Name/Title
Aiken-Rhett Family and Aiken-Rhett House (48 Elizabeth Street) CollectionEntry/Object ID
ELIZABETH.048.Scope and Content
The Aiken-Rhett House stands alone as the most intact townhouse complex showcasing urban life in antebellum Charleston. Built in 1818 and greatly expanded by Gov. and Mrs. William Aiken, Jr. in the 1830s and 1850s, the house has survived virtually unaltered since 1858. A successful businessman, rice planter, distinguished politician and governor of South Carolina, William Aiken, Jr. was one of the state’s wealthiest citizens. Following a well-established tradition among Charleston’s elite, Governor Aiken and his wife, Harriet Lowndes Aiken, traveled in Europe and returned with magnificent fine art and furnishings. Today, visitors will find many of these objects in the same rooms for which they were purchased. The Aiken-Rhett House remained in the family until 1975 and has been owned by Historic Charleston Foundation since 1995. The foundation has adopted a conservation approach to the interpretation of this important house and its outbuildings.
History of the House: The Aiken-Rhett House was built for Charleston merchant John Robinson in 1817. A typical Charleston double house, the building consisted of a central hallway with 2 rooms on either side. The front door was located on the Judith Street side of the house, where the piazza (a Charleston term for a double porch) is now located. Robinson lived in the Aiken-Rhett House for approximately 8 years. When he lost 5 ships at sea in 1825, he was forced to sell the house to meet his financial obligations. The house became the property of William Aiken, Sr., in 1827. Aiken, an Irish immigrant who accumulated a large fortune as one of the city's leading merchants, used the house as rental property. When he died suddenly in a carriage accident, his vast holdings were divided between his wife, Henrietta Wyatt, and his only son, William Aiken, Jr. In 1833, the young William Aiken and his new bride, Harriet Lowndes, decided to make the house their primary residence and began an extensive renovation of the property. Three main changes took place: the front entrance was moved, the first floor was reconfigured, and a large addition was added to the house. They made it, by all accounts, one of the most impressive residences in Charleston. A 19th century newspaper advertisement described the house as featuring "twelve upright rooms, four on each floor, all well finished, the material of the piazzas and fences all of cypress and cedar; underneath the house are large cellars and storerooms." William Aiken, Jr., ultimately became governor of South Carolina, a member of the U. S. House of Representatives, and one of the states largest slaveholders. He was elected governor of South Carolina in 1844 and became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1851. A second period of renovation at the Aiken-Rhett House took place in the 1850s, when the house's interior was redecorated. The construction of an art gallery in 1857 was the last major alteration to the house. It was built to house the art collection that the Aikens acquired during their travels in Europe. In November 1863, Jefferson Davis visited Charleston for the only time during the Civil War and stayed approximately one week as the Aikens' guest. General P.G.T. Beauregard moved his headquarters to the house, which was out of reach of the heavy Federal bombardment of Charleston, in December. In 1865, Charleston fell to the advancing Union armies. The house was looted, and Governor Aiken was arrested and taken to Washington for trial. He was later released following the intervention of several prominent Northern political leaders whom he had befriended while a member of Congress. William Aiken, Jr., died at his summer home in Flat Rock, North Carolina, in 1887. He left his property to his wife and daughter. Harriet Aiken continued to live in the house until her death in 1892. Her daughter, Henrietta, and son-in-law, Major A.B. Rhett, raised their 4 daughters and 1 son in the house. Upon Henrietta's death, the house was divided between her children and their heirs. Two sons, I'On Rhett and Andrew Burnet Rhett, Jr., continued to live in the house. In 1949, I'On Rhett purchased the interests of the other heirs and lived at the Aiken-Rhett House with his wife, Frances Hinson Dill. Frances donated the property to The Charleston Museum in 1975. The Charleston Museum owned the house until 1995, when Historic Charleston Foundation purchased it. Although Aiken descendants and family members continued to reside in the house until the 1970s, they made minimal alterations to the property in the 20th century.
Note that items related to the Aiken-Rhett House and family span several collections. For example, there are house objects cataloged in the Object catalog, images from other photograph collections in the Photo catalog, architectural drawings, and publications including a Historic Structures Report. See the Related tab and/or search the catalog, e.g., under Aiken-Rhett House or Aiken-Rhett Family. Additionally, many items in given folders span a variety of topics/subjects, e.g., historical information about the house may be contained in biographical documentation, etc.
The documentation contained in catalog records with the ELIZABETH.048. prefix are those materials compiled or produced by HCF from a variety of institutions including the Charleston County RMC's office, Charleston County Probate Court, SC Room of the Charleston County Public Library, SC Historical Society, Charleston Museum, City of Charleston Records Management, Charleston Library Society, Special Collections at the College of Charleston Library, USC South Caroliniana Library, SC Dept. of Archives & History, Library of Congress, and the National Archives. The documents are organized into these general series/categories:
ELIZABETH.048.1: Primary Source Documents (historical, biographical, and architectural primary source material directly relating to the Aiken and Rhett families, and the Aiken-Rhett House, Jehossee Island, and related properties). Note: summaries of the movement of Aiken land holdings on Media tab.
ELIZABETH.048.2: Secondary Source Documents (a variety of items including newspaper articles and articles from popular publications, brochures, house museum documents, timelines, etc.)
ELIZABETH.048.3: Drawings (chiefly comprised of architectural drawings)
ELIZABETH.048.4: Images (photographs and other images) (see Photo catalog)
ELIZABETH.048.5: Miscellaneous Items (includes books, reports, and other documentation related to the Aiken-Rhett House)
ELIZABETH.048.6: Documentation of various restoration and conservation efforts at the Aiken-Rhett House since HCF took ownership of the house.Collection
Aiken-Rhett HouseAcquisition
Accession
ELIZABETH.048.Source or Donor
48 Elizabeth Street (Aiken-Rhett House)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
Elizabeth Street, National Register of Historic Places, Aiken-Rhett House (Charleston, S.C.), Aiken-Rhett Family, Historic buildings--South Carolina--Charleston, Historic house museums--South Carolina--Charleston, Flat Rock (Henderson County, N.C.), Jehossee Island (S.C.)Archive Details
Archive Size/Extent
3.5 lin. ft.Archive Notes
Associated Material: *Charleston County Register of Mesne Conveyance (deeds, ward books, McCrady plats)
*Charleston County Public Library SC Room (Sanborn Maps, vertical files, probate records, City Directories, census records, tax records)
*SC Historical Society (architecture files, maps/plats, family papers, biographical publications, City Directories, WPA Cemetery Index)
*Charleston Museum (see CM Finding Aid under Multimedia Link)
*City of Charleston Records (City Engineer's plat books, City Engineer's ward plats, property files, Sanborn Maps)
*Charleston Library Society (architecture files, family papers, photographs)
*College of Charleston Library/Special Collections (family papers, architectural records)
*USC South Caroliniana Library (family papers, architectural records, manuscripts)
*SC Dept. of Archives & History (Gov. Aiken's letters to the General Assembly, preservation papers, Charleston Court of Equity papers, other manuscripts)
*Library of Congress (HABS documentation/photos, other photos) (search for both Aiken and Robinson)
*National Archives (photographs of Gov. Aiken, etc.)
*Clemson Historic Preservation Graduate Student Thesis (2011): Ambition's apex: the private art gallery of the Aiken-Rhett House by Christine A. Mathieson. Clemson University Library (available on PDF).
Finding Aids: ARH Finding Aid; Charleston Museum's Finding Aid (linked to this record)
Level of Description: FondsLocation
Location
Shelf
ARH ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentDate
February 7, 2023Location
Container
Document BoxShelf
ARH Shelves, ARH ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Aiken FamilyPerson or Organization
Rhett FamilyPerson or Organization
Robinson, John (and/or family)Related Entries
Notes
2004.003.019, 2007.002.0076, 2007.012.1, ELIZABETH.048.1, ELIZABETH.048.2, ELIZABETH.048.2.1, ELIZABETH.048.2.2, ELIZABETH.048.3, ELIZABETH.048.3.01, ELIZABETH.048.3.02, ELIZABETH.048.3.03, ELIZABETH.048.3.04, ELIZABETH.048.3.05, ELIZABETH.048.3.06, ELIZABETH.048.3.07, ELIZABETH.048.3.08, ELIZABETH.048.3.09
Related Units of Description: In addition to the items cataloged with the ELIZABETH.048. prefix, see also various photograph collections; catalog records for objects at the Aiken-Rhett House; Earthquake Damage Report; and HCF brochures, annual reports, and invitations. As additional related items are cataloged, they will have the subject heading Aiken-Rhett House and/or Aiken-Rhett Family. See the Related tab.
See also Wiliam Aiken House (456 King Street) file.Related Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 605-606Provenance
Notes
Custodial History: The information contained in much of this collection was originally compiled in 2001 by former HCF employee Carrie Albee and has been added to over time. Her research methodology was to obtain good quality copies of significant documents from various research institutions (see Allied Materials tab), and then to organize the information into 3 categories (primary documents, secondary documents, administrative documents), which, to date, have not been reorganized. As additional information and documentation has been obtained, it has been incorporated into the collection.Copyright
Notes
May need to obtain permission to reproduce for some items, in particular Charleston Museum items (photos, etc.).General Notes
Note
Notes: ARH history in Scope & Content from HCF website.
See also graduate thesis Gothic Revival Outbuildings of Antebellum Charleston, South Carolina, by Erin Marie McNicholl (2010).
ARH is 12,900 sq. ft.
1886 Earthquake Damage Assessment on Media link.
Field 01: https://www.google.com/maps/place/32%C2%B047%2729.2%22N+79%C2%B056%2705.3%2Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
May 25, 2007Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023