THE SHREWSBURY HOUSE (c.1809) 40 Laurens Street Charleston, SC
40 Laurens Street, taken by BVL HPR, 2025
THE SHREWSBURY HOUSE 40 LAURENS STREET
Investigative Report by: BVL Historic Preservation Research
Commissioned by:
printed 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS Early History of the Lot ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6 Construction �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������12 The Antebellum Period �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������20 Late 19th-Century Tenement �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26 20th-Century Restoration ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 41
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HISTORIC TIMELINE EARLY HISTORY OF THE LOT 1696
Huguenot merchant Isaac Mazyck (1661–1736) acquired land grants along the northeast coast of the Charleston peninsula. There, he established a 64-acre estate that bordered the Cooper River and a former creek now known as Calhoun Street.1 Much of the large estate would eventually become the Ansonborough neighborhood. Mazyck likely used the property as a suburban plantation, taking advantage of its direct access to Charleston’s harbor and growing port.
1720
Mazyck sold the 64-acre plantation to ship captain Thomas Gadasden (1688–1741).2 Shortly after his purchase, Gadsden was named the Collector of His Majesty’s Customs for the Port of Charleston by the King of England.3
1724
Gadsden established a formal dwelling on the large suburban plantation at the northeast corner of today’s East Bay and Vernon Street, where his son and future Patriot leader Christopher Gadsden (1724–1805) was born.4
1727
Gadsden sold the large estate to Royal Naval Commander George Anson (1697–1762).5 Between the year of his purchase and 1735, Anson split his time between serving in the navy and residing 1 Smith, Henry A. M. “Charleston and Charleston Neck: The Original Grantees and the Settlements along
the Ashley and Cooper Rivers.” The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine Vol. 19, no. 1. Charleston: South Carolina Historical Society, 1918. 10; “Abstract of Land Grant for 90 Acres on the Oyster Point Neck to Isaac Mazyck, 14 October 1696.” Colonial Land Grants, vol. 38, p. 316. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Columbia, SC. 2 Charleston Register of Deeds, Deed Book I3, page 63, Charleston, SC.
3 Butler, Nic. “Anson’s Landing to Gadsden’s Wharf: A Brief History.” Charleston Time Machine, podcast.
Episode 260, 30 June 2023. Transcript available at: URL. 4 Ibid.
5 Charleston Register of Deeds, Deed Book F, page 89, Charleston, SC.
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Figure 3: 1795, plat advertising Christopher Gadsden’s wharf and related property (McCrady Plat No. 624, Charleston County Register of Deeds)
12 in banking with the Bank of South Carolina.14
1801
Shrewsbury, Jr. was recorded as a bank clerk and residing on Cumberland Street, confirming that he did not immediately develop his newly acquired property.15
AN URBAN ESTATE: CONSTRUCTION OF THE SHREWSBURY HOUSE 1809
Shrewsbury was first recorded as residing on the property, where he erected the large, three-story masonry dwelling known today as No. 40 Laurens Street.16 As a widower by 1807, he likely moved into the dwelling with his youngest daughter, Sarah Louisa Shrewsbury (1799–1874).17 The dwelling was one of several grand single houses in the area, including Gadsden’s house (now gone) directly across the street, the c. 1786 Blake-Grimké House at No. 321 East Bay and the c. 1800 Gadsden-Morris House at No. 329 East Bay. Shrewsbury commissioned a typical Charleston single house to be situated on an eight-foot-high arcaded basement in the Federal style, a popular architectural trend in the decades after the American Revolution. Characteristic of the Federal style is the dwelling’s bell-cast roof, dog-tooth cornice, elaborate door surround capped with a fanlight, and delicate interior millwork that adorns the main rooms. The dwelling was designed to face East Bay Street with unobstructed views of the Cooper River and the wharves Shrewsbury owned along the port. In the traditional single-house typology, the Shrewsbury House featured a central hall flanked by two formal rooms, each containing a fireplace centered on the north elevation. Notable surviving examples of the dwelling’s original millwork include the stair hall’s nautical-themed scrolls, curved baluster, wooden drop finials, wooden paneling, jib doors, interior front door surround, and intricate Federal-era mantelpieces adorned with pastoral or mythological scenes (Figures 4-6). Much of the woodwork was likely crafted by carpenters enslaved by Shrewsbury in the early nineteenth century.18 The dwelling was originally accessed by a formal entry along East Bay Street, through a set of 14 “Stephen Shrewsbury,” 1791 October 27, City Gazette, Charleston, SC.; “Historic House to be Renovated,”
1971 October 18, News & Courier, Charleston, SC; “Stephen Shrewsbury, Cabinetmaker, Card File of American Craftspeople.” U.S., Craftperson Files, 1600-1995. The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum. Winterthur, DE; “To Be Sold,” 1786 March 4, Charleston Morning Post, Charleston, SC. 15 City of Charleston Directory, 1801, Charleston County Public Library, Charleston, SC. 16 City of Charleston Directory, 1809, Charleston County Public Library, Charleston, SC. 17 City of Charleston Directory, 1802-1809, Charleston County Public Library, Charleston, SC. 18 “For Private Sale,” 1792 February 11, City Gazette, Charleston, SC.
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Figure 33: c. 1962 photograph of the basement, likely the west room east room (Historic Charleston Foundation)
basement stair that once led to the first-story stairhall (Figures 32-33). In December, Charleston’s News & Courier described the Shrewsbury House as “an excellent example of one of the finest periods in Charleston architectural history” with “excellent interior detail of the Adam influence.”107 HCF planned to restore the dwelling and return it to single-family occupancy.
1963
HCF continued to make exterior repairs to stabilize and restore the exterior of the Shrewsbury House.108 Photographs taken at this time show the removal of the frame addition and restoration of the piazza’s original L-shape design, reintroducing the footprint of the dwelling’s original pantry and upper-story dressing room (Figure 34). Photographs also capture the elevation of the 107 “Discover Ansonborough,” 1962 December 2, News & Courier, Charleston, SC. 108 311 East Bay St., “# 668.” City of Charleston Records Management Division, Charleston, SC.
pages removed for sample
Copyright BVL Historic Preservation Research 2025