Charleston’s historic survey to focus on Black communities

CHARLESTON — Cory France and Katie Quinn tap excitedly on their phones as they stand in front of a row of Freedman’s cottages on Jackson Street that date to the 1890s.

The historians from New South Associates, a cultural resource management firm hired by the city to update its architectural inventory, have spent several weeks documenting Charleston’s historic places and structures, especially those significant to the African American community.

“We want to help protect it,” France said when asked by concerned residents why he’s taking photos of their home.

For the last month, France and Quinn have collected images and other visual details of thousands of properties in Charleston’s historically Black neighborhoods north of Line Street. Anything 50 years or older is being documented, in