Thomas Elfe House, Georgian residence in Charleston, United States

Thomas Elfe House is a two-story Georgian dwelling at 54 Queen Street with a timber frame clad in 9.5-inch weatherboards added in the 19th century. It has two brick chimneys, cypress cupboards against the fireplace walls, and nine-over-nine sash windows. The rear two-story structure, with four rooms, was moved thirty feet back and restored in 1968.

Thomas Elfe, described as Charleston's finest furniture craftsman of the 18th century, designed and built this single-family house in 1760. He sold it in 1763 to Richard Hart, a chair maker, after which it passed through many owners. It survived the 1886 Charleston earthquake with little damage, reportedly because heavy beams (3.5 by 5 inches) were joined with mortises and wooden pegs. The owner who lived there from 1967 to 1969 restored it, and it was not seriously damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

The home is presented with period-appropriate methods during tours, relying solely on candlelight and natural light to reveal the historical rooms. This lighting approach creates a direct sense of how daily life actually looked in the 1700s.

The house is located on Queen Street and opens for guided tours five days per week under private ownership. Visitors should know that the interior spaces are illuminated only by candlelight and natural light during visits.

The building contained two separate structures: a front section serving as living quarters and a rear section functioning as the woodworker's furniture workshop. This arrangement was practical for a craftsman who needed his workspace close to home.