Susan Pringle Frost (January 21, 1873 – October 6, 1960) was the organizer and first president of the Preservation Society of Charleston. She was a leader in the suffrage movement in Charleston, South Carolina and an important proponent of the preservation of Charleston's historic buildings.[1][2]
Susan Pringle Frost | |
|---|---|
| Born | Susan Pringle Frost January 21, 1873 Miles Brewton House, 27 King Street, Charleston, South Carolina |
| Died | October 6, 1960 Miles Brewton House, 27 King Street, Charleston, South Carolina |
| Occupation(s) | historic preservationist, real estate agent |
| Spouse | None |
| Children | None |
Formative years edit
Susan Pringle Frost was born in 1873 to Francis LeJau Frost and Rebecca Brewton Pringle[3] in the Miles Brewton House, a house which her family had owned since 1765.[4][5]
When her family's plantations and her father's fertilizer business declined, Frost returned to Charleston from school in North Carolina and began taking stenography classes so she could help support her family.[6][7]
Business career and activism edit
In 1901, Frost started working as the secretary for Bradford Gilbert, the architect for the 1901–1902 South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition in Charleston, South Carolina.[3] She began working in real estate in 1909 while she was a court reporter, and she opened her own real estate office in 1920.[3][8]
In 1913, she formed the Equal Suffrage League in Charleston and also joined the National Women's Party.[4][9]
The Joseph Manigault House on Meeting Street was threatened with demolition for a gas station.[6] In response, on April 21, 1920, Frost convened the first meeting with 31 others of the Society for the Preservation of Old Dwellings. That organization became the Preservation Society of Charleston.[3][10][11]
Frost combined both her interest in real estate and preservation when she bought many historic buildings in Charleston, restored them, and then resold them.[12] She was especially involved in the area near East Bay Street and Tradd Street; her decision to paint a house a pastel color after restoring it was a precedent for other restorations of houses that are today known as Rainbow Row.[12]
Death, funeral and legacy edit
Frost died at the Miles Brewton House on October 6, 1960.[4] Her funeral was held at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Charleston.[13][14]
She was added to the South Carolina Hall of Fame in 2015.[12][15]
References edit
- ^ "Charleston Preservation Pioneer Dies." Charlotte, North Carolina: The Charlotte Observer, October 8, 1960, p. 3 (subscription required).
- ^ "Susan P. Frost Dies; Charleston." Columbia, South Carolina: The Columbia Record, October 8, 1960, p. 12-A (subscription required).
- ^ a b c d Thompson, Bill (March 5, 1995). "Preservationist's career chronicied in new book". Post and Courier. Charleston, South Carolina. p. 7-D.
- ^ a b c "Susan Frost, Pioneer Civic Worker, Dies". News and Courier. Charleston, South Carolina. October 7, 1960. p. 1.
- ^ "Susan P. Frost Dies; Charleston," The Columbia Record, October 8, 1960, p. 12-A.
- ^ a b Billock, Jennifer (March 23, 2020). "The Suffragist With a Passion for Saving Charleston's Historic Architecture". Smithsonian Magazine.
- ^ "Susan P. Frost Dies; Charleston," The Columbia Record, October 8, 1960, p. 12-A.
- ^ "Susan P. Frost Dies; Charleston," The Columbia Record, October 8, 1960, p. 12-A.
- ^ "Susan P. Frost Dies; Charleston," The Columbia Record, October 8, 1960, p. 12-A.
- ^ "Charleston Preservation Pioneer Dies," The Charlotte Observer, October 8, 1960, p. 3.
- ^ "Susan P. Frost Dies; Charleston," The Columbia Record, October 8, 1960, p. 12-A.
- ^ a b c "South Carolina Hall Of Fame: Susan Pringle Frost". South Carolina Hall of Fame.
- ^ "Miss Susan P. Frost," in "Obituaries." Wilmington, Delaware: Wilmington Morning News, October 8, 1960, p. 30 (subscription required).
- ^ "Susan P. Frost Dies; Charleston," The Columbia Record, October 8, 1960, p. 12-A.
- ^ "Charleston Preservation Pioneer Dies," The Charlotte Observer, October 8, 1960, p. 3.