'Freedman's cottages' likely a misnomer

Image by Historic Charleston FoundationImage by 20081027house.jpg

"Freedman's cottage" -- the term describes a type of home, and obviously implies a connection with slavery. But that might not be the case.

The Historic Charleston Foundation describes them as:
Small, one-story dwellings with side piazzas, sometimes described by architectural historians as a subset of the Charleston single house. Indeed, they appear at first glance to be a one-story version of this well-studied architectural type. ...

The cottages appear to often have been built in clusters by white developers for rental to newly freed slaves in the years following the Civil War. Obviously, this was a time during which many people needed affordable housing.

But here's the twist: A local preservation planner and author has done some digging and found that most "Freedman's cottages" have few ties to black slaves.

Read more about it at The Post and Courier.

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