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The Accidental Preservationist

An unexpected journey

From Shopping

12.01.2018

Holiday Guide to Gifts that Give Back – Supporting Historic Preservation in Charleston, SC

Finding the perfect holiday gift for everybody on your list can be a challenge. To help with this endeavor, I complied this holiday gift guide – best of all, these gifts support the preservation and research work being done by three of my favorite organizations here in Charleston, SC: Drayton Hall, The Charleston Museum and…

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What is The AP?

Join me on an unexpected journey in restoration and research at the circa 1810 Simon Jude Chancognie House in Charleston, South Carolina and beyond.

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A fire at the house next door in 1974 damaged the cornice on the west side of the Chancognie House. The replacement bead and reel molding was hand carved by @unrepentantclassicist’s team and was recently installed - slide to see the carving in process. #theaccidentalpreservationist #chancogniehouse

As the renovation progresses, artifacts continue to, quite literally, come to the surface all around the site, so I regularly walk around with my trowel checking for artifacts. This rim piece of hand painted pearlware was a recent find and is a match to other sherds found during the archaeological dig. #theaccidentalpreservationist #chancogniehouse

Thanks to @kimgrahamphoto for making my token effort at holiday decorating look fabulous! With the chaos of the renovation project here at the Chancognie House, I decided to keep decorating to a minimum, but I am already thinking about next year.... #theaccidentalpreservationist #chancogniehouse

They certainly don’t build them like they used to…. Apparently prefabricated panels are what qualifies as “world-class Charleston inspired architecture” these days – at least according to the website for The Jasper, the behemoth being built by The Beach Company on the west end of Broad Street. There will be 219 residences in a 12-story tower and 75,000 square feet of office space along with retail space and parking. Is this really the “Pinnacle of Charleston Lifestyle”? #theaccidentalpreservationist

Shirley Plantation, located on the banks of the James River in Charles City, VA, was first settled in 1613 by Sir Thomas West. In 1638, some of the land was granted to Edward Hill I who established a farm at the site. In 1723 John Carter began construction on a house for his wife Elizabeth Hill (Edward Hill I’s great-granddaughter) which was finished in 1738. It is still used as a home today by descendants of Edward Hill I with some of the original acreage still in cultivation. Eight colonial outbuildings survive on the property, including a kitchen house, ice house, smoke house and dovecote (slide for photos). @shirleyplantation #theaccidentalpreservationist

The cornice at the Chancognie House has quite a bit of detail considering the fact that it was designed to be seen three stories above the ground. @unrepentantclassicist and his craftsmen are replicating that beading by hand for the northern side of the house and other areas where it has been lost over the years. Slide to see a section of the original beading - the slightly irregular spacing would not have been noticeable at such height. #theaccidentalpreservationist #chancogniehouse