» Seeing the World with Emily DeCosta and Herbert DeCosta Jr. 

This post is written by Nate Hubler, the Avery Research Center’s Liberatory Legacies Archival Fellow, who started in this position in February 2024. She will contribute blog posts about the collections she is processing through the grant. 

Anyone walking around downtown Charleston walks through the architectural legacy of Herbert A. DeCosta, Jr., and his family’s business, the H. A. DeCosta Construction Company. The idea of being surrounded by his legacy may feel hyperbolic. However, as Kanyisile Barrett’s work as an intern this past summer at the Avery Research Center demonstrates, it is simply the reality of Charleston. Under his leadership, the company was a leading force for restoring and preserving historic buildings in Charleston, throughout South Carolina, and along the East Coast. Of course, this is not work that he undertook alone but alongside a team of skilled tradesmen and with the aid of Emily S. DeCosta, his wife, who handled all the bookkeeping and worked as the office manager and corporate secretary for the construction company. 

Herbert and Emily were undoubtedly proud of all they accomplished at the H. A. DeCosta Construction Company, but life is so much more than a profession. After processing an accrual to the Herbert A. DeCosta, Jr. papers, I’d like to share a different part of their lives that also brought them great joy: traveling the world.  

The accrual brings together a variety of materials that document the couple’s travels, including brief notes written by Herbert, a travel journal kept by Emily for trips taken between 1978 and 1984, sketches of buildings drawn by Herbert, and hundreds of photographs taken by Herbert. Rather than try to cover all the couple’s trips or exhaustively cover one trip, I’d like to share snapshots of their 1978 trip to Haiti, their familial connections while on a 1980 trip to the United Kingdom, and a later trip to South Africa. 

1978: Vacationing in Haiti 

Herbert and Emily spent 10 days vacationing in Haiti in November 1978. Their trip began in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, where they visited the opening of a new exhibit at the Museum of Haitian Art, shopped, and went to the casino with a friend of Herbert from his Iowa State days.¹ One night, they went to a voodoo show, which Emily described as “strictly a tourist staged presentation”² and admitted, “the voodoo I can do without.”³ The following day, they took a drive to Jacmel which Emily found to be “a charming little colonial town.”⁴ 

On the 27^th, they flew from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haitien in an eight-seater plane with two newlyweds from Columbia, South Carolina.⁵ Emily writes, “We stayed at the old colonial palace, the Roi Christopher Hotel…We took a room overlooking the street, rather than the one we were assigned overlooking the garden. It was noisy for it was late at night before the street was quiet. Most interesting to me was a young boy who appeared each evening to read under the streetlight, much of it aloud, apparently he was studying.” ⁶

1978: Spectacular Scenery, According to Herbert 

After settling in, the next day, Herbert contacted Patrick Delatour, the assistant director of restoration at the Palace of Sans-Souci and La Citadelle, who provided them first with a tour of Cap-Haitien and then a tour of the Citadelle. Emily writes, “The trip to the Citadelle is a never to be forgotten experience. Luckily, Patrick was able to drive us to the point nearest the Citadelle, so our donkey ride was only about [a half] hour. The scenery was spectacular, according to Herbert, but I looked straight ahead. Having just recovered from my bout with vertigo, I did not wish to encounter a recurrence.”⁷ Once the donkey ride is over, she writes, “The Sans Souci Palace is in ruins, but nonetheless, enough remains for the splendor and grandeur of the court life to be imagined.”⁸ 

The couple’s time in Haiti left an indelible impression on Emily, “The Haitian visit was a wonderful trip. I had not been well that fall, and really wondered how I would fare, but kept well the entire time, and I felt much stronger when I headed home. The whole trip was an educational experience. I hadn’t imagined the beauty of the Haitian countryside. I had heard about the poverty, which is not overstated, but the people are not depressed. They are cheerful, friendly. One feels completely safe and able to walk anywhere. I also did not realize that one would see only blacks in charge at all the hotels, stores, shops, etc.”⁹ 

1980: Visiting the Family’s Past in England 

In 1980, the DeCostas traveled around England and Scotland, staying in London, Stratford-upon-Avon, Liverpool, and Edinburgh. This trip was partly due to Herbert and Emily’s desire to visit sites connected to William and Ellen Craft, Herbert’s great-grandparents. Emily wrote, “We had hoped to learn more about their years in England on this trip. Since our 1972 visit to London, we have found information to help us in the reprint of William Craft’s book (1860), Running a Thousand Miles to Freedom, and Dorothy Sterling’s Black Foremothers (1979) featuring Ellen Craft’s story.”¹⁰ 

 William and Ellen Craft first escaped the plantation in Macon, Georgia where they were enslaved in 1848 and later fled to England in 1850 while being pursued by bounty hunters emboldened by the Fugitive Slave Act. The Crafts settled in England until their return to the United States in 1868. 

The Craft-related sightseeing began almost immediately after landing when the bus from the airport “drove through Hammersmith, a suburban area which we had recently learned was where William and Ellen Craft owned a home when they moved to London about 1854.”¹¹ After settling into their room at the London Metropole Hotel, the DeCostas started to plan how to travel to Ockham. They learned from Sterling’s conversations with Canon Winnett in Black Foremothers: Three Lives that Ockham was where Emily and William had lived and attended school after settling in England. 

1980: Traveling to Ockham 

A conversation with a long-distance operator revealed no listed number for Canon Winnett or Ockham School, but did offer them the number for Ockham Parish. After multiple calls, they got through to someone and discovered that the Ockham School no longer existed, and the building was now a private residence. They spoke with the building’s owner, Mrs. Gillie Blake, who told them the best way to reach Ockham. They were just a train and taxi ride away! 

The train ride was quick and on time, but the taxi stand yielded no available taxis and a locked office. Luckily, Emily’s “inquiry at the floral store next door provided help. The shop owner, Mr. Len Smith, offered to drive us to Ockham. He was busy preparing flowers for weddings, but upon hearing Herbert’s interest in going to Ockham to visit the site of the school where his great-grandfather and great-grandmother had attended, he said he’d be happy to take us. What hospitality!” ¹²

After a short drive around Ockham to help the DeCostas get their bearings, they were dropped off near the old schoolhouse and set off on foot. Emily found the building “a beautifully preserved old red brick structure.”¹³ While admiring the building and the grounds, Mrs. Blake returned home, showed them around the inside of her home, and shared what information she had about the school. Emily shares, “The house was very attractive and livable, but still contained many of the features that existed. The school was a local village school until 1965, but the industrial school that Ellen and William attended actually only lasted a few years.”¹⁴ 

After exploring the other two houses that were made from the school, they drove to All Saints Church and Ockham Park. The latter was “home to the Lovelaces who befriended the Crafts. There still is a cottage on the grounds of Ockham Park, that Mrs. Blake said probably is the same one in which William and Ellen lived, and where their son Charles was born in 1852.”¹⁵ Before leaving Ockham for the day, they learned that All Saints Church would be holding Harvest Day Services that Sunday, and Canon Winnett would be conducting the services. Given Herbert’s desire to speak with Canon Winnett, they knew they’d have to return to Ockham that Sunday. 

1980: A Sunday Service 

On Sunday, they woke up early and set off by 7:30 to travel to the Harvest Day Services. While waiting for their train, Emily describes experiencing an eerie feeling in the train station as she and Herbert were the only two people in the entire station.¹⁶ Yet again, they struck out at the taxi stand; this time, it’d been dispatched to the airport, so “that meant we had to walk the two miles to church. Fortunately, I’d brought my running shoes just in case…”¹⁷ Despite having to walk, they made it to the church with enough time for Herbert to walk around and take pictures of the cottage.¹⁸ 

After the church service, they spoke with Cannon Winnett, who told them “that he remembered the letter from Dorothy Sterling, but he hadn’t seen her book. He said he looked up the records on William and Ellen Craft at the time and learned that the oldest son, Charles, Herbert’s grandfather, was baptized in that Church and that the service took place at the same time as the baptism of one of Lord Lushington’s grandchildren. All Saints Church suddenly seemed to be a part of our lives. The residents of Ockham must have been as warm and friendly to William and Ellen as they were to us.” 

The next day, they were off to Stratford, which led Emily to reflect that we “had enjoyed 3 tremendous days in London, and were sorry to have to pack to leave. We got to Ockham, but didn’t get into nearby Hammersmith to try to locate 12 Cambridge Road, William and Ellen’s address in London.”¹⁹ Unfortunately, as most people likely know, there never seems to be enough time to see everything on one’s vacation itinerary. 

1990s: South Africa 

There are well over a hundred photograph slides in the Herbert A. DeCosta, Jr. accrual from a trip to South Africa, but it is unclear when exactly they traveled there. Their trip was likely between 1990 and 2001 because, among the slides, there are photos of their daughter, Gail, who married Rev. Sipo Mzimela in 1989 and accompanied him to South Africa in 1990 after Nelson Mandela was released from prison, the political parties were unbanned, and Rev. Mzimela’s exile could end. He retired from South African politics in 2001, and the couple returned to Atlanta.²⁰ 

While only a fraction of the photographs in the accrual, the selections show Herbert and Emily’s time with Gail, their trips to Robben Island, Pretoria, Swellendam, and Belvidere as well as South African wildlife and architecture.  

Footnotes

1. Emily DeCosta’s trip book, 1978-1984, Herbert A. DeCosta, Jr. papers, Box 303, Folder 8, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. ↩︎
2. Ibid. ↩︎
3. Ibid. ↩︎
4. Ibid. ↩︎
5. Ibid. ↩︎
6. Ibid. ↩︎
7. Ibid. ↩︎
8. Ibid. ↩︎
9. Ibid. ↩︎
10. Ibid. ↩︎
11. Ibid. ↩︎
12. Ibid. ↩︎
13. Ibid. ↩︎
14. Ibid. ↩︎
15. Ibid. ↩︎
16. Ibid. ↩︎
17. Ibid. ↩︎
18. Ibid. ↩︎
19. Ibid. ↩︎
20. “Sipo Elijah Mzimela Obituary.” A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home and Crematory, February 2013. https://www.asturner.com/obituaries/sipo-elijah-mzimela. ↩︎

Image Citations 

1. Photograph of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption, Port-Au-Prince, 1978, Herbert A. DeCosta, Jr. papers, Box 303, Folder 20, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
2. Photograph of Emily DeCosta leaning against a wall, 1978, Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. papers, Box 303, Folder 20, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
3. Photograph of Emily DeCosta riding a donkey, 1978, Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. papers, Box 303, Folder 19, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
4. Photograph of the Palace of Sans-Souci, 1978, Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. papers, Box 303, Folder 19, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
5. Photograph of the Palace of Sans-Souci, 1978, Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. papers, Box 303, Folder 19, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
6. Photograph of the Palace of Sans-Souci, 1978, Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. papers, Box 303, Folder 19, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
7. Photograph of the Palace of Sans-Souci, 1978, Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. papers, Box 303, Folder 19, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
8. Photograph of the Palace of Sans-Souci, 1978, Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. papers, Box 303, Folder 19, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
9. Photograph of the Palace of Sans-Souci, 1978, Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. papers, Box 303, Folder 19, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
10. Descendants of William and Ellen Craft at a Craft family reunion, Undated, Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. papers, Box 303, Folder 13, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
11. Sketch of All Saints Church in Ockham drawn by Herbert A. DeCosta Jr., 1980, Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. papers, Box 303, Folder 3, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
12. Reproduction of a drawing of the inside of All Saints Church in Ockham, 1970, Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. papers, Box 303, Folder 3, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
13. Postcard of All Saints Church in Ockham, Undated, Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. papers, Box 303, Folder 3, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
14. Photograph of Robben Island, c. 1995, Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. papers, Box 304, Folder 11, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
15. Photograph of Emily DeCosta behind flower bushes, c. 1995, Herbert A. DeCosta Jr. papers, Box 304, Folder 11, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
16. Photograph of ostriches, c. 1995, Herbert A. DeCosta, Jr. papers, Box 304, Folder 11, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA 
17. Photograph of Emily DeCosta and Gail DeCosta-Mzimela, c. 1995, Herbert A. DeCosta, Jr. papers, Box 304, Folder 11, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA 
18. Photograph of Union Buildings in Pretoria, c. 1995, Herbert A. DeCosta, Jr. papers, Box 304, Folder 11, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA 
19. Photograph of Kramat of Sayed Abduraghman Motura, c. 1995, Herbert A. DeCosta, Jr. papers, Box 304, Folder 11, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
20. Photograph of Holy Trinity Church in Belvidere, c. 1995, Herbert A. DeCosta, Jr. papers, Box 304, Folder 12, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
21. Photograph of Swellendam, c. 1995, Herbert A. DeCosta, Jr. papers, Box 304, Folder 12, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA. 
22. Photograph of NG Kerk in Swellendam, c. 1995, Herbert A. DeCosta, Jr. papers, Box 304, Folder 12, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, SC, USA.