Nineteen volumes of the City of Charleston Tax Records, 1859-1875, and eight volumes of Ms. 336 Charleston Police Records, 1853-1894 were found in the demolition of the former Vanderhorst Police Station (the Charleston police station from 1908-1974) on St. Philip Street. Dr. Konrad Mark donated them to the Library Society in 1974, where they have been held in our archives waiting to be re-discovered. On finding them, and noting perceivable relevance, Dr. Konrad inquired with several institutions for safe-keeping, finally finding a home at CLS. The records were kept in safe-keeping since that time, and have been cleaned to prevent further damage, but many were unable to be opened, much less transcribed for what we could learn.
With the increase of focus nationally on untold narratives, and exposing new truths of our history, our team went seeking a partner to help us preserve and conserve this valuable primary resource. With the generous support of the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation’s “Broadening Narratives” initiative, CLS has digitized and transcribed over 8,500 pages of these Police and Tax records that cover Charleston from 1855 to 1894. The materials highlight the significance of studying the evolution of law enforcement practices and policies over time, not only to discover how past policing methods shape modern strategies and uncover the societal influences impacting the relationship between law enforcement agencies and communities today, but to also gain insights into the profoundly personal details and pathways that connect the historic antebellum community of Charleston – the daily movements and occurrences of all persons, and on occasion, even the animals, of the Charleston community that may not have been told otherwise. CLS embarked upon this undertaking to broaden representation of the many untapped stories of people, who are typically underrepresented in digital collections for the purpose of thoughtfully contributing to a more complete understanding of Charleston’s history.
To provide insights and discuss the material, we welcome a comprehensive panel of historians, experts and scholars to examine the most important narratives from these twenty-seven volumes of records that documented the daily lives and activities of Charleston’s early inhabitants.
Panelists
About Jacob Steere-Williams:
Jacob Steere-Williams is a historian of epidemic disease, particularly in nineteenth and early-twentieth century Britain and the former British colonies. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and began teaching at the College in 2011. Dr. Steere-Williams is a faculty affiliate with a number of campus programs, including the British Studies minor, the Medical Humanities minor, the Geography minor, the Carolina Lowcountry & Atlantic World Program (CLAW), and the Urban Studies Program. He also works closely with the Waring Historical Library on the campus MUSC, where he currently serves as the Vice-President of the Waring Historical Society.
Professor Steere-Williams is the author of the 2020 book The Filth Disease: Typhoid Fever and the Practices of Epidemiology in Victorian England, published by the University of Rochester Press in the Studies in Medical History series. The Filth Disease is the first book to examine one of the most feared and important epidemic diseases of the nineteenth century, typhoid fever. The book argues that typhoid, a food-and-water borne infectious disease, was a model disease for the emerging field of epidemiology. The Filth Disease explores the everyday practices of epidemiologists in Britain and across the British colonies. It follows how on-the-ground investigations of faulty sewers, leaky house drains, contaminated milk, and polluted waterways forged broader ideas of how to study epidemics and how to make public health change.
His new book project, Carbolic Colonialism, examines the growth and use of disinfectants in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, particularly in colonial India and South Africa during the Third Plague Pandemic.
In addition to a number of scholarly articles and book chapters, Dr. Steere-Williams has actively contributed public-facing essays and op-eds, including in CNN and The Post and Courier. His current public history projects include the Waring Library’s COVID-19 oral history project, “Documenting Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” and the NYU COVID-19 History Working Group.
He has been a consultant on a number of important digitization projects, including a collaboration between the Royal College of Physicians of London and Wiley publishing, to create a digital archive. Of the RCP.
Dr. Steere-Williams also serves as the Associate Editor of The Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, one of the top journals in the field. For years he served as the Book Reviews Editor. He is an active member of the American Association for the History of Medicine, and has served on a number of committees, including the Rosen Prize committee for the best book in the history of public health.
Professor Steere-Williams teaches a number of classes that focus on the history of disease and public health. He also serves as the Director of Graduate Studies for the MA Program in History.
About Kevin Eberle:
Kevin R. Eberle joined the Charleston School of Law faculty as an adjunct professor for two years before becoming interim director of legal writing in 2006. In 2009, Eberle became a full-time Legal Research, Analysis, & Writing Professor.
About Mary Jo Fairchild:
Mary Jo Fairchild is the Research and Instruction Coordinator for Special Collections and Archives at the College of Charleston Libraries. Fairchild holds Master’s degrees in History and Library & Information Science and is a Certified Archivist. Her research interests revolve around archival public services, rare book and bibliographic histories, access and representation in archives and cultural heritage spaces, and critical pedagogy using primary sources. She has contributed to numerous refereed publications including articles and book chapters on using photographs and storytelling to build community in higher ed spaces, studying slavery on college campuses, and archival ethics and transparency.
About the Moderator; Jennifer Comer:
Jennifer Comer, the Director of Development & Membership at the Charleston Library Society, will moderate the panel. Comer has ten years of experience in grant administration, having worked for the Morgan Library & Museum and Bloomberg Philanthropies, both based in New York City.
This event is sponsored by:
Donelly Grant
