Name/Title
58 Tradd Street (Cleland-Wells House)Entry/Object ID
TRADD.058.1Scope and Content
Constructed ca. 1760; renovated 1935-36. Dr. William Cleland, who lived in the single house next door at 60 Tradd Street which was constructed as early as 1727, built this house in about 1760 for his son William. After William's death, the latter house passed in 1778 to the newspaper editor and printer Robert Wells. Wells with his son John operated a newspaper, supposedly in the cellar but probably on the first floor, known as the South Carolina and American General Gazette. As Tories, the Wellses were officially banished, and their house was sold at auction by the sheriff under the 1782 Act of Confiscation. This is a three-story stuccoed single house with a clay-tile, hip roof with one dormer on the street elevation section. Sold in 1782 to a gunsmith, the building was conveyed in 1788 to Isaac Peace of 8 Courthouse Square. These two homes passed through a succession of owners who made interior Victorian alterations. They are rare examples of 18th century architecture that escaped the disastrous fires of that period. On the east side of 60 Tradd Street one can see the original brick cornice at the roofline and corner quoins, as well as the original stucco on the eastern wall. (Poston, Buildings of Charleston.)
Four files contain documentation of the easement on the property including related correspondence and Confirmation of Understanding; Part I certification (National Register); letter regarding easement appraisal (not completed); annual inspection reports, requests for alterations, and correspondence related to the management of the property; sample of original stucco finish; abstract of titles (1785-1935); illustrated notecard featuring 58 Tradd Street (Julia Homer Wilson); photocopies of two Frances Benjamin Johnston photographs (Library of Congress); FOHG house history (2001).
See Easement Documentation Photo Files for easement donation photographs (Exh. B to Deed of Conservation Easement) and Covenant/Easement Inspection Photo Files for inspection photography.Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
TRADD.058.Source or Donor
58 Tradd Street (Cleland-Wells House)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
Tradd Street, Easement Property, Historic buildings--South Carolina--CharlestonArchive Details
Archive Size/Extent
1 Gift Folder
2 Management Folders
1 History/Miscellaneous 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 102Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentLocation
Container
2Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
Related Units of Description: Easement Manager's working filesRelated Publications
Notes
Buildings of Charleston (see Abstract), pg. 147-148Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
June 4, 2012Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 16, 2023