Charleston Chronicle's artifacts to be housed at Avery Research Center

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Nearly a year ago, historical artifacts were collected from the building that once housed the Charleston Chronicle.

The names and stories long forgotten now have a new home.

The founder of the Charleston Chronicle, James “Jim” French died in 2021, and the paper stopped publication shortly after.

Once the building sold, the new owner partnered with the Charleston Preservation Society and the College of Charleston Avery Research Center to keep the history alive.

READ MORE: "Preservation Society and Avery Research Center to preserve Charleston Chronicle artifacts."

"A newspaper from the murders at Mother Emanuel," Aaisha Haykal, manager of archival services at the Avery Research Center, said.

The Charleston Chronicle documented 50 years of African American history in the Lowcountry.

"This is the cover of the paper, and then on each page," Haykal said. "This is a profile of each of the individuals who were murdered and their photos and stories and reflections."

The stories dating back to 1971 are now in the hands of the College of Charleston Avery Research Center.

READ MORE: "Mellon Foundation awards $2m grant to College of Charleston's Avery Research Center."

"How they died is not how they lived and so this paper and other items in the collection, help to explore that history," Haykal said.

Pictures and documents headline the history of individuals and Charleston's milestones.

"It's not a new phenomenon, but people have been advocating for criminal justice reform for a long time," Haykal said.

The Avery Research Center wants new generations to learn from these stories.

READ MORE: "College of Charleston launches two new schools for enhanced STEM studies."

But first, they have to archive the artifacts.

"There are archivists that have to go through all the collections to arrange it, describe it, and make it available to the public, and that takes time. So we're still going through inventory, the items that we received from the from the building," Haykal said.

Haykal says the relics will potentially be showcased in exhibits celebrating the Avery Institute’s and the United State's anniversary.

"It'd be really interesting to see how that paper documented the 1976 anniversary and then how we're going to celebrate here in 2026 in Charleston," Haykal said.

From the front pages to below the fold. Haykal said: "It's really important that newspapers to kind of tell this story and to bring a more human light to these individuals."

Once the Avery Research Center archives the artifacts, the institute will determine if any of the materials can be placed online.