In my previous post, Hallway for the Enslaved, I told of visiting the Aiken-Rhett House in Charleston. Purchased by the Historic Charleston Foundation in 1975, the house is being “preserved as found” and represents a stark example of the wealthy vs the urban enslaved, c 1820s.

From the website we learn that “while many dependency buildings in Charleston have been demolished or adapted, the Aiken-Rhett House’s kitchen, laundry and quarters – with their original paint, floors and fixtures – survive virtually untouched since the 1850s, allowing visitors the unique chance to better comprehend the every-day realities of the enslaved Africans who lived on-site, maintained the household and catered to the needs of the Aiken family and their guests”.