Untold Stories
The Untold Stories Tour at the College of Charleston highlights our campus's diverse stories and ongoing evolution. In the past, the College was more exclusionary and did not honor diverse stories and communities. Today, the Committee for Commemoration and Landscapes is committed to using this tour to promote the research of faculty, staff, and students on the stories of women, African-descended, and LGBTQIA+ people who contributed to the advancement of the College and the Harleston Village neighborhood.
Limited Guided Untold Stories walking tours are offered during the academic year. Copy and paste the link below in your browser for registration, dates, and times for guided tours.
https://charleston.edu/commemoration-landscapes/campus-walking-tour.php
Porter's Lodge
Entryway to the College and the Cistern Yard
Completing the design of Cistern Yard, this symbolic entrance to the College has also housed janitors, student clubs, and faculty offices. Its arches welcome incoming students and community members to campus and usher new graduates out at the end of commencement.
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Randolph Hall
The College’s first classroom building
Built 1828-30, Randolph Hall is the signature building of the College of Charleston campus. A National Historic Landmark, the building is one of three historic structures in Cistern Yard, and it appears in the university’s main logo.
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9 College Way
Site of the Book Basement, 1946-71
This building, originally a private residence, and now the home of the College’s Department of Communication, was the site of the Book Basement, a store run by two of Charleston’s most significant gay men of the middle of the 20th century.
Originally constructed circa 1835 and owned by Abiel…
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Black Burial Sites and Memorials on Rivers Green
Commemorating Black Charlestonians on C of C's campus
Over two centuries ago, free people of color buried their dead near this spot. In 2008, the College installed this memorial on Rivers Green, outside Addlestone Library. Nearby, another marker commemorates a beloved librarian and member of Emanuel AME church.
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63 ½ Coming Street/Solar Pavilion
The complex evolution of a landscape occupied by enslaved and free African Americans
The simple address used to identify this historical site on campus reflects a complex and nuanced history that threads its way through the fabric of American society today.
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14 Green Way
Built for an African American during Reconstruction, later served as a women’s residence hall
Decorated with elaborate ironwork and a distinctive cupola, this house was built in 1872 for A.O. Jones, African American and clerk of the South Carolina House of Representatives during Reconstruction.
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The President's House
Bishop Robert Smith House
Today this handsome Georgian mansion with the garden around it serves as the President’s House; it was also the home of the College’s first president over 200 years ago.
The land on which it stands was granted in 1672 to one of the colony’s original settlers, John Coming, whose name is remembered…
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The Unveiling of “Saint Septima”
African American Icon
As a tribute to Clark’s life, a 30-foot mural was installed in 2023 beside the Septima Clark Auditorium. The mural, based on Natalie Daise’s “Saint Septima with Carolina Jasmine,” is also a call to action.
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