The "Mosquito Fleet" | History Of SC Slide Collection

A small fleet of agile boats owned and operated by members of the African-American community in and around Charleston came to be known as the "Mosquito Fleet." They provided a number of essential services, from commercial fishing, to ferrying African-Americans across the Ashley and Cooper Rivers and to the various islands where many lived who worked as servants on the peninsula. This photograph was taken around the turn of the century.

Courtesy of the Charleston Museum, Charleston, South Carolina.