From the May28, 2009, St. Petersburg (Fl) Times "Museum offers quiet testimony to horrors of slavery" by John Frank.
The Old Slave Mart is a relatively new attraction in this city of attractions. It is the only remaining slave auction house in the country and located at 6 Chalmers St. near East Bay Street downtown.
Prominent slave auctioneer Thomas Ryan opened it July 1856 after Charleston banned the outdoor auction of slaves. It was known as Ryan's Mart.
About 40% of enslaved blacks came through Charleston, most landing on Sullivan's Island. First Lady Michelle Obama's ancestors came through Charleston. Her great-great grandfather worked on a rice plantation in Georgetown.
The museum has lots of information on the slave selling business and a first-hand account of slavery by Elijah Green, born in 1843 and recorded by the WPA in 1937. The museum itself is small as most of the compound was torn down, with just a roofed alley left.
A Sad Part of American History. --DaCoot
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