Visitors to Charleston often ask whether the historic City Market is where enslaved people were sold, and many search for the “Old Slave Market” or the “Charleston slave market” expecting to find it there. The short answer is no. The Charleston City Market and the Old Slave Mart Museum are two different places with two different histories, and the confusion has lasted long enough to be worth clearing up.
The short answer
The Old Slave Mart Museum, at 6 Chalmers Street, occupies the last surviving building of Ryan’s Mart, a slave auction complex. The Charleston City Market, several blocks away, is a long-established public market where vendors sold food and goods. Charleston historians who have examined the question report that enslaved people were not sold at the City Market.
Where enslaved people were actually sold in Charleston
Until 1856, enslaved people in Charleston were sold publicly along the waterfront, around the Old Exchange building at 122 East Bay Street. In 1856 the city banned public auctions in that area. Sales did not stop. They moved into enclosed marts on nearby streets, including Chalmers, State, and Queen streets. Ryan’s Mart, on Chalmers Street, was one of them, and its surviving auction gallery is the building that houses the Old Slave Mart Museum today. You can read the full story in our history of the Old Slave Mart and Ryan’s Mart.
What the Charleston City Market is
The site of the City Market traces back to land that Charles Cotesworth Pinckney gave to the city in 1788 for public market use. The Centre Market, as it was then known, was established by city ordinance in 1807 as a public market open every day except Christmas. Vendor sheds were built over the following decades, and the market has continued in some form ever since. Today it is a tourist destination known for its sweetgrass baskets, crafts, and local goods. For more, see our page on the Charleston City Market.
Why the two are confused
There are a few reasons the names get mixed up. The words “mart” and “market” sound almost interchangeable, and people searching online often type “Old Slave Market Museum” or “Charleston Slave Market Museum” when they mean the Old Slave Mart Museum. The City Market also earned the nickname “the Slave Market” or “Slave’s Market” over the years, but not because people were sold there. The nickname is generally explained by the fact that enslaved and free Black Charlestonians sold their own goods at the market, which is a very different history. That fact is part of the City Market’s real story and deserves to be told accurately.
Visiting both
The two sites are a short walk from each other in the historic district, and they fit naturally into the same day. If you visit the City Market, consider walking on to the Old Slave Mart Museum to see where the trade in enslaved people actually took place. Find hours, admission, and tips in our Old Slave Mart Museum visitor guide, or build a fuller route with our itinerary of African American history sites in Charleston.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Old Slave Market the same as the Old Slave Mart?
People use “Old Slave Market” informally, but the correct name of the museum is the Old Slave Mart Museum. The museum is not located in the City Market.
Were enslaved people sold at the Charleston City Market?
No. Enslaved people were sold along the waterfront near the Old Exchange until 1856, and then in enclosed marts such as Ryan’s Mart on Chalmers Street.
Where is the Old Slave Mart Museum?
At 6 Chalmers Street, Charleston, SC 29401, on a cobblestone street in the historic district.
Why is the City Market sometimes called the Slave Market?
The nickname is generally traced to the enslaved and free Black vendors who sold goods there, not to slave auctions.
Sources and further reading
- City Market Myths, Walking Charleston
- City of Charleston: Old Slave Mart Museum
- Old Slave Mart and Charleston’s Historic Memory, Avery Research Center
oldslavemartmuseum.com is an independent informational guide and is not operated by the City of Charleston.
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