It’s all in the details as the saying goes – and with historic houses, once details are gone, they are often gone for good. And details are why I am stripping paint here at the Chancognie House in the midst of a heat wave. The wooden siding on the Chancognie House was made with a…
Like most early American cities, Charleston has a long history of fires both small and large. Wooden buildings in close proximity to each other along with fire-building for cooking and warmth were all too often a combustible combination. The fire of April 27-28, 1838 burned over 500 properties and stopped just down the street from…
When I took up residence at the Chancognie House, I must admit that I did not know much about it other than what was on the historical marker on the wall – Simon Jude Chancognie House, c. 1816. Only half of that turns out to be correct, but more about that later. In my search…
The Accidental Preservationist 