Raynor HCA 2014-08
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/7/2014
Autograph Letter Signed by David Selden, 1pp. quarto, Charleston, South Carolina, March 5, 1800, with integral leaf addressed to his father in Connecticut, it reads in part: “...It is extremely pleasant here...but when I behold the frantic and delightful appearance of the country from nature I cannot but reflect on the awful sight to be seen at a placed called Gadsdens Wharf of about four thousand poor Africans naked in a manner and lousy. The most distressing sight I ever beheld, offered for sale every day at auction to him who will give the most...” Fine condition. Originally built in 1767, war and natural disaster led to several rounds of reconstruction and expansion. In its final completed state, the wharf could hold upwards of six ships at a time. Once released from quarantine off the coast at Sullivan’s Island, slave ships proceeded onto Gadsden’s Wharf. An estimated 100,000 West Africans were brought to the wharf between 1783 and 1808 – the peak period of the international trade.
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