Built in 1859, the Old Slave Mart was actually constructed due to a tightening of slavery laws that incited the creation of no-less-horrible private auctions.
During the height of the American slave trade, as many as 35-40% of foreign slaves passed through Charleston on their way to plantations across the American South. Traditionally the auctioning of slaves took place in public displays along the city's North side, but in 1856, the city put a stop to the public sale of slaves. However this did not stop the practice, it simply drove the creation of private auction houses such as the Old Slave Mart. The auction front was built on Chalmers street which soon became a bazaar of teeming private auction businesses. In addition, to human slaves, the mart also auctioned livestock and farmland. The inhuman business came to an end when the Union army occupied Charleston, and over the years all of the auction houses but the Old Slave Mart were dismantled.
In the years following the cities initial emancipation efforts, the historic building was used as a tenement, a museum, and even a car dealership. However today, the site holds a museum devoted to remembering the country, and the city's history of slavery. The museum is even supposedly staffed by some members whoe heritage can be traced to slave auctions that took place in the building.
While similar markets and locations around the country have been repurposed as historic buildings with little to no acknowledgement of their past, filling with shops and restaurants, the Old Slave Mart may be the only one with the courage to face their relationship to slavery head on.
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