The large plantations were subdivided into smaller farms in the late 19th century as the urban population began moving northward. Due to the large labor forces of enslaved African Americans who worked these properties for over two centuries, the population of Charleston County in 1870 was 73 percent black; they were freedmen by this time. After the Civil War, phosphate fertilizer plants were developed, with extensive strip mining between the Ashley River and Broad Path (Meeting Street Road). The main route for transportation of these phosphates eventually became known as Ashley Phosphate Road.
The large plantations were subdivided into smaller farms in the late 19th century as the urban population began moving northward. Due to the large labor forces of enslaved African Americans who worked these properties for over two centuries, the population of Charleston County in 1870 was 73 percent black; they were freedmen by this time. After the Civil War, phosphate fertilizer plants were developed with extensive strip mining between the Ashley River and Broad Path (Meeting Street Road). The main route fo,r transportation of these phosphates eventually became known as Ashley Phosphate Road.