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Between 1614-1616 Main Street and 1620-1624 Main Street

Heinitsh’s/Poat’s Alley

 By the 1860s, Dr. John Fisher operated a drug store on the lots where 1620 and 1624 Main Street stand today. In 1870, he sold out his share in the store to Edward H. Heinitsh, a German-born druggist and apothecary. Heinitsh’s son, Heber, continued to operate the family business meanwhile becoming a well-known doctor for both white and black patients. Due to the family’s association with the drugstore, the alley to the south of the building became known as Heinitsh’s Alley by the late nineteenth century. During the 1890s, Heber Heinitsh was forced to retire when his own health began to fail him. He sold his Main Street property to Globe Dry Goods. Advertisements for Globe Dry Goods list an address at 1620–1624 Main Street, indicating that the company had built a new structure encompassing both lots. Heinitsh’s Alley was threatened with extinction in 1901 by the owner of 1620–1624 Main Street. Listed as Earle in the court case, he sued his neighbor to the south, C.J. Poat, for the right to close the alley. Likely motivated for personal reasons – his house was located on the alley – Poat argued that the alley was a public place. After only 15 minutes of deliberation, the jury decided in Poat’s favor. The jurists’ decision resulted in the preservation of one of today’s last remaining historic Main Street alleys.

34.007325949473, -81.035904208148

NTHP Preservation Award Winner
Historic Columbia

© 2025 Historic Columbia

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1601 Richland Street
Columbia, SC 29201

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All historic house and garden tours start at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills.
1616 Blanding Street
Columbia, SC 29201

Questions? Call (803) 252-7742.

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