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HPCP 199: Introduction to Historic Preservation: City Directories

Research resources for students of HPCP 199

What are City Directories?

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.

Online Access

 

Charleston City Directories on the Lowcountry Digital Library

The Lowcountry Digital Library contains digital surrogates of Charleston City Directories for 1782, 1785. 1790, and 1801.

  

Walsh's Charleston City Directory

Locating Charleston City Directories in the Discovery Services

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: 

 

Helpful Tips for Using Charleston City Directories for Research

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.

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