Name/Title
4 St. Michael's Alley (The Robert Collins House)Entry/Object ID
STMICHAELS.04.01Scope and Content
The Charleston County Real Property Database lists the home's date of construction as 1750. However, a fire insurance map, Iconography of Charleston, published in 1788 depicts a small wooden building in this site. It may have been an outbuilding for a larger home facing Broad Street. In a plat dated August 10, 1813, the current masonry home is depicted. So it is believe the home was built between 1788-1798. Robert Collins was the great-grandson of Mary Fisher Crosse and owned the property in the late 1700s. He may have built the home before his death in 1799.
St. Michael’s Alley connects Meeting Street and Church Street, just south of Broad Street. It began as a cut through. It first appears with this name in a deed dated August 29, 1771 and then in the S.C. Gazette in 1784, then it is referred to as Elliott Street from 1805-1812 in a City Ordinance. The alley underwent a transformation after noted preservationist Susan Pringle Frost bought and restored three houses along St. Michael’s Alley about 1915, and, in the process, transformed it into the charming alleyway that locals and tourists alike enjoy strolling down. She purchased 4 St. Michael's Alley June 23, 1913 for $10 from Sidney S. Riggs. Mr. Riggs had purchased the property for the same price in March 1913. At that point, the home was s in a very dilapidated condition and the crumbling stucco revealed the front was was made of Bermuda stone.
File contains a property history report by Robert P. Stockton 4 St. Michaels Alley Historical Notes (2005); News and Courier letter to the editor from Susan Pringle Frost that refers to her restoration efforts on St. Michael's Alley at 4, 6, 8 ("Miss Frost Tells History of her Restoration Work," 2/24/1941); A biography of Mary Fisher Crosse from the Find a Grave website (Copyright 2020/Printed 2025). Crosse was an early Quaker preacher and missionary. She owned the lot (No. 71 on the Gran Modell) at the time of her death in 1798. She acquired the property, perhaps for her church, from Captain John Clapp who was also believed to be a Quaker.Location
Location
Container
PF Box 113Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentDate
May 7, 2026Create Date
May 7, 2026Update Date
May 7, 2026
