Property Research of 9 Fulton Street

Charleston's Fourth Ward:

This existed within the city’s Ward 4, an area that was bounded to the north by Calhoun Street, to the south by Queen Street, to the east by King Street and to the west by Rutledge Avenue. The boundaries continued to alter and expand as the city grew. Altogether, it early on consisted of a mixture of German and Jewish residents, free and enslaved African Americans, and later, a system of vice and prostitution that inhabited this part of the city until the early decades of the twentieth century. 

1790 Iconography Map of Charleston:

According to the 1790 Iconography Map of Charleston, which denotes the presence of buildings through the use of black rectangular boxes displayed along the streets, 9 Beresford (later Fulton) did not exist at that time. The south side of Beresford Street had a single row of buildings that primarily were housed within the middle of the street between Archdale and King and clusters of buildings flanked both sides.

1838 Plat - Eckhard Estate:

The first record of ownership for this particular property begins with an 1838 plat, where the property was shown as belonging to the Estate of George Eckhard on the south side of Beresford Street. In the early decades of the twentieth century, the street name was changed from Beresford to Fulton, likely as an effort to disassociate it from its troubled past. On the plat, the land was shown as vacant, with no buildings on site. Beside Eckhard, Abraham Ottolengui’s name had been written in, to show new ownership. 

Estate Sale & Ownership:

On April 8, 1846, an article appeared in the Charleston Courier, wherein the land was being sold as a part of the Estate of George Eckhard by his Executors. It described it as “All that vacant Lot of Land, situated on the south side of Beresford, near King Street, measuring about 62 feet front and 83 feet deep.” 

On December 12, 1850, Abraham died. 

By 1852, Abraham Ottolengui was still listed as the owner of 7 and 9 Beresford Street in the Charleston Ward Books. This was because of the previous stipulation found within his will that barred all division of the estate and future property sales. Abraham Ottolengui’s estate continued to pay for the property located at 9 Beresford after his death, proving that the purchase of the land and construction of the building took place between 1846 and 1852.

1852 Bridgens Allen Map Comparison:

In the 1852 Bridgens Allen Map, 9 Beresford butted up to its neighboring properties, 7 and 5 Beresford. It had a wide setback from the street and the exterior did not extend as far back on the property line as later accounts convey. The changes are apparent when looking at a side-by-side comparison of the 1852 Bridgens Allen Map and the 1888 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map.

1872 Bird's Eye View of Charleston:

The 1872 Bird’s Eye View of Charleston, one of the earliest drawn maps, offered the first depiction of the property to where features were displayed. It was represented as a two-story structure with a gable roof on the south side of Beresford, nestled between what appears to be 7 and 11 Beresford.

1884 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Charleston:

In the 1884 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 9 Beresford was listed as a two-story brick tenement building with a double covered piazza. Much of the property line had not been developed at this time.

1886 Charleston Earthquake:

The 1886 Charleston Earthquake Committee Records listed 9 Beresford as a brick dwelling with a tin roof under the ownership of O. A. Moses. All facades were repaired, and the chimney rebuilt. The total cost of the repairs was $273. The recommendations stated, “Now OK”. No applications for federal money were ever submitted nor any plaster work. This article shows that Beresford and Princess Streets were barricaded pending repairs, highlighting the destruction of the quake. 

1888 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Charleston:

In the 1888 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 9 Beresford was shown as a two-story brick dwelling with a double-covered piazza.

1902 & 1944 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Charleston:

By 1902, there was no change reported apart from two additional wooden structures beside and behind the property. The first outbuilding to the side was one-story and squared while the structure directly behind it was an irregularly shaped building containing one-story that transitioned into two-stories. It is assumed that the first floor of this addition was an irregular shaped piazza that connected to the two-story structure.  

In 1930, the deed listed the property as 7 and 9 Fulton Street, formerly Beresford, highlighting the transition from Beresford to Fulton. However, maps would continue to use Beresford as they were copies of the previous versions and updated with stickers. 

In the 1944 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, the only noticeable change to 9 Beresford was the extension of the double covered piazza that wrapped around to the exterior of the structure. Within the property, there were two wooden frame outbuildings added with metal cladding to the exterior.

1951 & 1955 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Charleston:

There were no visible changes to the 1951 or 1955 Sanborn Maps.

Plat of George C. Birlant:

On Feb 2, 1970, George Birlant had a plat drawn up by W.L. Gaillard. The plat showed no visible changes to the structure aside from an additional entrance that was added to the side of the piazza. 

Gone But Not Forgotten:

The property fell into disrepair over the next few decades, likely affected by Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

From the surviving photos, 9 Beresford was a two-story Charleston Single House with a double covered piazza designed in the Federal style. The stucco covered structure was two bays wide on the first and second floors on the front facade and five bays deep on the side of the building with a central doorway and transom window above it. The windows consisted of double-hung wooden frames and no panes were present. Above it, dentils lined the parapet flat roof. The exterior consisted of two bays on the first and second floors. The exposed brick in a 5:1 common bond, revealed a jack arch above the wooden white casement frame of the doorway.

Organizations around the city, including Historic Charleston Foundation, opposed any and all demolition. Despite all attempts to preserve it, the building was lost in late 1992.

Timeline Breakdown:

1838 - Estate of Eckhard

1846 - 1850 - Abraham Ottolengui purchased the property

1852 - Ward Book for A. Ottolengui

April 5, 1860 - Trustee of Aaron A. Moses & Judith A. Moses

1883 - Ottolengui Moses inherited property

1906 - Ottolengui Moses willed the property to Augusta Wray & Julian Florian

March 14, 1930 - Augusta Wray & Julian Florian sold to Kingclif Real Estate

April 14, 1930 - Kingclif Real Estate sold to Samuel Solterie

March 1, 1932 - Samuel Solterie willed the property to Ruth Frances Solterie 

October 31, 1932 - Ruth Frances Solterie sold to Margaret Simpkins

January 25, 1945 - Margaret Simpkins willed the property to Mabel Diggs 

April 20, 1970 - Mabel Diggs sold to George C. Birlant 

October 1, 1971 - George C. Birlant willed the property to Marian B. Slotin

November 29, 2007 - Marian B. Slotin sold to Andrew B. Slotin

The Ottolengui Family:

The Ottolengui's were a Jewish-American family within Charleston, SC that had migrated to the United States from Italy in the mid-1700s. Abraham Ottolengui, the first owner of 9 Beresford, was an established merchant, and auctioneer within the City and resided on the north side of Vendue Range. With his wife Sarah, he had seven children. He served as President of the Hebrew Congregation of Beth Elohim for twelve years and Trustee for thirty years and served as Director of the Union Bank from 1843 to 1850. 

According to the 1830 U.S. Federal Census, Abraham owned six female slaves. By 1840, that number climbed to 32 slaves of which 18 were males and 14 were females. In 1850, Abraham died. His wife Sarah received the entirety of the household furniture and four slaves of her choosing in return for relinquishing her dower. No slaves were left to his children according to official documents, but this did not exempt them from owning their own. T. Ottolengui, (perhaps an unknown relative) owned five slaves in 1859. By 1860, Israel Ottolengui owned two slaves while his brother Jacob Ottolengui owned five. 

Daniel Ottolengui:

Daniel Ottolengui was not recorded as a slaveholder, but held no distaste for the profession. After the Civil War, he relocated to New York where he wrote short stories that promoted caricatures and stereotypes of African Americans and mocked the abolitionist tones of Norwood & Behind the Scenes, written by Henry Ward Beecher, the brother to well-known abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe. A clipping from Daniel Ottolengui’s personal scrapbook recorded a poem called Blackbird, which was a copy of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven that had been reworked to include Confederate rhetoric and racist imagery. 

The Blackbird

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary. O’er the war of the rebellion and the things that were before. While I sat absorbed in thinking - brandy cocktails slowly drinking. Suddenly I saw a blinking one-eyed figure at my door. Saw a one-eyed winking blinking figure at my door. Standing there and nothing more.

Here, Daniel had removed the raven and inserted his own racist views of African Americans. 

The women of the Ottolengui family were not as well documented. There were no records of Judith, Hester, or Rinah owning slaves. However, slavery was an established system within the south and certainly Charleston, so the potential cannot be excluded entirely. The Ottolenguis like many immigrant families that worked and resided in the American South held onto their own cultural ties and customs while also embracing southern ideologies.

Judith & Aaron Moses & Ottolingue Moses: 

In 1857, Aaron Moses, husband to Judith Moses, had formed a partnership with Geo W. Drake of Alabama, taking over the previous merchant store located at the Central Wharf within Charleston, South Carolina. In 1860, Judith and Aaron inherited 9 Beresford, but never occupied the residence. By 1880, the family had moved to New York. In 1883, Judith passed away as the result of a stroke. Her husband joined her only a decade later in 1893. They are both buried in the Coming Street Cemetery. 

Ottolingue Aaron Moses inherited the property following the death of his father. He rented 9 Beresford out as each had done before. 

Timeline of Madames:

Madame Bell Scott - 1890

Madame Belle Robinson (Roberson) - 1893, & 1894

Madame India Osborne - 1895, & Briefly in 1896

Madame Agnes Campbell - 1896 - 1903

Madame Rita Brown (Riedie Brown) - 1904

Madame Violet Hastings - 1905

Madame Mamie Williams - 1906 - 1917

India Osborne, 9 Beresford's First Madame:

On December 24, 1896, a publication appeared in the Charleston News & Courier, where charges had been made against India Osborne by Sallie Bradegan, a former lodger of 2 Clifford. Miss Bradegan claimed that she had been thrown out of the house. The paper stated that Bradegan had complained to the police of her keeping a disorderly house and disliked the activities within the house. In response to this, the following was received by India Osborne. 

“To the Editor of the News and Courier: 

Be kind enough to allow me to correct the statement in your paper of the ___ to the effect that I had been arrested for keeping a disorderly house and putting one of the girls out in the streets. The fact is that the girl in question voluntarily left my house and having heard that she intended to try and force me to pay her expenses back to her home over to the Recorder. However, I merely want you to correct the statement that I was arrested for keeping a disorderly house and putting a strange woman on the street; which is entirely erroneous, and I trust you will do me the justice to correct the same. 

India Osborne”

The case was continually pushed back and Sallie Bradegan was sent home to New York, resulting in her eventual release and bail. 

Madame Agnes Campbell: 

Madame Agnes Campbell was recorded in the Evening Post on February 26, 1898, for running a disorderly establishment and refusing to listen to the authorities. She accused a police officer, Private Stoppelbein, of partaking in drink and dance within her house.

Here, she stated,“He was drunk.” “and every word he has uttered is false. He came to my house last night while on duty and asked for a bottle of beer. I did not have any but sent out and got him a bottle and he drank it in my house.” This was met with a smirk by the officer, and she replied, “Oh, you need not laugh, you know you did.” She further stated, “After he drank the beer, he went into the room where the dance was in progress and took a whirl or turn over the floor.” The newspaper article ended with a note about Agnes, essentially calling her a troublemaker.

Private Stoppelbein Dropped from Police Force:

The following day, Private Stoppelbein was let go from the police force following the testimony of Driver Campbell, the driver of the police wagon, who admitted to being intoxicated while on duty. With this admission of guilt, the Recorder terminated both Campbell and Stoppelbein and was ordered to turn in his billy and badge. Considering the case closed, the Recorder fined Agnes Campbell for providing dancing and loud music during the hours of 3am within her house.

1900 U.S. Federal Census:

By 1900, Agnes Campbell was listed in the Federal Census as running a boarding house. Here, also was Kate Wilson, listed as a lodger, Nellie Davis, housekeeper, Maggie Busk, a salesman, and Anna Harris and Mattie Knight, both listed as seamstresses. Additionally, Campbell employed Pearly McKenney, Amelia Tuttle, Edna Wallace, and Marie Hall as dressmakers.

1902 Charleston Blue Book:

In 1902, Madame Agnes Campbell listed an ad within the Charleston Blue Book, a local pamphlet that advertised entertainment of all sorts (prostitution is assumed) to eligible gentlemen. The pamphlet seems to have been geared especially to male visitors to the 1902 SC West Indian Exposition taking place at what is now Hampton Park. Only one name was repeated from the earlier census document, Nellie Davis, though she was listed in the Blue Book as Nettie Davis. Nellie Davis was originally listed as a housekeeper and later, an entertainer or prostitute.

After Agnes Campbell left, Madame Rita Brown (sometimes referred to as Riedie Brown) stepped into her shoes. Starting in 1904, for one year only, she was the madame of the house. Interestingly, Miss Ridia Brown was listed as an entertainer in the Charleston Blue Book in 1902. This portrayed how women could and would move up the ranks from prostitute to madame. In 1905, Madame Violet Hastings took over for Rita at 9 Beresford. She, too, was once employed under Agnes Campbell and listed in the 1902 Charleston Blue Book. 

Madame Mamie Williams:

The last madame that was known to reside at 9 Beresford was known as Madame Mamie Williams, otherwise known as “Blackhead Mamie” and lived there from 1906 - 1917. On November 7, 1908, in the News & Courier, Mamie Williams was listed as living in the “Tenderloin district”, a term that no doubt referred to the area that partook in all sorts of malice. She feared for her life and requested that the police lock a man up that had made threats against her. The police agreed to do this, but also arrested her for being a disorderly person. Madame Mamie Williams, despite living at 9 Beresford for 11 years, there were no further articles written referencing her or her establishment. 

New Law Enacted:

As previously stated, local organizations continually pushed back against prostitution in an attempt to clean up the city in the early twentieth century but were held back at every step. It is theorized that this was because of the men that were in power, either on Broad Street or within office, to ensure that these establishments continued to survive. On May 17, 1942, the General Assembly ratified a motion to illegalize the act of prostitution. Following this, every act of prostitution was criminalized, setting a precedent and abruptly ending brothels in Charleston.