The Point Archives - Beaufort County

500 Washington Street

City Directories and History: “The Honorable William Henry Trescot built this house on his Barnwell Island plantation ca. 1858. In 1876 Congressman William Elliott bought the house, floated it down the river to Beaufort and erected it at 1011 Bay Street. Threatened with demolition in 1975, the house was moved for a second time to its present location.

W.H. Trescot was born on November 10, 1822. He was educated at the College of Charleston, receiving his B.A. in 1841 and his M.A. in 1846. In 1843 he was admitted to the South Carolina Bar. On February 3, 1848, Trescot married Eliza Natalie Cuthbert, daughter of Thomas Heyward Cuthbert of Barnwell Island. In 1852 Trescot served as Secretary of State under President James Buchanan. Following the war Trescot resided in Pendleton. He held several important postwar diplomatic posts throughout his life, including special envoy to Chile, Peru and Bolivia. In 1889 he was one of ten Americans sent to the first Pan American Conference. Trescot was the author of numerous publications prior to his death (1898) in Pendleton.

R&R HISTORY LINK: Colton’s 1854 Map of SC and Beaufort, S.C.

The Trescot house was referred to by W. H. Russell in My Diary North and South (1861) as “the mansion of the Trescots on Barnwell Island.” The two-story frame house has double verandahs across the facade, each supported by six columns. Each of the four bays on the facade is a door, providing easy access to the verandahs. The roof is gabled with interior chimneys.”

Information from: Historic Resources of the Lowcountry, The Lowcountry Council of Government, Cynthia C. Jenkins, Preservation Planner – Published, 1979

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607 Bay Street

City Directories and History: “William Joseph Thomas built this house in 1909. The building is two stories in height with a hip roof and end chimneys. It was built in the Beaufort style utilizing, as much as possible, fireproof materials. The exterior is concrete stone blocks, made near the house using materials brought from Charleston. Two-story porches supported by paired, fluted, Doric order columns with a concrete balustrade span the facade. The columns are concrete reinforced with steel.

Originally on this site was a two-story tabby house constructed during the Federal Period. Owned prior to the Civil War by the Reverend Stephen Elliott, the house was used as offices of the “Free South,” a newspaper published during the war by the Union army. This building was torn down and replaced by a frame building which was destroyed in the fire of 1907.”

R&R HISTORY LINK: Colton’s 1854 Map of SC and Beaufort, S.C.

Information from: Historic Resources of the Lowcountry, The Lowcountry Council of Government, Cynthia C. Jenkins, Preservation Planner – Published, 1979

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Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.

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507 North Street

City Directories and History: “The house, built ca. 1890,was purchased in 1903 by Gustave Sanders and is still owned by members of his family. The two-story frame residence is on a raised brick pier foundation with double porches across the front. The eaves of the gable roofed building are bracketed. Windows on the three-bay-wide house are two over two (2/2) lights with movable louver blinds. Arched sidelights and a rectangular transom frame the front door. Access to the second-floor porch is through a jib door.”

Information from: Historic Resources of the Lowcountry, The Lowcountry Council of Government, Cynthia C. Jenkins, Preservation Planner – Published, 1979

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User comments welcome — post at the bottom of this page.

Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.

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310 New Street

City Directories and History: “The Sams House, built ca. 1818, was originally one room deep with two rooms and a central hall on each floor. Raised on a high foundation and facing south, the house is typical of the Beaufort style. The house is five bays wide with double piazzas across the facade. Several additions have been made to the original structure. During the Civil War the house was used as Contraband Hospital Number 10.”

Information from: Historic Resources of the Lowcountry, The Lowcountry Council of Government, Cynthia C. Jenkins, Preservation Planner – Published, 1979

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User comments welcome — post at the bottom of this page.

Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.

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605 Prince Street

City Directories and History: “Built on a raised brick pier foundation, the building is a two-story residence with double verandahs supported by six square posts and a balustrade. Built ca. 1875 the house is five bays wide in the “AABAA” figuration. The roof is hipped and has interior corbel capped chimneys. Windows are six over six (6/6) lights with exterior blinds. The central has a six-light rectangular transom and sidelights.”

Information from: Historic Resources of the Lowcountry, The Lowcountry Council of Government, Cynthia C. Jenkins, Preservation Planner – Published, 1979

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User comments welcome — post at the bottom of this page.

Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.

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715 New Street

City Directories and History: “This house was originally two rooms over two, with a porch across the facade. A stoop has replaced the porch and a wing has been added to the rear. Windows are six over six (6/6) lights with exterior blinds. It is believed that the ca. 1855 house was moved to this location as part of the Robert Smalls estate. 715 New Street is atypical of Beaufort houses in that it faces west.”

Information from: Historic Resources of the Lowcountry, The Lowcountry Council of Government, Cynthia C. Jenkins, Preservation Planner – Published, 1979

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Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.

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401 King Street

City Directories and History: “Typical of Beaufort’s smaller houses, it is called “The Little Taj” due to the reflection of the house in the pool across the road. Built ca. 1856, the two-story frame structure rests on a raised brick foundation. Double piazzas span the five-bay-wide house. Entrances on both floors are framed by rectangular transoms and sidelights. Two interior corbel capped chimneys rise from the gable roof.”

Information from: Historic Resources of the Lowcountry, The Lowcountry Council of Government, Cynthia C. Jenkins, Preservation Planner – Published, 1979

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Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.

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411 Washington Street – Historic Beaufort, S.C.

City Directories and History: “This house is a two-story frame building on a raised brick foundation. typical of the Beaufort style with double piazzas around the east, south west facades supported by round columns. The entrances on both floors flanked by sidelights and rectangular transoms. Windows are two over (2/2) lights with exterior blinds. Inset chimneys rise from the hip roof.”

Information from: Historic Resources of the Lowcountry, The Lowcountry Council of Government, Cynthia C. Jenkins, Preservation Planner – Published, 1979

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Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.

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IMAGE GALLERY – courtesy of the Library of Congress

414 New Street

City Directories and History: “The Johnson house rises two stories above a raised foundation. Built ca. 1795, the five-bay-wide frame house has a one-story porch which was removed in 1960. The central entrance is topped with a small rectangular transom. Two exterior end chimneys rise from the hip roof of the T-shaped house. Windows are six over six (6/6) lights with exterior blinds.”

Information from: Historic Resources of the Lowcountry, The Lowcountry Council of Government, Cynthia C. Jenkins, Preservation Planner – Published, 1979

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User comments welcome — post at the bottom of this page.

Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.

Thanks!

411 Craven Street – The Castle House

City Directories and History: “The Castle,” as it is called because of its medieval overtones, was built ca. 1850 by Dr. Joseph Johnson. The Greek Revival style house is of brick construction, covered in a thin layer of stucco. The color is changeable, with muted shades of gray, tan, green and pink depending on the varying intensities of sunlight. Six large octagonal columns support the double verandas. “The Castle” has a five-foot-wide corbel cornice. Four massive octagonal chimneys rise above the roofline of the T-shaped house. Windows are six over six (6/6) lights with exterior blinds. The entrance is flanked by sidelights and a rectangular transom. The windows along the verandas are jib doors.

The house, which rests on a high arcaded foundation/basement, has a rear door on the main floor with no exit to the ground. It is believed the house had not been completed when the Civil War started. During the war years “The Castle” was used as a Contraband House.
The small one-story masonry building on the northwest side of the house is an original support building.”

Information from: Historic Resources of the Lowcountry, The Lowcountry Council of Government, Cynthia C. Jenkins, Preservation Planner – Published, 1979

Stay Connected

User comments welcome — post at the bottom of this page.

Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.

Thanks!

PHOTO GALLERY – courtesy of the Library of Congress HABS images