Midtown - Downtown in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Mann-Simons Cottage
Photographed By Mike Stroud, 2010
1. Mann-Simons Cottage Marker
This cottage, built before 1850, with alterations and additions throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, was the home of Celia Mann (1799-1867) and her husband Ben Delane, among the few free blacks living in Columbia in the two decades before the Civil War. Mann, born a slave in Charleston, earned or bought her freedom in the 1840s and moved to Columbia, where she worked as a midwife.
Three Baptist churches (First Calvary, Second Calvary, and Zion) trace their origins to services held in the basement of this house. After Mann’s death her daughter Agnes Jackson (d. 1907) lived here; descendants of Agnes Jackson’s second husband Bill Simons owned the house until 1960. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and has been a museum since 1977.
Erected 2003 by First Calvary Baptist Church, Second Calvary Baptist Church, and Zion Baptist Church. (Marker Number 40-126.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1850.
Location. 34° 0.704′ N, 81° 2.059′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Midtown - Downtown. Marker is on Ridgeland Street near Marion Street
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Mann-Simons Site (here, next to this marker); Agnes Jackson's Home (a few steps from this marker); The Family's First Home (a few steps from this marker); Food for Thought (a few steps from this marker); Setting Up Shop and Making Room for More Family (a few steps from this marker); Prosperity and Property Ownership (within shouting distance of this marker); Ebenezer Lutheran Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Centennial Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church World War II Honor Roll (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.
Regarding Mann-Simons Cottage. The Mann-Simons Cottage, built ca. 1850, is an important site that illustrates a wide range of African American history. As the antebellum home of a substantial free black Columbia family, it is the prototype survivor of a cluster of houses belonging to a significant group in Columbia’s population before the Civil War. The cottage is a reminder that, during the antebellum period, free blacks lived and associated with the white community a great deal more than has heretofore been realized. Celia Mann, the earliest known owner of the house,
Photographed By Mike Stroud, February 21, 2010
2. Mann-Simons Cottage Marker, rear view
National Register of Historic Places:
Mann-Simons Cottage (added 1973 - - #73001726)
♦ Also known as Simons Cottage;The Mann-Simons Cottage
♦ 1403 Richland St. , Columbia
♦ Historic Significance: Person, Event
♦ Historic Person: Simons, Bill
♦ Significant Year: 1875, 1850
♦ Area of Significance: Black, Social History, Performing Arts
♦ Period of Significance: 1875-1899, 1850-1874
♦ Owner: Local
♦ Historic Function: Domestic
♦ Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Photographed By Mike Stroud, February 21, 2010
3. Mann-Simons Cottage
Photographed By Mike Stroud, February 21, 2010
4. Mann-Simons Cottage Marker
National Register of Historic Places :
Mann-Simons Cottage (added 1973 - Building - #73001726)
South Carolina Dept. of Archives and History, September 21, 2006
5. Mann-Simons Cottage
South Carolina Dept. of Archives and History, September 21, 2006
6. Mann-Simons Cottage, rear view
Credits. This page was last revised on March 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 26, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,315 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 28, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
