In 1917 Harleston organized the first branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (N.A.A.C.P.) in Charleston, and many meetings were held in this building. Prominent African American leaders who visited here included W.E.B. DuBois, James Weldon Johnson, and Mary McLeod Bethune. The Harleston-Boags Funeral Home is included in the Charleston Historic District.
