City Directories and History: WILLIAM PINCKNEY SHINGLER HOUSES – Constructed 1857 – 59
10 Limehouse Street
“The wealthy cotton factor William Pinckney Shingler bought several lots on the west side of the street in 1856 from the Limehouse family. Within the year Shingler, with the assistance of a master builder, completed the late-Greek Revival style dwelling with a double-tiered, Doric-columned piazza on the south facing the large garden area and a closed gable front with a central tripartite window. A marble staircase with a wrought- and cast-iron railing and brass trim approaches the Rococo Revival style doorway, an indication of the architectural treatment of the lavish interior. The brickwork of the building was originally pointed with a tinted mortar and scored and lined with a white lime mortar, an extraordinary technique used to cause the uneven bricks to appear straight and evenly molded. The extensive brick coping along Limehouse Street is similarly treated and topped by a wooden balustrade. With the death of his wife and a temporary decline in cotton prices in the Panic of 1857, Shingler sold the house a few months after its completion. Tradition holds that within a year he married his late wife’s sister and began construction of a similarly styled but larger-scaled brick dwelling at 10 Limehouse Street. This house has a street-level pedimented doorway with a guilloche molding and a “masked piazza,” a brick wall with false windows shielding a double-tiered piazza from the street. Its former dependency, now a separate dwelling, remains at 12 Limehouse Street.”
Information from: The Buildings of Charleston – J.H. Poston for the Historic Charleston Foundation, 1997
Also click here to see images of #10 Limehouse Street
Other sources: Charleston Tax Payers of Charleston, SC in 1860-61, Dwelling Houses of Charleston by Alice R.H. Smith – 1917, Charleston 1861 Census Schedule, and a 1872 Bird’s Eye View of Charleston, S.C. The Hist. Charleston Foundation may also have additional data at: Past Perfect
Stay Connected
Explore history, houses, and stories across S.C. Your membership provides you with updates on regional topics, information on historic research, preservation, and monthly feature articles. But remember R&R wants to hear from you and assist in preserving your own family genealogy and memorabilia.
Visit the Southern Queries – Forum to receive assistance in answering questions, discuss genealogy, and enjoy exploring preservation topics with other members. Also listed are several history and genealogical researchers for hire.
User comments welcome — post at the bottom of this page.
Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.
Do you have information to share and preserve? Family, school, church, or other older photos and stories are welcome. Send them digitally through the “Share Your Story” link, so they too might be posted on Roots and Recall.
Thanks!
User comments always welcome - please post at the bottom of this page.
Share Your Comments & Feedback: