Lissa D'Aquisto Felzer's Charleston "Freedman's Cottage" project collection
Collection Overview
Series 1. Charleston "Freedman's Cottage" Property Histories This series holds final reports (some with drafts) written by students in Professor Felzer's preservation course: "Researching Historic Properties,"(ARTH-290). Reports were created in the Spring and Fall semesters of 2006 at the College of Charleston. The detailed property histories are derived from a variety of documents: deeds and indices; Charleston County and City ward books (tax records), and probate records; Charleston City directories; the Freedman's Bank Records; historical maps, plats, and census records. Each report includes a current photograph of the said property.
This series is organized in four (4) sub-series, depicting the geographical sections of Charleston, South Carolina: The Lower Peninsula, The West Side, The East Side and The Upper Peninsula.
Several of the student's property histories are referenced in Felzer's book, The Charleston "Freedman's Cottage": An Architectural Tradition, and are noted as such.
Dates
- Creation: 2006
Creator
- Felzer, Lissa (Person)
Access Restrictions
No restrictions
Copyright Notice
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Historical Note
"Freedman's cottages" are one-room wide, single-story dwellings with side piazzas and a gable roof. They are occasionally described by architectural historians as a subset of the Charleston single house. The homes are considered a prime example of "vernacular architecture," a term for architecture which reflects local needs, traditions, and construction materials. Many cottages have been identified as being built in clusters by developers for rental in the years following the Civil War. By the early 20th century, there were more than one thousand cottages on the upper peninsula.
There is an ongoing debate as to whether the term "Freedman's cottage" is a valid description. Originally these houses were considered solely inhabited by newly freed slaves. Recent literature contends the phase is a misnomer as the homes were built and occupied by people of many ethnicities. For this reason, many refer to these homes as "Charleston cottages."
Lissa D'Aquisto Felzer has a Master of Science in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania, and has been working in this field since 1996. Felzer has worked with the City of Charleston as a Senior Preservation Planner, and as an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston. She is currently a Historic Preservation Consultant and partner with Felzer Consulting, Incorporated in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
Works Cited
"Employee List." Felzer Consulting, Inc. Web. 1 December 2014.
Miles, Suzannah Smith. "So Charleston: Charleston Cottages." Charleston Magazine. Web. 2 December 2014.
"Neighborhood Impact Initiative House Dedication." Historic Charleston Foundation. Web. 2 December 2014.
"Preservation Society buys Charleston Cottage..." Web. Preservation Society of Charleston. 2 December 2014.
Extent
1.7 linear feet (4 archival boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Lissa D'Aquisto Felzer is a former Senior Preservation Planner for the City of Charleston and adjunct professor with the College of Charleston. This collection contains final reports from Professor Felzer's course, "Researching Historic Properties" (ARTH-290) taught at the College of Charleston in 2006. Students were assigned to write detailed property histories of houses identified as "Freedman's cottages." The property histories are derived from a variety of documents: deeds and indices; Charleston County and City ward books (tax records) and probate records; City Directories (Charleston, South Carolina); the Freedman's Bank Records; historical maps, plats, census records and photographs.
The collection is organized by the geographical sections of Charleston, South Carolina: the Lower Peninsula, the West Side, the East Side, and the Upper Peninsula.
Collection Arrangement
This collection contains one series:
1. Charleston "Freedman's Cottage" Property Histories, 2006
Acquisitions Information
Student's final reports/property histories were donated by Lissa D'Aquisto Felzer, 2006.
Processing Information
Processed by Georgette Mayo, December 2014
Edited by Aaron Spelbring,
Encoded by Aaron Spelbring,
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Lissa D'Aquisto Felzer's Charleston "Freedman's Cottage" project collection AMN 1140
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Georgette Mayo
- Date
- December 2014
- Description rules
- Dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture Repository
125 Bull Street
Charleston South Carolina 29424 United States
843-953-7608
averyresearchcenter@cofc.edu