Name/Title
Key Fob for the Hampton-Preston Tourist HomeEntry/Object ID
2017.15.5Description
Brown pressboard key fob with metal S-hook. It is embossed with the address for the Hampton-Preston House as well as the number 27, indicating the associated room number.Use
The fob would hold the key to a room for rent and ensured that lost keys would be returned to the boarding house through the United States Post Office.Context
Thomas E. Hair (1895-1976) opened the Hampton-Preston Tourist Home in 1944. The property, equipped with 25 rooms, was one of several boarding houses in Columbia, allowing visitors to stay in the city overnight at a cheaper rate than they would at a hotel. Hair's site was adorned by many antiques in order to provide an ambiance one might expect to feel in a southern home of the 19th century. Eventually, Hair's focus shifted away from this display of antebellum opulence in favor of more modern accommodations to be provide more necessary needs. However, this caused more wear on the home, eventually leading to the Tourist Home's closure in 1966.
Many tourist homes across the country, including the Hampton-Preston Tourist Home, did not rent to Black travelers. In the mid-twentieth century, African Americans commonly utilized the "Negro Motorists Green Book" (published 1936-1966) to locate safe places to stay while traveling.Dimensions
Height
4-1/2 inWidth
1-11/16 inDimension Notes
With chain extendedRelationships
Related Places
Place
Location
Hampton Preston MansionCity
Columbia, South Carolina