Name/Title
6 Thomas Street (Legare-Rhett House)Entry/Object ID
THOMAS.006.1Scope and Content
Constructed 1833; restored mid-1980s. This house was built by James Legare in 1833 and sold to Robert Barnwell Rhett, a politician best known for his title the "Father of Secession." In 1863 the Rhett family sold the house to George A. Trenholm of 172 Rutledge Avenue, the wealthy merchant whose ships were used as blockade runners during the Civil War and who became a Confederate secretary of the treasury. Theodore D. Wagner bought the property in 1866 and quickly resold it in 1867 to Thomas M. Hanckel, a trustee for Mrs. Susan H. Hanckel, for $10,000. The Hanckels owned the property for 75 years; they sold the property in 1940 to the Shahid family. The wooden Greek Revival dwelling with flanking bays and 3-story porticoes was built on a high, stuccoed brick basement with brownstone piers. Interesting characteristics of this house are the polygonal bays, which create two large octagonal rooms on each floor.
File contains brief narrative history; newspaper article (1968 DYKYC); house history from Information for Guides of Historic Charleston (1984); historical/chain-of-title research notes; SC Historical Society Tour house history (1964); photocopy of architectural drawings (ground floor plan, first floor plan, study for stair elevation; photocopy of elevations and plans for Hand House (Bristol, PA), a possible prototype for 6 Thomas Street.Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
THOMAS.006.Source or Donor
6 Thomas Street (Legare-Rhett House)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
Thomas Street, Radcliffeborough and Cannonborough, National Historic Landmark, Historic buildings--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 100Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
THOMAS.006.2, THOMAS.006.3Related Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 638-639General Notes
Note
Notes: Image #2 in this record from Civic Services Committee Records, Architectural Inventory, Folder 9, p. 64Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
May 16, 2012Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 16, 2023