By the time that the American Civil War broke out, at least 13 enslaved people were at the Aiken property, including 6 children.

In 2016, a team of archaeologists began to research and survey the slave dwellings on the Aiken-Rhett property.

[11] In a separate research and archeological survey in 2017, a team of archeologists were able to search for evidence of siege lines that British soldiers reportedly dug in the spring of 1780.

[12] Historic Charleston Foundation launched an app in the fall of 2018, which offers further information on topics and a self-guided audio tour.

The decision to update the tour reportedly came from the director of museums at Historic Charleston Foundation, Lauren Northup.

The older guide for the Aiken-Rhett was constructed in the mid-1990s, and "left out many of the stories they had discovered since then about the lives of the enslaved on the property.