Entry No. 11 — the Charleston file — filed under: history

Old Slave Mart Museum

The last surviving building in South Carolina constructed specifically as an indoor slave auction gallery, opened in 1859 inside Ryan's Mart after the city banned public slave sales — its octagonal pillars and arched entrance once framed the sale of human beings on a cobblestone alley a block off Meeting Street.

The move: Walk Chalmers Street's cobblestones to the museum, go through the auction-gallery exhibits together, then sit with what you learned over coffee nearby before talking it through.

• 📍 French Quarter, Charleston
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 6 Chalmers St, Charleston, SC 29401

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Wikipedia · Official site

last checked: 2026-07-20