City Directories and History: (Rainey-Camlin House) On December 12, 1870, Joseph Hayne Rainey (1832-1887) was sworn in as a Member of the Forty-first Congress of the United States. This action was a milestone in the American political scene for Rainey was the first black person to serve in the US House of Representatives and served longer than any of his black contemporaries. Local tradition maintains that Rainey was born in this house and lived there until 1846 when the family relocated to Charleston. After the Civil War, Rainey settled in this house and it was from here that he launched his political career in 1867. During his tenure in Congress, it served as his district headquarters and his place of residence when Congress was not in session. He eventually died here in 1887, the house remaining in the family until it was sold in 1896. The 3 x 5 bay residence is an excellent example of the Georgetown single house, set with its narrow end facing the street. It is of particular architectural interest because it retains much of its original interior woodwork. Structural evidence suggests that the house dates from about 1760. The two-and-one-half story frame structure is sheathed with beaded clapboards. It carries a box cornice and a hipped roof broken by hipped dormers. Brick piers support the simple one-story, hip-roofed porch that spans the east elevation of the house. Listed in the National Register April 20, 1984; Designated a National Historic Landmark April 20, 1984. [Courtesy of the SC Dept. of Archives and History] This home is also known as the Forster – Schneider House.
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