Ansonborough in Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Gadsden's Wharf
Liberty Square
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 2, 2019
1. Gadsden's Wharf Marker
The land now known as Liberty Square was once a place of arrival for survivors of the largest forced migration in world history. Gadsden's Wharf was the primary wharf for slave ships arriving in Charleston for 25 years, up until the banning of slave imports at the end of 1807.
South Carolina received more slaves than any other mainland colony. From 1670 to 1808 around 260,000 captive Africans arrived in Charleston, equaling 40% of the 645,000 people brought to the United States through the slave trade. Within the last two years of the legal international slave trade, slave ships registered in Charleston did more business than every port in the world except for Liverpool, England. Nearly all of those ships unloaded their human cargo right here at Gadsden's Wharf.
After serving quarantine either at Sullivans Island or James Island, slave ships sailed through Charleston Harbor and up the Cooper River and docked at Gadsdens Wharf. From 1783 to 1808, the number of Africans held in wharf warehouses awaiting sale ranged from just a few to as many as one thousand.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Waterways & Vessels.
Location.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Historic Charleston and in the Lowcountry. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Philip Simmons (within shouting distance of this marker); Septima Poinsette Clark (within shouting distance of this marker); Septima Poinsette Clark 1898-1987 (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Sumter Bricks (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fort Sumter Today (about 500 feet away); Port of Charleston (about 500 feet away); The UNESCO Routes of Enslaved Peoples (about 600 feet away); The Borough Houses (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charleston.
Also see . . .
1. A brief history of Gadsdens Wharf. Slavevoyages.org reports that 200 cargos of captive Africans landed in Charleston during 1806 and 1807, bringing a little more than 33,000 people. On Jan. 1, 1808, the U.S. ban on slave imports took effect and Gadsdens Wharf was put to other
Photographed by Bridgeman Art Gallery
2. Marker detail: Cargo of newly released slaves on board HMS London, c. 1880
2. The Story of Gadsdens Wharf. The final twenty-two months of the legal importation of African captives into the United States, between late February 1806 and late December 1807, proved to be the most intense and horrific. During this era, mortality rates soared as greed and exploitation won the day. Several slave merchants held their newly-imported human cargo off the market in warehouses at Gadsdens Wharf well into the spring of 1808, in an effort to drive prices higher as the last legally-imported supply of fresh human chattel dwindled. In the interest of profit, humans packed into warehouses died of fevers, exposure, and frostbite. (Submitted on May 24, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Charleston County Library
3. Marker detail: 1849 Map of Charleston
Gadsden's Wharf (in yellow) was a complex of warehouses for captive Africans, rice and indigo. It included lumberyards, a cooper shop, counting and weighing houses, jetties for large ships, a steam powered rice mill, a saw mill, turpentine distilleries, residential lots and a covered market. The sale of human beings was a part of everyday bustling, commercial activity.
Charleston Library Society
4. Marker detail: Slave Sale Ads
Charleston Courier 1807
Charleston Courier 1807
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 2, 2019
5. Gadsden's Wharf Marker (wide view • Liberty Square park in background)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 24, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 3,637 times since then and 140 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 24, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
