The low bluff that is now the contemporary neighborhood of Wagener Terrace was first settled by indigenous people who seasonally hunted and gathered in the marshes, waterways, and maritime forests of the Lowcountry. When English colonists and enslaved Africans arrived around 1670, the area was home to indigenous Cusabo people who lived and traveled along the Kiawah River, now known as the Ashley River. By the first decade of the 1700s, however, the English had forcibly removed the tribe and took control of all lands adjacent to the Ashley and Cooper Rivers.

The east bank of the Ashley River across from Charles Towne Landing emerged as a fertile and productive colonial plantation, dependent on enslaved labor. As the lower peninsula became the center of commercial activity for Charles Towne, the Grove Plantation, now called Lowndes Grove, was optimally positioned between the city and the countryside. Under the ownership of the Gibbes family, by 1769 the property spanned 232 acres from the Ashley River and the current site of Hampton Park and included a deep-water landing for maritime trade known as Gibbes Landing. Partnering with the M.A.R.S.H. Project, the Preservation Society of Charleston unveiled a historical marker in 2024 to honor the site of Gibbes Landing, a crucial supply point for the Siege of Charleston, one of the worst Patriot defeats of the American Revolution.

Following the American Revolution and the death of John Gibbes, the Grove passed through several owners, including the Vesey and Lowndes families. It is believed that Denmark Vesey resided on the property for a short time before purchasing his freedom in 1800. Gradually, the expansive plantation was subdivided and sold off into smaller plots that also became farms, such as Dunnemann Farm. Part of the plantation near modern-day Hampton Park also became the grounds of the famous Washington Race Course, and during the Civil War, was used as a prisoner of war camp for Union soldiers.

Construction in Wagener Terrace began in the early 20th century, spurred by the South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition of 1902. It was hosted on 160 acres between Hampton Park and Wagener Terrace, which included the Grove Plantation House and farmland owned by Frederick W. Wagener, the president of the Exposition.^[1] Millions of feet of lumber were brought in to construct prominent temporary buildings for the exposition, which included the “Palaces” of Agriculture, Commerce, and Cotton. The tidal creek near Gibbes Landing was also dammed and flooded to create Lake Juanita, which featured an electric fountain, gondola rides, and a paved promenade along the lake’s shore. Although 600,000 visitors attended the exposition, including Mark Twain and President Theodore Roosevelt, the exposition was not profitable and considered a financial failure. The buildings were torn down, and the tidal creek eventually reclaimed the lake, making way for the next phase in the area’s history.

James Sottile purchased 33 acres of the “Wagener Farm” in 1917 and within a year, the area was officially platted as Wagener Terrace.^[2] By 1919, Sottile expanded the neighborhood by acquiring land between Grove Street and Hampton Park from Louis Dunnemann, growing to 60 acres of land.^[3] Most construction of the neighborhood did not begin until the 1920s due to the need to infill wetlands and create buildable land.^[4] The property was extremely desirable due to its proximity to street car lines on King Street and Gadsden Loop.[5]

In the early development of the area, the neighborhood was predominantly white and middle-class, with notable Italian, Greek, Jewish and other immigrant communities.^[6] After desegregation, upper and middle class African American families began to move into the neighborhood. However, today the neighborhood is witnessing a decline in its Black community, which underscores the importance of implementing creative policies to help long-term residents stay in their homes and maintain the neighborhood’s diverse character.

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