Unidentified artist. Benjamin Hawkins and the Creek Indians, circa 1805, oil on canvas, 35 7/8 x 49 7/8 inches. Collection of the Greenville County Museum of Art, gift of The Museum Association, Inc.

Life in Antebellum Charleston

While researching for the 2005 Institute Teachers, our staff uncovered an interesting source on antebellum life in Charleston. James Carr, the owner of a shipping business from Bangor, Maine, sailed from Maine to Charleston, and then on to Liverpool, England, from July 21, 1815, through May 4, 1816. On this trip, Carr kept a journal, outlining all of the people he met and places he visited, for his wife back in Maine.

In this excerpt, Carr relates his experiences in Charleston. Carr talks about the terrain around Charleston, along with the climate and crops. He also discusses slaves and plantations, and how this system differs from northern farms. Perhaps the most interesting portions include lyrics of some of the slave songs he heard on the docks (pages 3-5) and a description of street vendors (pages 12-13). Click here to see these pages. These great descriptions give a vivid account of an outsider's view of antebellum Charleston!

Currently, teachers from the 2005 Summer Institutes are incorporating Carr's journal into lessons on slave songs, so check our website for lesson plan ideas using this source next spring!

 

2009 Teaching American History in South Carolina Project. "Statement of Use and Reproduction."