City Directories and History: Early 20th century – Camden Opera House, 1941 – Haigler Theatre, 1964 – Vacant
King Haigler, often called “The Patron Saint of Camden,” was a noble Catawba Indian who befriended our early settlers. A five-foot-one-inch weather vane of the Indian was created in iron (c. 1825) by J.B. Mathieu and presented to the town. It shows Haigler poised with drawn bow and arrow, a quiver at his back, feathers in his hair, and a stag’s horn at his feet. The figure was first placed atop the old market, which stood opposite the Mills Court House. In 1859, it was removed with its steeple to the market in the one thousand block of Broad Street. King Haigler was then raised to a position atop the Opera House, built in 1886. The weather vane was removed in 1996 and replaced with a replica fashion by Lewis Anderson. The original is now at the Camden Archives and Museum. A replica of the weather vane also tops City Hall on Lyttleton Street. [Courtesy the Camden Tour Book]
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Architecturally and militarily significant, Camden was a center of activity in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and its architecture reflects the two centuries of its growth. The city was named in honor of Lord Camden, British champion of colonial rights. In 1774 wide streets were laid off in a grid pattern. The town expanded northward as shown in a 1798 plat. The plat set aside six parks which formed the basis for the city’s present 178 acres of beautiful parkland. Most of the original town was destroyed by the fire of 1813. This accelerated growth northward to the Kirkwood area, north of Chesnut Street. Originally, the houses in this area were summer cottages, but by 1840 Kirkwood was a year-round residential area of handsome mansions and elaborate gardens. Many of the mansions were built around the cottages, which still survive at their core. Contributing properties are mostly residential but also include public buildings, a church, and a cemetery. Camden’s architecture is classically inspired and includes examples of Federal and Classical Revival, in addition to cottage-type, Georgian, Charleston-type with modifications, and mansion-type houses. Several of the city’s buildings were designed by noted architect Robert Mills. Listed in the National Register May 6, 1971. Courtesy of the SC Dept. of Archives and History
View a map showing the boundaries of the Camden Historic District.
View the complete text of the nomination form for this National Register property to read about numerous structures in Camden, S.C.
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