City Directories and History: JONAS BEARD HOUSE
Constructed circa 1805; altered 1980s
“Jonas Beard purchased a thirty-one-year lease on this glebe lot from St. Philip’s Church and, according to lease stipulations, was required to build upon the property within a specified number of years. 114 Wentworth Street, a two-and-a-half-story frame structure, was probably built by Beard as a residence but in the 1850s became a grocery run by John C. Mehrtens. This building and its two-story masonry neighbor at 112 Wentworth Street have been converted into faculty offices by the College of Charleston. The antebellum storefronts were removed, and the corner entry to 114 Wentworth Street was moved to the center of the principal facade at this time.”
Information from: The Buildings of Charleston – J.H. Poston – Author, for the Historic Charleston Foundation, 1997
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
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