Charleston South Carolina

Room for a Family

Black And White Photography, Laurie, Mobile Photography, Photography

In my previous two posts, Hallway for the Enslaved and Where They Worked and Lived 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.

This image is of a windowless room that housed an entire family.

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”.

The Yorktown

Black And White Photography, Laurie, Photography

The USS YORKTOWN (CV-10) was the tenth aircraft carrier to serve in the United States Navy. Under construction as BON HOMME RICHARD, this new Essex-class carrier was renamed in honor of YORKTOWN (CV-5) sunk at the epic Battle of Midway (June 1942).

The Yorktown was commissioned on April 15, 1943. Known as World War II’s famous “Fighting Lady”, the Yorktown would participate significantly in the Pacific offensive that began in late 1943 and ended with the defeat of Japan in 1945. The ship received the Presidential Unit Citation and earned 11 battle stars for service in World War II. Decommissioned in 1970, the historic ship was towed from Bayonne, NJ to Charleston, SC in 1975 to become the centerpiece of Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum