Letter from Sullivan's Island, July 5, 1853 — page 3 (Mrs. Motte Pringle, Moultrie House under Nickerson, private theatricals of 'The School for Scandal', Mrs. Aiken's entertainments)
Book 1, Page 256 ·1853–1853
Transcription
afternoon to call upon Mrs. Motte Pringle with Sue King, also Mrs. Raymond is our neighbour, and Dr. Barker’s family from Mulberry — The Moultrie House has been refurnished & repaired, & opened on the 1st July by Nickerson who used to keep the Charleston, & is to open the Singleton House in Meeting St. — I hope we shall have some hops — Mrs. C. & R. — want to get up private theatricals — the School for Scandal the play to be performed, I am to be Lady Sneerwell I dare say it will, be quite amusing & make a variety in the sameness of our Island entertainments —
The great feature of the season is a series of entertainments giving by Mrs. Aiken to the town in general, almost everyone is invited, the people go early or rather are expected early & retire about 12 o’C or a little after —
The amusement consists of a good band of music, they play overtures Quadrilles, Polkas &c &c & the company dance or not as they wish — there is
AI Notes
Third scan of the July 1853 Sullivan’s Island letter. A single page densely filled with cursive ink. The writer describes an afternoon call upon Mrs. Motte Pringle with Sue King, also Mrs. Raymond (a neighbour) and Dr. Barker’s family from Mulberry. Reports that the Moultrie House has been refurnished and reopened on the 1st of July by Nickerson, who used to keep the Charleston Hotel and is now also opening the Singleton House in Meeting Street. The writer hopes for some ‘hops’ (informal dances); Mrs. C. and Mrs. R. want to get up private theatricals — Sheridan’s ‘The School for Scandal’ — in which the writer is to play Lady Sneerwell. The great feature of the season is a series of entertainments given by Mrs. Aiken ‘to the town in general’ — almost everyone is invited; guests arrive early (or are expected early) and retire about twelve o’clock or a little after. The amusement consists of a good band of music playing overtures, quadrilles, polkas, etc., with the company dancing or not as they wish.
Letter continues on the next scan.
Mrs. Aiken is Harriet Lowndes Aiken, wife of William Aiken Jr. — railroad president, S.C. governor 1844-46, congressman 1851-57, and one of the wealthiest planters in the state. Her 1850s “entertainments… to the town in general” were given at the Aiken-Rhett house at 48 Elizabeth Street, the family’s Charleston townhouse (now a Historic Charleston Foundation house museum). “Lady Sneerwell” is the gossip-monger antagonist of Sheridan’s 1777 comedy The School for Scandal.