has been fun learning from Joyce about different building materials and how they wear over time — I can even look at my own Charleston single house now to check that the property is in good shape! Meeting the property owners, seeing their houses, and hearing about the great work they have done has been one of the highlights of the summer.
I have also enjoyed collaborating with Calvary Episcopal Church, researching their pre-Civil War marriage, burial, baptism, and confirmation records to bring to light the stories of their enslaved and free congregants. While a challenging research project, it has been an incredible opportunity to learn how to research individuals who are often hidden in historic narratives. Through this work, I learned a great deal about Charleston's history and the social dynamics of the antebellum period, and it was especially interesting to look into the lives of the free individuals who attended the church and the thriving communities they built across the peninsula. This research took me to the South Carolina Historical Society's archives at Addlestone Library, where I examined diaries and handled letters dating back over 150 years. I also enjoyed meeting with Shanon Duffy, archivist at HCF, who made the research process engaging by sharing original Sanborn Maps and Charleston City Directories to help us learn more about Calvary's congregants.

Bates, Kendall, and I have also spent early mornings this past month studying the cracks at the Aiken-Rhett House. While hot work, it has been a fun opportunity to explore the house, including the third floor, which is not open to the public. We measured each crack in the house to track whether they are growing and whether any need to be flagged. Bates and Kendall climbed the ladders to take the measurements while I recorded each one on AutoCAD drawings.

Between easement inspections, the Calvary research, and the Aiken-Rhett House, I have had an amazing and productive internship at Historic Charleston Foundation this summer. I am so grateful for all the unique experiences I have had the opportunity to be part of!

— Molly Schweickhardt, rising senior at the College of Charleston, pursuing a degree in Historic Preservation and Community Planning and Urban Studies

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I have had an amazing internship experience this summer with the Preservation Department at Historic Charleston Foundation!

One of the first things I did was go on easement inspections and learn how to work with ArcGIS. I have spent a good amount of time using ArcGIS to map the ruins of the Walled City and overlay historic Sanborn Maps — it has been a great way to see Charleston's history come to life on the map.

More recently, I have also been helping with the Aiken-Rhett House Crack Study, working alongside the other interns to measure the cracks throughout the house and check for growth. The study has been running since the 2000s, and it has been fun to build on decades of work.

The Calvary Church research is what I have spent the most time on recently. Last summer, an intern digitized some of the church's records from the mid-1800s, and we were asked to research the Free People of Color listed in those records, along with names that came up repeatedly. By going through online documents and Historic Charleston Foundation's archives, we have been able to collect data on many individuals — including discovering that some of them owned properties that HCF now has under easement.

Between the easement inspections, ArcGIS mapping, the Crack Study, and the Calvary Church research, this has been such a rewarding and hands-on internship experience.

‍— Bates McClure, The Thatcher Boarding School