Slavery at South Carolina College, 1801–1865:

Fourth Professors House, 1884 Sanborn Map, SCL

South Carolina College contracted Robert W. Johnson to build the Fourth Professors House [Flinn Hall] in 1859 for $6,000. John LeConte, a professor of chemistry, lived in this house until moving to the new University of California in 1870. In addition to the main residence, Johnson constructed slave quarters, a carriage house, and fences. In 1860, the house was one of the most modern buildings on campus, containing dormer windows and gas lights. When LeConte moved into the building, he owned twelve slaves; one or more of these family slaves may have lived on campus. The college relocated the building in 1935 to make room for a World War memorial. However, most of the original foundation was south of the War Memorial, about twenty-five yards west of present-day Flinn Hall. The kitchen and slave quarters were only a few yards west of the current site.