Many of our manuscript collections include house history information such as building sketches and descriptions, renovation plans, inventories of furnishings, photographs, information concerning property disputes, deeds and titles, and other miscellaneous material. Some of these materials can be found through an address search in the online catalog. For a list of addresses, do a Subject search for the word “Streets” and limit the scope of your search to the holdings of the SC Historical Society and Special Collections. Searching by the name of the property owner or architect is likely the best way to locate any relevant manuscript collections.
Selected Manuscript Collections relating to Charleston and Lowcountry Architecture and Design*
*For a complete search of the online catalog visit our catalog and use appropriate keywords, names, and subjects to investigate holdings.
A.E. Constantine Papers, 1913-1975.
Architectural drawings for several Charleston churches, homes, schools, civic buildings, and businesses.
Albert Simons papers, 1864-1979 (SC Historical Society)
Albert Simons papers, 1908-1977 (CofC)
Architect and preservationist, Albert Simons, served as a lecturer on fine arts at the College of Charleston from 1924 to 1947 and was a prolific architect in 20th century Charleston.
Buist, Moore, Smythe & McGee Title abstract and Plat books, 1854-ca. 1960. Ninety-seven bound volumes containing abstracts of title for properties in downtown Charleston and Charleston County, and to a lesser extent, properties in Beaufort, Colleton, Dorchester, Jasper, Williamsburg, Georgetown, Florence, and Berkeley counties. Please ask to see the Buist Card Index.
Dargan Landscape Architects Records, 1986-2002
Landscape plans for homes in various South Carolina cities, primarily Charleston, Camden, Columbia, and Florence.
John L. McCrady plat collection, 1696 - 1924
This collection consists of over 600 primarily eighteenth and nineteenth century plats (some are copies of earlier plats) pertaining to properties in the Lowcountry.
Joseph D. Taylor papers, 1841 - 1913
Chiefly consist of plats dating from 1841 to about 1910. Most of the properties surveyed were located in Colleton County, principally in and around Adams Run Township in St. Paul's Parish, Colleton County (part of which is now in Charleston County), but there are also surveys of land in other areas including St. Andrew's Parish, Dorchester County, Beaufort County, James Island and Johns Island
H.A.M. Smith papers, 1744-1922
Papers consist of abstracts of property records, research notes, indexes, transcriptions of documents,hundreds of maps and plats, and other items.
Gaillard plat collection, 1835 - 1989
This collection chiefly consists of plats created or collected by the surveying and civil engineering firm of Gaillard & Gaillard, some relating to timber lands and rights. Drawings, some copied or compiled from earlier sources, depict plantations, subdivisions and other properties in the South Carolina counties of Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown, Colleton, Orangeburg and elsewhere. Subdivisions in the Charleston area which are represented include Park Circle (North Charleston), Parkdale, Maryville, and Moreland. The collection also includes a small number of 19th century plats; geographical surveys created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; sketches depicting the location of Huguenot monuments in Berkeley, Jasper and McCormick counties; and a few aerial photographs
Loutrel Briggs Landscape Plans, ca. 1922-1972. Landscape plans for homes all along the East coast, but primarily for downtown Charleston homes. James Cothran’s book Charleston Gardens and the Landscape Legacy of Loutrel Briggs can be a useful complement to the Briggs drawings.
Middleton family artwork, 1803-1867
This collection of measured drawings, ink sketches, pencil drawings, and watercolors that are architectural in scope is attributed to John Izard Middleton.
Photographs for book, Charleston, Come Hell or High Water
These photographs were assembled primarily by Robert N. S. Whitelaw, and the text was prepared by Alice F. Levkoff for a book about the social history, natural disasters, and architecture of Charleston, South Carolina. Many images are classic views of the City, and many of the City's principal buildings are represented in some of the earliest and best photographs of them known to have been taken. A large number of buildings were subsequently damaged or altered, and some no longer survive. The natural disasters include the earthquake of 1886, hurricanes during 1885 and 1911, and a tornado in 1938. The best represented photographers are Frances Benjamin Johnston, George L. Cook, Franklin F. Sams, and Howard R. Jacobs.
Photographs and illustrations for Gems in a Crown, a book about people and places affiliated with the College of Charleston.
Simons and Lapham Architects Records, ca. 1915-1975 (SC Historical Society)
Simons and Lapham Architectural Drawings, 1919-1952 (CofC Special Collections)
Construction and renovation plans for many downtown Charleston properties and rural properties across the region including residences, business, and churches.