Mann-Simons Cottage
Mann-Simons Cottage | |
 Mann-Simons Cottage, September 2012 | |
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| Location | 1403 Richland St., Columbia, South Carolina |
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| Coordinates | 34°0′42″N 81°2′4″W / 34.01167°N 81.03444°W |
| Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
| Built | 1875 |
| Architectural style | Columbia Cottage |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001726[1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 23, 1973 |
Mann-Simons Cottage is a historic home located at
The house now serves as a museum, with tours offered six days a week.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[1]
History
Ben DeLane and Celia Mann
This site was originally owned by James S. Guignard, a local white attorney, and sold to Ben DeLane in 1843.[5] Ben DeLane was born into slavery in Charleston in 1799 and eventually purchased his freedom using money earned as a boatman transporting goods between Charleston and Columbia.[2] DeLane later purchased the freedom of his wife, Celia Mann, who would become a well-respected local midwife.[2]
The couple constructed the original home shortly after purchasing the property site. The home was spared by Union General Sherman's troops when they razed much of the city in February 1865.[5] This site later hosted one of Columbia's first black churches, as the couple would host religious services in the basement.[5]
Agnes Jackson Simons
Upon Celia Mann's death in 1867, ownership of the property passed to her daughter, Agnes. With her second husband, William "Bill" Simons, Agnes demolished the original home and built the larger house which stands today.[2]
Though the end of Reconstruction would see South Carolina passing discriminatory Jim Crow laws against the state's black community, Agnes' entrepreneurial family carved out a relatively prosperous middle-class life at this site. The site became home to various rental properties and family-owned enterprises.[5] Four years before Agnes' death in 1907, the home was equipped with electricity.
The descendents of Agnes would continue to live on the property until 1970.
Saved from destruction
The city acquired the property from the family in 1970 with plans to demolish the home and construct public housing in its place.[2][5] However, a grassroots campaign led by Celia Mann's great-great-granddaughter, Robbie Atkinson, successfully persuaded the city to save the house.[5]
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f "1403 Richland Street". Historic Columbia. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
- ^ Bernard V. Kearse (March 1973). "Mann-Simons Cottage" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ^ "Mann-Simons Cottage, Richland County (1403 Richland St., Columbia)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f Fish, Peter. "The Mann-Simons House: A Home for History". Houzz. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
External links
- Manns-Simons Site - Historic Columbia Foundation
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