Influential Charleston historian Harlan Greene, who chairs the city of Charleston’s Commission on History, on Tuesday told members of city council that they needed to do more to protect and preserve the Holy City.
He addressed members during Tuesday’s council meeting following months of controversy over a proposed College of Charleston dormitory at 106 Coming St., which today features a parking lot and empty former office of the YWCA of Greater Charleston. The site is also thought to be a final antebellum resting place for 4,600 and 12,000 people, including poor Whites, enslaved Africans, travelers and orphaned children.
Greene began by presenting a commission resolution adopted in early November 2025 which encouraged the city to be a role model in historical preservation by being an active participant in the site’s protection. He ended, however, by recommending more action.
“Preservation laws protect everything from the ground up,” he said. “But the hallowed ground on which we stand often has no protection for what lies beneath. … Perhaps it is time for there to be an official city of Charleston archaeologist.
“It’s likely that this resolution just presented and the anxiety, concern and distrust that many of our citizens feel would not have arisen in the first place if this part of our history and our past was protected.”
Greene said a city archaeologist could serve as an official steward for the city’s historical sites, participating in public discussions and adhering to ethical and practical guidelines such as consulting with local descendent communities, when applicable.
The Coming Street site, which has been known in the past as “Strangers and Negroes Burial Ground,” was formerly city-owned bounded by Coming, Vanderhorst and Calhoun streets. Some maps also show St. Philip Street as the eastern boundary. The 106 Coming St. site was the former headquarters of the YWCA of Greater Charleston, which purchased the property in the early 20th century. The cemetery was reportedly not mentioned in a description of the property or the organization’s records.
In response to the project’s criticism, the college formed a Community Engagement Council (CEC) that has held four community meetings with the college’s leadership. The most recent meeting was Feb. 5. —Skyler Baldwin
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