City Directories and History: This is Dean Hall………Cote Bas was the residence in Dr. Irving’s time of Peter Gourdin, a brother of the Messrs. Henry and Robert N. Gourdin, who lived on the east corner of Meeting Street and the Battery in Charleston. The house at Cote Bas was planned in Charleston, it is said, and the frame put together in the yard of this Battery residence before it was carried up the river in 1845. According to Dr. Irving, the neck of land formed by the junction of the Back and Cooper rivers, derived its name . . . from the Indians who tried in their language to distinguish the coast on Cooper River as the lower coast, and the coast on Back River as the main or upper coast. The greater probability, however, is that early French emigrants named it, as in the French language, cote is coast, and bas is lower. Hence, the name of the whole tract, Cote-bas. . . . The plantation name, in spite of Dr. Irving’s etymology, is probably Indian and derives from a
creek that flows into Back River. It was variously spelled Coatbaw in 1712, Cutbaw, and Cortbaw, before the Huguenot Gourdins confirmed the spelling of Cote-bas . . . It is still pronounced Cote-baw.
The first place to meet the eye on the Western Branch of the river after passing the T is Dean Hall. This place “was settled at some time prior to 1725, by Alexander Nisbett, of Dean, Scotland. Later he came into the Scotch property and the family baronetcy, but he died in Carolina.” Alexander, II, his grandson, inherited the place with his brother and is buried at Strawberry. The present house was built of Medway brick in 1827. Dean Hall was bought by the Mr. Ball known as Elias Nonus in 1856 from the estate of William Carson, the son-in-law of James Louis Petigru, the
Unionist. At the outbreak of the war in 1860, it had not been completely paid for and some of the purchase price was paid in Confederate money.
After the war was over, Mrs. Carson, a much more confirmed Unionist than her father, sued to get the place back. The court of the day upheld her suit on the ground that the money paid was nothing more than “illegal promissory notes on an unrecognized government” and not acceptable legal tender. Dean Hall now belongs to the Kittredges, who planted and have recently given to the City of Charleston, the beautiful and famous Cypress Gardens, created on that plantation out of an old rice reserve.
(Information from: Names in South Carolina by C.H. Neuffer, Published by the S.C. Dept. of English, USC)
Stay Connected
Explore history, houses, and stories across S.C. Your membership provides you with updates on regional topics, information on historic research, preservation, and monthly feature articles. But remember R&R wants to hear from you and assist in preserving your own family genealogy and memorabilia.
Visit the Southern Queries – Forum to receive assistance in answering questions, discuss genealogy, and enjoy exploring preservation topics with other members. Also listed are several history and genealogical researchers for hire.
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.
Do you have information to share and preserve? Family, school, church, or other older photos and stories are welcome. Send them digitally through the “Share Your Story” link, so they too might be posted on Roots and Recall.
Thanks!
User comments always welcome - please post at the bottom of this page.
Share Your Comments & Feedback: