Bee's Row

Copyright: Contact The Charleston Museum Archives for publication quality images and credit instructions.

Description:

Black and white photograph of the detail views of entry doors and stoops of Bee's Row, also known as the Sarah Smith Townhouses, located at 101-107 Bull Street.

Built c. 1853-1854 by Sarah Smith in the Italianate style, the three story row houses were taken over by William C. Bee during the Civil War for his blockade-running firm. On "Bee's Block", he was able to house and sell contraband goods out of the range of Federal guns. The terra-cotta decorations with pedimented window heads and console-bracketed arch door surrounds closely resemble those found on the original St. Johns Hotel (present day Mills House). Each house has endured renovations to retain the original stone mantels and plasterwork. After the war, Sara Smith was the first to live on the row.

Photographer Charles N. Bayless, funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, photographed and recorded the Carolina Lowcountry between 1970 and 1988. The South Carolina Project took place between 1977 and 1979.