Name/Title
Chalmers Street (Beresford Alley)Entry/Object ID
CHALMERS.GEN.01Scope and Content
Chalmers Street: Chalmers Street, the longest remaining cobblestone street, has had various names. The block from Union (now State) to Church was early called Union Alley, and after he purchased property on it in 1757, was called Chalmers Alley after Dr. Lionel Chalmers. Dr. Chalmers (1715-1777), a Scot, studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh before settling in SC where he became one of the leading physicians and was associated with Dr. John Lining (see 106 Broad). He was a scientist who, like Lining, recorded weather observations and published the results in London in 1776. His work on tetanus was published in the Transactions of the Medical Society of London (1754) and his Essay on Fevers was published in Charles Town (1767). He corresponded with leading European scientists, as did Lining and Dr. Alexander Garden of Charles Town. The great fire of 1778 destroyed Chalmers’ residence in the alley. It was on the north side; otherwise its location is uncertain. The continuation of the thoroughfare, from Church Street to Meeting was Beresford Alley (see below), named for Richard Beresford, a Wando River planter who in 1715 left his large estate for the establishment of a free school. Forty years after the Revolution, the two alleys were widened, paved and merged into one street under the name Chalmers Street.
Beresford Alley: Presently called Chalmers Street, John Beresford. Lot 43 of "Modell" on West Side of Church Street & 2nd lot North from Broad Street granted to him, March 22, 1682 (1725 lot plat of C.T.) (Source: Charleston Streets website)
File contains newspaper articles (1935, 1957 DYKYC) (1957 DYKYC contains information about 26 Chalmers and 28 Chalmers); research notes (staff?) on Beresford Alley; page from Charleston Census listing Chalmers Street residents (date not indicated); information from the City of Charleston about the gas street lights on Chalmers Street..Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
CHALMERS.GEN.Source or Donor
Chalmers Street (Beresford Alley) (General)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
LOC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials
Cobblestone streetsSearch Terms
Chalmers Street, Streets--South Carolina--CharlestonArchive Details
Archive Size/Extent
1 File FolderArchive Notes
Finding Aids: Index to Property Files
Level of Description: FolderLocation
Location
Shelf
Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentDate
February 7, 2023Location
Container
PF Box 18Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
2011.015.87, 2020.005.19, CHALMERS.009.1a-b, CHALMERS.GEN.02, CHALMERS.GEN.03a-fCreated By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
August 7, 2006Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 16, 2023