“A downtown Charleston street offering a diverse collection of outstanding historic architecture.”
City Directories and History: J. THOMAS HAMLIN WHITE HOUSE
Constructed circa 1854-55
“J. T. H. White, a planter in Christ Church Parish, near Mt. Pleasant, purchased this parcel with an existing wooden building and two brick outbuildings in 1854. White
pulled down these structures and began construction of a late-Greek Revival style dwelling, probably from brick produced at an East Cooper brick kiln partially owned by White. White’s house sits majestically on a raised basement and has Flemish bond brick walls capped by a slate gable roof. A stone double staircase with elaborate cast-iron balustrade rises from the sidewalk to a landing before the projecting central bay, which boasts a pedimented door architrave, a second-story tripartite window, and a surmounting pediment with a circular, or bull’s-eye, window.
White enjoyed his house until the Civil War, when it was used as a hospital and seized, in 1866, as headquarters for the commanding general of the occupying forces, Gen. Daniel Sickles. He was a controversial figure who claimed to have won the Battle of Gettysburg by disobeying General Meade’s orders. Sickles held absolute power over North and South Carolina beginning in 1866. When President Andrew Johnson removed Sickles from his post, the Charleston newspaper observed, “There was a universal feeling of relief at his departure.” The general went on to make several fortunes, and while U.S. minister to Spain he became the rumored lover of Queen Isabella.”
Information from: The Buildings of Charleston – J.H. Poston – Author, for the Historic Charleston Foundation, 1997
John Thomas Hamlin White of “Laurel Hill;” plantation and Charleston. Born June 21, 1819 in SC; married July 22, 1851, Mary E. Parker (died June 16, 1892. Congregationalist (Warden, Wappetaw). Public Service: Commissioner of Free Schools. Slaves: 120 and 95 “for R.A. Parker” The Last Foray, C. Gaston Davidson, SC Press – 1971
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“This notable two and one-half story brick mansion on a high brick basement was built by J. Thomas Hamlin White, a Christ Church Parish planter about 1854, replacing a two and one-half story wooden house. He left the then existing kitchen building, constructed c. 1812 by the McAlpin family. Tradition says White had the bricks made in Mount Pleasant, where he was half owner of a kiln. During the Civil War, the house was a Confederate hospital. After the war it was headquarters of the notorious Maj. Gen. Daniel Edgar (Dan) Sickles, commander of the Department of the Carolinas during the Federal occupation of the South.
Sickles was a member of the Tammany Hall Gang, a New York Congressman, friend of five presidents, and minister to Spain, where he was the rumored lover of Queen Isabella. The house formerly had a hidden passage with a ladder, from the top floor to the basement. Distinctive architectural features of the house include the Corinthian order, pedimented entrance surround, approached by a high flight of steps and set in a pedimented, projecting pavilion.” (Thomas, DYKYC, Jan 12 , 1970.; Stoney, This is Charleston , 25. ) – CCPL
Other sources of interest: Charleston Tax Payers of Charleston, SC in 1860-61, and the Dwelling Houses of Charleston by Alice R.H. Smith – 1917. The HCF may also have additional data at: Past Perfect and further research can be uncovered at: Charleston 1861 Census Schedule
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