Old Slave Mart Museum
Old Slave Mart
A slave auction house built in 1859, the only known surviving slave auction building in South Carolina, now telling the story of the domestic slave trade.
The Old Slave Mart stands on Chalmers Street, on the cobblestones of the French Quarter. After Charleston banned street slave auctions in 1856, merchants set up indoor auction rooms here, which operated until 1863. It is now a municipal museum that uses documents, artifacts, and oral histories to present the domestic slave trade in America and the experiences of those who were sold. The exhibit is modest in size but deeply moving. Admission is about $10, and it is closed on Sundays. Nearby are the Dock Street Theatre and the French Huguenot Church.
Opening hours
Mon–Sat, about 9:00 am–5:00 pm
Nearby sights
- St. Philip's Church
- Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon
- Rainbow Row
- St. Michael's Church
- Waterfront Park & Pineapple Fountain
- Charleston City Market
- Gibbes Museum of Art
- Nathaniel Russell House