Charleston Market and Economy Overview

Charleston's location as a port and its connection to the interior made it a major hub for buying and selling goods.

Products like crops, meat, fish, and handcrafted goods were traded in Charleston's markets.

The market square was a crucial part of Charleston's urban plan, demonstrating its importance.

Charleston borrowed its town planning principles from Philadelphia and European designs, emphasizing the market square.

Planters, merchants, residents, and enslaved African Americans all interacted in Charleston's markets.

Charleston's market served as a meeting place for various groups, showcasing the intertwined aspects of its society.

Charleston's landscape design incorporated the market as a central element, reflecting its significance to the city's function.

The original town plan for Charleston placed the market in a central square, following the model of Philadelphia and European town design.

The plantation economy's reliance on labor resulted in the importation of numerous Africans to South Carolina by 1708, leading to the establishment of a significant African population in the low country.

The African population in the South Carolina low country, isolated from other communities, developed a unique Creole culture known as Gullah, blending African traditions with their new environment.

The Gullah culture draws heavily on African knowledge and traditions, adapting them to the New World setting and creating a distinct cultural identity.

Charleston's markets played a vital role in the city's development, serving as a hub for trade and interaction, shaping the city's economy and urban landscape.

The archaeology of the South Carolina low country reveals the significant role African Americans played in Charleston's market economy, particularly through the Gullah culture.

A cultural landscape reflects the combined work of nature and humans. Charleston, South Carolina, serves as a prime example due to its natural location and human developments, reflecting the city's natural setting and market significance.

Charleston's natural features, such as its location on a peninsula, proximity to rivers, and coastal dune ridge, played a crucial role in its development as a major market hub.

Planters, seeking to manage their workforce, implemented a task labor system that allowed African Americans some autonomy during their non-working time.

African Americans in Charleston engaged in various activities, including hunting, fishing, farming, and crafts, making them active participants in the city's economy.

Charleston's growth and redefinition led to attempts to control African American presence within the city's markets.

Despite efforts to control and redefine the market space, African Americans continue to hold a significant presence in Charleston's landscape.

Charleston's market space underwent restructuring in the 19th century, reflecting the city's efforts to manage its evolving identity and urban landscape.

Charleston's landscape, shaped by both natural features and human intervention, demonstrates the ongoing interaction between nature, culture, and social dynamics.

The Grand Modell for Charleston, designed in 1680, was a blueprint for the city's layout. It envisioned a structured urban space with a central square, indicating the significance of public areas in the city's plan.

Meeting Street, within the walls of Charleston, led to the central square, showcasing the importance of accessibility to this public space.

The Grand Modell in Charleston included a central square that was specifically designed to serve as a market place, reflecting the importance of trade and commerce in the city.

The central square of Charleston was envisioned not only as a marketplace but also as a place where a new market house had been built, indicating the importance of this space for both commercial activities and civic life.

The location of the central square in the Charleston city plan was not a random choice. It was strategically 'appointed, established and laid out' as a market place, highlighting its planned role in the city.

The Grand Modell of Charleston was intended as a plan for a walled city, with a moat and ravelin serving as defensive features, highlighting the emphasis on security in early urban planning.

To access the city of Charleston enclosed by walls, individuals would have to cross a drawbridge after navigating a moat and ravelin, emphasizing the controlled entry and defensive nature of the city.

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Charleston's wall fortification was gradually removed and expanded in the 1730s, reflecting the city's growth and changing security needs.

The faunal remains found in excavations indicate that butchering occurred onsite, likely within the market area.

The market area in Charleston, located near the central square, was used for trading activities from the early 1720s until the construction of the statehouse courtyard in 1753.

The midden deposits near the statehouse courtyard revealed evidence of heavy foot traffic, suggesting that the market was a bustling hub of activity.

The 1739 map by Roberts and Toms depicts the location of the market in Charleston, highlighting its importance within the city plan.

The market area's use as a trading place before the construction of the city square suggests its informal development as a vital economic center for the city.

The faunal remains in the market area included a diverse array of animals, signifying the wide range of goods traded within the city.

The construction of the statehouse courtyard in the 1750s, which covered the original market area, marks a shift in the city's landscape and possibly a move to more formal market structures.

The main market in Charleston where commercial activities were allowed by law and regulated by the city.

Even though the New Market was the official one, people may have traded goods informally in other areas of Charleston's city square.

While the market was open daily, Sunday was the only day it wouldn't be busy.

The name 'Gullah' is thought to come from a Portuguese word for an area including Angola, Congo, and parts of Gabon.

The Gullah-Geechee culture is a blend of African traditions and the environment of the Georgia and South Carolina coast.

The Gullah-Geechee culture is a distinct mix of African traditions and their new environment.

The name 'Gullah' was used in advertisements for enslaved Africans from West Central Africa.

Charleston's markets were important not only for trade but also as places where people from different backgrounds came together.