“The Importance of Place”

February 10, 2009: Our own Number 6 Chalmers Street is home to what may be the only known “slave mart” remaining in the state of South Carolina. Today, the famous address also provides the perfect venue for The Old Slave Mart Museum, where Curator/Director Nicole Green works diligently to carry out the mission of the museum. Nicole says “our mission is to broaden people’s understanding of Charleston’s role as a slave trading center during the domestic slave trade, which enables us to reach out to our community, and all those whose ancestors’ lives were shaped or changed here”. The museum details history of the building as well as the domestic slave trade from three perspectives; the buyer, the enslaved and the trader (auctioneer, bankers, brokers, etc).

The Building – Until the mid 1800’s, most slave trade was conducted in the streets, however, the crowds became so large that in the mid 1800’s a law was passed that mandated that all slave auctions be held in an enclosed space. In 1853, Thomas Ryan and James Marsh purchased 3 parcels of land to house a complex that would become known as Ryan’s Mart. The first of those properties was 6 Chalmers Street, which served as an entrance to the other two parcels that lie between Chalmers Street and Queen Street. The land housed 3 buildings, a large jail where those waiting to bought and sold were housed, a kitchen, and a building known as a “dead house or morgue”, the complex also had a courtyard enclosed by a brick wall where the auctions took place. In 1859, the complex was sold to Z.B. Oakes who constructed the building as it sits on Chalmers Street today. That building was designed to blend with the existing architecture and provide an office for the continued brokering of slaves. In late 1863, slave auctions ended at Ryan’s Mart and in 1878 Mr. Kerrington converted the “slave jail” into a tenement building. He removed the iron bars and added a balcony to the old jail. In the early 1900’s, Ryan’s Mart became an auto-repair shop and was purchased and turned into a museum in 1938 by Mary Wilson, in 1951 the “jail” was demolished. In 1988 the City of Charleston purchased the building and it opened as the The Old Slave Mart Museum in November of 2007, the museum served over 35,000 visitors during its first year of operation!

The Slave Trade – Trans-Atlantic slave trade moved over 15 million men, women and children from Africa across the ocean, with Brazil receiving over 30% of those enslaved. Only 7% of the enslaved came to America between 1700 and 1775. Charleston was a main port for the trans-Atlantic boats. In 1808 the US Constitution ended our involvement in the trans-Atlantic trade, fueling the domestic trade that moved over 2 million African Americans from the South to the North and out West until the Civil War ended and slavery was abolished. The domestic slave trade was an important to the economic growth of Charleston and the region. Slaves were moved by in groups of 25, by ship and by train, the rail road grew due to slave trading. Traders advertised their slaves for sale and prepared them to bring the best profit by “increasing their daily rations, washing and oiling their skin, dying their hair” and coaching them on discussions with potential buyers. Price was often determined by age and sex, one account suggest that’s today’s equivalent price would be $37,000 for one man. While slavery was treacherous the enslaved made the most of it developing a heritage and culture that would be forever part of history. The Slave Mart Museum provides unique, educational and entertaining exhibits to educate us about the history and importance of slavery to ensure that “we never forget”. Number 6 Chalmers Street, what an important place then and now.

Reported by Elizabeth Wooten Burwell, Keyway Committee