Sometimes the search for history requires a visit to the scene of the action. This post tells the tale of one little fact in the story of a giant, and how the mystery was solved on my last vacation.
Young Claus Spreckels
The mystery to be solved was: Can we prove that Claus Spreckels left South Carolina after a dispute with police and the sale of liquor to African Americans?
In my work with San Diego’s Dr. Sandra Bonura who has completed her upcoming 400-page biography on Claus Spreckels, The Sugar King of California, we often shared research. My book, Forsaken Kings Emma Spreckels the Surfer of Asbury Park, is a novel based on the life of Spreckles’ only daughter Emma. We met during the production of her earlier work, Empire Builder, which chronicled Claus’ son John D. Spreckels, and his contributions to San Diego.
The new biography is scheduled for a June 2024 release by University Nebraska Press https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496235114/
Early history in the life of any famous person is often hard to corroborate. Once someone achieves fame, there are far more recorded accounts of their activities. Memorials at death are often embellished. Spreckels was no different. His first experiences in the US were in South Carolina from the late 1840s to 1854 and Charleston had limited news reporting prior to the Civil War. When he left the city as an unknown, there was little local incentive to record the actions of a grocer. Official city records online showed no evidence, and it was cost-prohibitive for the author to search the archives of the city for this small snippet.
Claus Spreckels dominated the sugar industry in the West in the 1870s-1900s. He had a seismic impact on the history of the late monarchy of Hawaii and was largely responsible for the development of industrial agriculture in the Central Valley of California. He was one of the wealthiest immigrants of the 1800s.
After emigrating from Hanover in Germany, to Charleston SC, young Claus apprenticed in the grocery business. He purchased a store from his retiring boss, and in 1851 he bought a new building that housed his store and family residence. Just a few years later, he left town with his wife and young son after a reported dispute with the local authorities.
Family lore held that he had been selling liquor to African Americans, in a blatant disregard of the law.
The author had scant direct proof for the story. She supported the assertion with contemporaneous accounts of German immigrants fighting the regulations and the local authorities. There was a clear divide between the Charleston grocers, and the police over the sale of liquor to Blacks, but she lacked a specific connection to Spreckels to corroborate his family’s story. She quoted local historians who asserted, “German grocers undermined the slave system to a significant degree.”
Old Southern Carriage in Charleston provided some unique insights into the history of the city.
The tale speaks to the fierce independence and love Spreckels had for freedom. He had escaped forced conscription in Hanover, and his career was punctuated by his competitive nature against all challengers. But searches had come up empty, and ‘lore’ would have to do. Dr. Bonura is a model of integrity. Nearly every sentence she writes has a source, and usually, corroboration.
As Dr. Bonura’s completed book went to production for a June 2024 release, I visited Charleston while on vacation. I volunteered to learn a bit about the Ansonborough neighborhood and take a look at the building where the shop was previously located.
“Sandee” sent me the address and a photo taken by one of Spreckels’ relatives from a previous visit. Smartly, she asked me to assess the surrounding neighborhood and its current use.
We took a tour around the city to get context and found the local guides from Old South Carriage Company who were excellent in pointing out some of the more obscure history of the city. They mentioned selling liquor to Blacks had been outlawed since 1831, and pointed out the Mart, an off-street slave market.
The address of Spreckels’ building was 60 Anson Street. The Charleston Historical Society provided information on its architect, its 1851 construction and the award it has received for its exterior meeting the local requirements that at least 80% is period accurate. Interestingly the Anson Street side of the building had a small residential entrance, but did not resemble a storefront.
Yours truly at the home site looking for clues
The earthquake bolts in its sides confirmed a pre-1886 structure. (A 7.3 estimated quake hit the city that year and surviving structures ran rods through their floors to secure the walls) . The brick without a painted stucco front indicated a low-budget more egalitarian building.
The neighborhood looks much as it did at Spreckels’ time. While much of the city suffered from bombardment during the Civil War, the Ansonborough neighborhood was nearly out of range of the 1863-1865 steady cannon fire of Union forces. The 1822 Episcopal church is across the street further down Anson. The street is too narrow for two cars, designed for walking or one carriage. Another few steps St. Johannes Lutheran still stands.
A German church near his home was significant. From the church website, "in 1841, a group of German Lutherans settled on the 48 Hasell Street site in historic Ansonborough. They commissioned nationally renowned architect Edward Brickell White to build the church in his classic Greek revival architectural style. Their leader was Johann Andreas Wagener, who was later to become mayor of Charleston." This was a perfect place for Claus to live.
One more block, a 5-minute walk from 60 Anson, the street ends at the Charleston City Market. Built in 1807 the market sold meat, fish, and vegetables carted in from the countryside. The returning German housewife could stop at Spreckels' for dry goods, sugar, flour, and other grocery items, including his wife, Anna’s homemade baked items.
The home today and those around it are in the $1-3 million range if restored. The historic district (about 2/3 of the city) is unalterable without permission of the Historic Commission and the homes are filled with mostly young wealthy people, and retirees who have moved into the city. Tourists walk the streets daily.
As I walked around the building, on the Society Street side, I noticed a wall which has been repaired. The 'newer' bricked-up opening at street level would be perfect for a storefront.
The wall between the street level windows appears to have been replaced. Note the newer brick and mortar.
So if there was a store it was on the Society Street side of the building. The next street was Wentworth. I searched the only old newspaper from the time, which was searchable online. I used the names of the streets and narrowed my search to 1851-1854. Previous searches for Claus Spreckels and Anson had yielded nothing.
This is also not surprising as the optical character recognition on older newspapers misses many obvious words. Unclear copies with noise are far more common in these editions, making them nearly unsearchable. But “Wentworth” was the key. Searching for Wentworth and liquor in the time period uncovered this gem:
From the Dec 4, 1852, Charleston Mercury newspaper
“The following report from the Committee on Licenses was concurred in: The Committee to whom was referred the applications for Retail and Tavern Licences, which were advertised on the 1st of October 1852, that the same be granted with the exception of the following named persons:”
Second on the list is our man:
“…Claus Spreckels, corner of Anson and Wentworth-streets reported by police officers for violations of City Ordinances, having liquor on-premises and negroes loitering.”
The 2 streets run parallel to each other with Society Street in between. Since all the officers are obviously dead, and the city records from the time lost or inaccessible, this may be as good a confirmation there is that Claus was being threatened or lost his ability to sell liquor in the city, and the reason stated was he allowed African Americans to be around his store.
Lost history found. Perhaps too late for the first printing of the book, but Sandee is sure to include it in her book talks, the e-book and perhaps a future audio version. I’m excited to read the book when it comes out.