What Is the Old Slave Mart Museum?
Once an auction house for selling folks into slavery, today, this is America’s longest running slavery museum!
What Makes It Historical?
This commercial building was built in 1853 as part of the enterprise of former sheriff, Thomas Ryan, and James Marsh, and was originally called Ryan’s Mart. Today, it’s South Carolina’s only extant slave auction gallery, built in a combination of Gothic and Romanesque revival styles. At the time, Charleston was a major slave port, and 35-40% of enslaved folks entered the United States through this city!
Originally, Ryan’s Mart was a complex of four buildings and three lots. There was a jail called a barracoon for holding new arrivals before they were sold into slavery and a morgue for those who didn’t make it that far. These were demolished in the late 19th Century, when this property was used for tenement housing, then a sales room for cars in 1922, and finally the oldest museum about slavery, run by descendants of enslaved folks, which opened its doors in 1937!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
- Volunteer with the Historic Charleston Foundation!
- Donate to the Avery Research Center!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
6 Chalmers St
Charleston, SC 29401
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM!