A Brief History of Ansonborough
Ansonborough, originally part of Charles Town (renamed Charleston in 1783), stands as the city's first suburb, established by Captain George Anson of the British Navy. Legend has it that Anson acquired the land in 1724 through a poker game victory against Thomas Gadsden, paying 300 pounds sterling—a significant sum equivalent to two years' income. Read more down below!
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- He returned home 4 years later by way of China having circumnavigated the globe but at great expense. Of the 1,854 men under his command, only 188 made it home.
- Anson served in the Navy until the end of his life and received his final promotion in 1761 to Admiral of the Fleet.
- Just before his passing at the age of 65 - he was sent on his final assignment being dispatched to the German coast to gather King George III's soon-to-be bride, Princess Charlotte.
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- Today, most of the existing homes were built of Charleston brick in the mid 1800s.
- Over the next 100 years or so, Ansonborough fell into slum conditions until 1960 when the Historic Charleston Foundation began an extensive rehab of the area.
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- Once the ships arrived, to make room for the goods they were loading, they had to toss the stones overboard.
- The tide would push the stones into the wharf, and after a while, the colonists had means to make "roads"
- Chalmers Street is one of the most photographed streets in SC. It's said to have been so bumpy that it led to a woman going into labor
- Philadelphia Alley was host to many of the cities duels back and is rumored to be haunted by the souls that lost their lives there.
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- The Gardenia is named after Dr. Alexander Garden, a Charleson physician, who first imported the flower from South Africa in 1754
- Charleston was originally settled in 1670 (50 years after Plymouth Rock) and became a city in 1783.
- The first shots of the Civil war were fired in Charleston at Ft. Sumter in 1861
- The pineapple symbol dates back to the 1600s as a symbol of hospitality. Sea Captains would place the pineapples on their porches to welcome guests they hadn't seen since setting sail.
- The College of Charleston is recognized as the oldest municipal college in the U.S.