West Ashley House Moved to Historic Site in Maryville/Ashleyville Neighborhood
Nathaniel White, a Battery Avenue resident, sits on his three-wheeled bicycle watching as a three-bedroom home is moved two-tenths of a mile into the Maryville/Ashleyville neighborhood. Mikaela Porter/Staff (The Post & Courier)
A three-bedroom 1950s house in West Ashley was lifted from the ground Monday morning, carried on a truck about two-tenths of a mile, and lowered onto a vacant lot once owned by a philanthropic group that offered financial assistance to Black residents.
The house is known for belonging to John Henry and Bertie Lee Moultrie, who lived there for many years. The front porch of the two-story house has ironwork railings and columns made by blacksmith Philip Simmons.
Diane Hamilton, president of the Maryville/Ashleyville Neighborhood Association, said Moultrie was an active member of the neighborhood before moving to Maryland to live with her daughter. Moultrie never missed a neighborhood meeting, and, though quiet, she was always supportive and involved in the June block party and BINGO games.
The home’s new location — at the corner of 5th and Battery avenues — is significant because it was owned by the St. Andrews Improvement Society of St. Andrews Parish, which pooled money in the neighborhood for Black residents who were victims of prejudice by banks or insurance companies.
It was a place where, in addition to offering financial assistance, local children once went to school, Hamilton said.
“For the neighborhood, it means that we are preserving a landmark,” Hamilton said. “We’re preserving a house, we’re preserving Philip Simmons’ work, preserving a part of history and helping to preserve the neighborhood ... and we’re providing home ownership for a new generation.”
Joey Gillam owned the home and decided to donate it to the Palmetto Community Land Trust.
Gillam is the owner of ABC Awning, a store that has been at the corner of St. Andrews Boulevard and Sycamore Avenue since Gillam’s grandfather, King Joseph Gillam, opened shop in 1946. Joey Gillam joined his father Ken at their store in 2007 before taking over in 2010 after his father died.
Gillam said he didn’t have a need for the house and didn’t want to rent it out himself. He called himself a “small player” in the project.
“It was a good day to see it finally come to fruition,” Gillam said. “It’s a long time coming.”
Nearly a dozen people watched as the home was moved, some walking ahead to snap photos and videos while others stood outside their homes as the Carolina House Movers truck moved slowly down Battery Avenue.
Once the home is renovated, it’ll be sold and ensured as permanent affordable housing in the historic Maryville/Ashleyville neighborhood for 198 years. The Palmetto Community Land Trust, a branch of the Charleston Redevelopment Corp., purchased the once-vacant lot earlier this year. The Charleston Redevelopment Corp. nonprofit was created in 2017 with the city of Charleston and the Historic Charleston Foundation.
Geona Shaw Johnson, Charleston’s director of Housing and Community Development, said part of the city’s affordable and attainable housing efforts looks at both preservation and building new homes.
Johnson said the land trust is an “opportunity to retain affordable housing for the long term” because the trust pays for the land and the owner will pay for the home, a significant savings for the homeowner.
Johnson said the Moultrie home joins seven newly constructed units the city built last year.
Qualified buyers are those who earn up to 120 percent of the Area Median Income — about $84,000 annually for a family of three.
The house is currently for sale. Qualified buyers are asked to call 843-619-3005 for more information.