Charleston History

At the direction of the current administration, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is proposing a substantial revision of the regulations that govern how federal agencies carry out Section 106. On July 24, 2026, the ACHP voted to advance a draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. This means they formally got the ball rolling to make the revisions a reality. The draft is now moving through the federal interagency review process before it is published in the Federal Register for public comment.

The College of Charleston is exploring options for building a college dormitory on a site that was a municipal cemetery in the 18th century. The site presents challenges and opportunities for conversation and memorialization. Attend a community meeting to learn more.

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.