Long before 20 South Battery stood as one of Charleston’s architectural gems, the land it occupies was part of a sprawling waterfront estate with sweeping views of the harbor, manicured gardens, and a quiet story steeped in both opulence and oppression.
The Grimball Era: A Lady of the Battery
In the mid-1700s, this prized piece of real estate was owned by John Grimball and his wife Eliza Berkley Grimball, who resided in a grand Southern-style home just next door (what is now 22 South Battery). Their estate was the picture of refinement—broad piazzas, ornamental gardens, and an elegant side yard that looked directly onto Charleston’s bustling harbor. The Grimballs, like many elite families of the time, split their lives between this urban retreat and plantations further south.
After John’s passing in 1804, Eliza remained the formidable lady of the estate for nearly 40 more years. But by 1843, aged and blind, she made a decision that would forever change the landscape: she sold the open southern yard to Samuel Norman Stevens, a wealthy shipping merchant. That very same year, she passed away, and her daughter inherited the proceeds of the sale.
The Stevens Vision: Brick, Beauty, and Bold Statements
Stevens wasted no time. On his newly acquired lot, he commissioned the construction of a show-stopping Neoclassical mansion for his wife, Mary Tennent Stevens, and their young son. Finished in the 1840s, the home broke with Charleston’s usual “single house” format. Instead, it boldly faced the harbor, catching sea breezes and sunlight—form and function, flawlessly united.
Built with expensive Flemish bond brickwork, the house was a visual marvel, with stone-trimmed windows, a flat roof ringed with a balustrade, and interiors rich with classical flourishes. Fluted columns greeted guests in the entry hall. Anthemion details crowned the drawing rooms. Every inch whispered sophistication and wealth.
But Beneath the Grandeur… A Harder Truth
Behind the splendor of the main house stood a cluster of functional outbuildings—a kitchen house, stables, and privies. These spaces were essential to the estate’s operation and home to the enslaved individuals who made daily life possible: Tom, Maria, John, James, Fanny, Boston, Stepney, Phillis, and Hannah.
Their roles were many. The men likely handled horses, drove carriages, or served inside the house, while the women cooked, cleaned, did laundry, and helped raise young Samuel Jr. The kitchen house connected discreetly to the main residence by a now-enclosed hallway—once a silent passage for meals and service to travel between worlds.
A Neighborhood of Ambition
Stevens was a business partner in Ravenel, Stevens & Co., one of the city’s most powerful shipping firms. Cotton, rice, and Southern wealth flowed through their hands. His partners, the Ravenel brothers, were also building their own elegant homes just a few doors down on East Battery. Together, they transformed the Charleston waterfront into a dazzling showcase of Southern affluence and ambition.
