We continue exploring the Aiken-Rhett House and outbuildings this week. This property is extensive, and Historic Charleston Foundation provides an excellent, user-friendly program for visitors to maneuver the main house, outbuildings and grounds.

As this is a museum house owned and operated by Historic Charleston Foundation, there is a $12.00 cost for adults; the cost is well worth the tour.

We will spend the next few posts visiting the area of Wraggborough, a section of Charleston which includes the Charleston Museum which we visited several weeks ago. The property of Wraggborough was owned and named for Joseph Wragg, the father of many children, each of which had a street in the section named for them. Wraggborough includes Elizabeth Street, Mary Street, Ann Street, Charlotte Street, Henrietta Street, Judith Street and John Street.

This is the third of three early 19th century houses nestled within the medical complex on the way to the Ashley River. We've explored the other houses in the last two posts. Again, we're in a marshy area close to the saw and rice mills located close to the Ashley River.

The Lucas House is not dwarfed by the surrounding tall, sterile medical buildings; instead, this house stands out as elegant and imposing...

268 Calhoun Street, an antebellum plantation-style house completed in 1846, was built by banker Edward Sebring. This striking Greek Revival building in the middle of the busy Medical University of South Carolina complex overlooked the Mill Pond across from what is now Calhoun Street. This was a marshy area in 1846 close to the saw mills. Sebring’s house was next door to the house we visited in last week’s post on 274 Calhoun Street.

Several weeks ago we looked at the column ruins of 131 Rutledge Avenue, now known as Cannon Park and named after Daniel Cannon, an owner of saw mills near this area. In fact, the area was named “Cannonborough” after him.

Around the corner on Calhoun Street is 274 Calhoun Street, a two and one-half story cypress double house, built by Daniel Cannon for his daughter. He began construction in 1802; unfortunately, Cannon died not long after construction was started, and the house was finally completed in 1815.

We're going back down Meeting Street to visit 60 Meeting, a three-story, pre-Revolutionary house that is still a single-family residence. Fortunately, we have an easy way to determine what 60 Meeting originally looked like. Simply look at the pink house on the Tradd Street side of 60 Meeting, and you'll see what the house looked like when it was first constructed. I frequently point out this difference between the two structures on my walking tours, as it helps people understand how drastically a façade can change depending on the style.

I visited The Charleston Museum recently at 360 Meeting Street; while I have been there several times, there are always new exhibits, and several of the permanent exhibits had changed. As I wrote last week, The Charleston Museum is the oldest in America, dating from 1773, and its collection is excellent.

On display are two of my favorites from childhood -- the Egyptian mummy and the whale skeleton. 

From my photograph you can see that there is no structure at Cannon Park; however, the site and remaining columns speak to a previous structure.

The property at 131 Rutledge Avenue was originally a pond, later filled in and donated in 1880 to the city as “Cannon’s Mall,” named after Daniel Cannon, an owner of saw mills near this area. Not long after the donation, Charleston hired Frederick Law Olmstead to draw up a landscape design for the property; Olmstead is a name associated with many of the city parks in the United States, notably Central Park in New York. He also laid out the grounds of the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina.

Judge John Faucheraud Grimke started building this house in 1815 at which time he was living at 321 East Bay Street with his many children; Grimke is the father of the famous abolitionist sisters, Sarah and Angelina Grimke. However, it appears that the Grimkes never lived at 95 Rutledge. Grimke sold it to Thomas Bannister Seabrook who completed the construction around 1826.

This week we visit 61 Meeting Street, formerly the 1750’s stable for 59 Meeting Street. Most people would have no idea this house ever housed horses and hay. If you’re ever in town during the annual private homes and gardens tours, check to see if 61 Meeting on tour; if so, make certain you visit this Charleston treasure.