Charleston City Directories are helpful in tracing the ownership and use of a certain property over time. Special Collections and the SC Historical Society Archives hold Directories beginning with the year 1780 through the 21st century. Many volumes of the Charleston City Directories are available in the onsite Reading Room. Some Charleston City Directories are only available through microform and the Lowcountry Digital Library. A complete listing of City Directory holdings - including publishers, dates, format, and storage location - is available via the Discovery Service. See below for additional instructions.
The Lowcountry Digital Library contains digital surrogates of Charleston City Directories for 1782, 1785. 1790, and 1801.
HathiTrust also includes electronic versions of selected Charleston City Directories:
1852: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009605381
1878/1879: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100498891
1881: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100498891
To search or browse catalog records for Charleston City Directories held by the College of Charleston Libraries, Special Collections, and the SC Historical Society Archives, conduct an advanced search by SUBJECT "Charleston (S.C.) -- Directories" in the Discovery Service:
The directories do not include street indexes prior to 1890 (with the exception of 1840-41 which has a street cross index). Prior to that year, the directories only include a surname index of residents.
By the 1940s, the directories begin to include outlying areas of Charleston, such as the Navy Base/North Charleston, East of the Cooper, and West of the Ashley. In some 1940s and 1950s editions, the suburb areas of Charleston are indexed in separate sections, so researchers should take care to note what locality they are searching under.
Beginning in 1905, African American and White residents are segregated into separate resident indexes. This separation is not reflected in the street indexes. As many of the neighborhoods of Charleston were integrated, black and white residents will appear side by side in the street/address section of the directory.
The directories typically include a key to abbreviations for occupations and business listings. One of the most common abbreviations in the antebellum directories is FPC, which denotes a free person of color. From the end of the Civil War until 1905 when the directory listings were segregated, a C will often appear next to a name, which notes that the person was “colored.” There is no distinction between mulatto or black residents under the C heading.
In 1936, city directories began to list telephone numbers. By the 1970s, the directories include much of the Greater Charleston area, including Ladson, Goose Creek, and Adams Run.
Information Courtesy of The Charleston County Public Library. For additional information and to access CCPL directories, visit https://www.ccpl.org/city-directories.
*The SC Historical Society also holds Columbia City Directories on microform.
Charleston City Directories on Microform | ||
Call # | Description/Title | Year |
56-265 | 1782- Charleston, S.C. The Charlestown Directory | 1782 |
56-266 | 1785- The Charleston Directory | 1785 |
50-13 | 1790 Charleston City Directory | 1790 |
56-267 | 1790- Charleston, S.C. The Charleston Directory | 1790 |
56-268 | 1794- Charleston, South Carolina | 1794 |
45-245 | Clarke's Charleston Directory, 1796 | 1796 |
56-270 | 1801- Charleston, S.C. Charleston Directory | 1801 |
56-271 | 1802- Charleston, S.C. New Charleston Directory | 1802 |
56-272 | 1803- Charleston, S.C. A Directory for 1803 | 1803 |
56-273 | 1806- Charleston, S.C. Directory and Almanac | 1806 |
56-274 | 1807- Charleston, S.C. Directory for 1807 | 1807 |
56-275 | 1809- Directory for District of Charleston (S.C.) Collected by Richard Hrabowski | 1809 |
56-276 | 1813- Charleston, S.C. A Directory of the City and District of Charleston | 1813 |
56-277 | 1816- Charleston, S.C. Charleston Directory and Stranger's Guide | 1816 |
56-278 | 1819- Charleston, S.C. The Directory and Stranger's Guide for the City of Charleston | 1819 |
56-279 | 1822- Charleston, S.C. The Directory and Stranger's Guide for the City of Charleston | 1822 |
50-274-1 | Charleston Directory 1822 | 1822 |
56-280 | 1824- Charleston, S.C. Directory and Stranger's Guide for the City of Charleston | 1824 |
56-281 | 1829- Charleston, S.C. Directory of the City of Charleston | 1829 |
56-282 | 1831- Charleston, S.C. Directory and Stranger's Guide for the City of Charleston | 1831 |
50-274-2 | Charleston Directory 1831 | 1831 |
45-89 | Charleston, S.C. Directory 1835 | 1835 |
56-283 | 1835-36- Charleston, S.C. The Charleston Directory | 1835-1836 |
56-284 | 1836- Charleston, S.C. Supplment to Charleston Directory | 1836 |
56-285 | 1837-38- Charleston, S.C. Charleston Directory | 1837-1838 |
56-286 | 1840-41- Charleston, S.C. Charleston Directory | 1840-1841 |
50-274-3 | Charleston Directory 1849 | 1849 |
56-287 | 1849- Charleston, S.C. A Directory of the City of Charleston and Neck | 1849 |
56-288 | 1852- Directory of the City of Charleston, Published by J.H. Bagget | 1852 |
56-289 | 1855- Charleston, S.C. The Charleston City and General Business Directory | 1855 |
56-289A | 1856- Charleston, S.C. | 1856 |
50-274-4 | Charleston Directory 1856 | 1856 |
50-274-5 | Charleston Taxpayers 1859 | 1859 |
56-290 | 1859- Charleston, S.C. The Charleston Directory | 1859 |
56-291 | 1860- Charleston, S.C. Directory of the City of Charleston | 1860 |
50-274-7 | Charleston Directory 1867-1868 | 1867-1868 |
45-327 | Charleston, S.C. City Directories | 1866-1873 |
45-328 | Charleston, S.C. City Directories | 1873-1878 |
45-329 | Charleston, S.C. City Directories | 1879-1881 |
45/360-01 | City Directory of Charleston | 1882-1884 |
45/360-02 | City Directory of Charleston | 1885-1886 |
45/360-03 | City Directory of Charleston | 1886-1887 |
45/360/04 | City Directory of Charleston | 1888-1890 |
45/360/05 | City Directory of Charleston | 1891-1893 |
45/360/06 | City Directory of Charleston | 1894-1895 |
45/360/07 | City Directory of Charleston | 1896-1897 |
45/360/08 | City Directory of Charleston | 1898 |
45/360/09 | City Directory of Charleston | 1899-1900 |
45/360/10 | City Directory of Charleston | 1901 |
45/360/11 | City Directory of Charleston | 1902-1903 |
45/360/12 | City Directory of Charleston | 1904-1906 |
45/360/13 | City Directory of Charleston | 1907-1910 |
45/360/14 | City Directory of Charleston | 1911-1913 |
45/360/15 | City Directory of Charleston | 1914-1916 |
45/360/16 | City Directory of Charleston | 1917-1919 |
45/360/17 | City Directory of Charleston | 1920-1921 |
45/360/18 | City Directory of Charleston | 1922-1923 |
45/360/19 | City Directory of Charleston | 1924-1926 |
45/360/20 | City Directory of Charleston | 1927-1928 |
45/360/21 | City Directory of Charleston | 1929-1930 |