Old Slave Mart Museum

Old Slave Mart Museum The Old Slave Mart Museum, located at 6 Chalmers St. In the seven decades between the drafting of the U.S. In 1938 Miriam B.

The Old Slave Mart Museum, located at 6 Chalmers St., recounts the story of Charleston's role in this inter-state slave trade by focusing on the history of this particular building and site and the slave sales that occurred here. History
The 1808 ban on the United States' participation in the international slave trade led to a renewed demand for slave labor, which was satisfied, in part, by the cr

eation of a domestic slave-trading system in which Charleston functioned as a major slave collecting and reselling center. Constitution and the Civil War, more than one million American-born slaves were sold away from plantations in the upper South to work the rapidly expanding cotton and sugar plantations in the lower South. In Charleston, enslaved African Americans were customarily sold on the north side of the Old Exchange Building. An 1856 city ordinance prohibited this practice of public sales, resulting in the opening of the Old Slave Mart and a number of other sales rooms, yards, or marts along Chalmers, State and Queen Streets. Possibly the only known building used as a slave auction gallery in South Carolina still in existence, the Old Slave Mart was once part of a complex of buildings known as Ryan's Mart that occupied the land between Chalmers and Queen Streets. The complex consisted of a yard enclosed by a brick wall and contained three additional buildings: a four-story brick building partially containing a "barracoon," or slave jail, a kitchen, and a "dead house," or morgue. Slave auctions at the Old Slave Mart ended in November 1863. The property changed hands many times after the Civil War, and between 1878 and 1937 the building was used as a Negro tenement and as an auto repair shop. Wilson purchased the building, which by then, had come to be known locally as the Old Slave Mart, and established a museum featuring African and African-American arts and crafts. Judith Wragg Chase and Louise Wragg Graves took over the Old Slave Mart in 1964, placed it on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and operated it until its closure in 1987. Recognizing the significant importance the institution of slavery has had in Charleston's history, the City of Charleston acquired the property in 1988.

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05/27/2026

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Before approving a demolition, Charleston City Council wants to learn more about an old building that may have been part of a historic Black dance hall. (Full story below.)

Rooted in Memory: The Gullah Geechee Vision of Jonathan Green opens June 19 and runs through Jan. 24, 2027, bringing tog...
05/27/2026

Rooted in Memory: The Gullah Geechee Vision of Jonathan Green opens June 19 and runs through Jan. 24, 2027, bringing together Green’s vibrant paintings with traditional Gullah Geechee crafts in an exploration of heritage, storytelling and cultural preservation.

The Cameron Art Museum will spotlight the rich traditions and cultural legacy of the Gullah Geechee community in a new summer exhibition featuring acclaimed artist Jonathan Green.

1865 Civil War newspaper engraving captioned "Fort Sumter -- side toward Charleston ; Negro recruits at Charleston ; Lon...
05/27/2026

1865 Civil War newspaper engraving captioned "Fort Sumter -- side toward Charleston ; Negro recruits at Charleston ; Long dock at Hilton Head -- landing of recruits from Charleston."

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05/25/2026

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Today we set aside time to remember the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. Thank you.

All City offices are closed today and will reopen tomorrow.

Chef Carlos Brown has prepared world-class meals for high-profile people like Oprah Winfrey, Jim Carrey, and the Obamas....
05/22/2026

Chef Carlos Brown has prepared world-class meals for high-profile people like Oprah Winfrey, Jim Carrey, and the Obamas. However, when he made the decision to open his restaurant in McDonough, Georgia, his primary goal was to ensure his rich cultural heritage became a local staple.

Chef Carlos Brown has prepared world-class meals for high-profile people like Oprah Winfrey, Jim Carrey, and the Obamas. However, when he made the decision to open his restaurant in McDonough, Georgia, his primary goal was to ensure his rich cultural heritage became a local staple.

1836 engraving captioned "Franklin and Armfield's slave prison".
05/22/2026

1836 engraving captioned "Franklin and Armfield's slave prison".

Sweetgrass basket weaving is one of the most enduring cultural traditions of the Gullah Geechee people, descendants of A...
05/21/2026

Sweetgrass basket weaving is one of the most enduring cultural traditions of the Gullah Geechee people, descendants of Africans enslaved on the rice, indigo and cotton plantations of the southeastern United States. Along coastal regions stretching from Pender County, North Carolina, to St. Johns County, Florida, scholars estimate that hundreds of thousands of people identify as Gullah Geechee across the southeastern coastal corridor. These communities developed a distinct culture shaped by language, foodways, craftsmanship and a deep knowledge of land and water.

Along America’s southeastern coast, descendants of enslaved Africans pass down traditions and knowledge of crafts, ecology and food through generations

Photograph of National Heritage Fellowship winner Philip Simmons taken in 1982.
05/21/2026

Photograph of National Heritage Fellowship winner Philip Simmons taken in 1982.

C. 1899 photograph captioned "Main building of Claflin University, Orangeburg, S.C"
05/17/2026

C. 1899 photograph captioned "Main building of Claflin University, Orangeburg, S.C"

1941 Photograph, original caption reads "1st Army Maneuvers in the Carolinas... These nine musicians, and formerly membe...
05/17/2026

1941 Photograph, original caption reads "1st Army Maneuvers in the Carolinas... These nine musicians, and formerly members of leading colored dance orchestras, are now members of the 41st Engr. Regt., Fort Bragg, N. C., and play with the Regiment dance orchestra. They are L to R: Pfc. Louis W. Carrington, Richmond, Va., Sgt. Rufus, Wagner, Atlantic City, N. J., formerly with Blanch Calloway's orchestra, Pvt. Elmon Simon, Norfolk, Va., formerly with Tiny Bradshaw, Pvt. Teddy Wood, Richmond, Va., formerly with the Roseland Ballroom orchestra of New York City, Cpl. Milton S. Bell, Richmond, Va., formerly with Johnsons' Happy Pals, Sgt. Wilburn Pogue, Wash. D. C., formerly with Duke Ellington and Ethel Waters, and Sgt. Frank Wess, formerly with Blanch Calloway, and in the foreground are (left) Charles L. Anderson of Virginia, formerly with Don Albert, and Pfc. George Wolfe, Atlantic City, N. J., formerly with Ethel Waters. South Carolina."

Address

6 Chalmers Street
Charleston, SC
29401

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18439586467

Website

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