City Directories and History: (Col. Samuel H. Wilds House) The Wilds-Edwards House is significant as one of the few relatively intact antebellum residences remaining in the city of Darlington and as a locally important example of Italianate style. The house is primarily defined by its massive square form, square paneled chimneys, one-story Corinthian columned porches, and profusion of Italianate details. The sophistication of its massing and command of classical details alludes to the formal training of its architect-builder, J.L. Klickner or
(Clickner). Built ca. 1856 by Col. Samuel H. Wilds, the Wilds-Edwards house rests on a high masonry foundation. Square in plan, the wood frame residence has a symmetrical roof plan, in the center of which is a square pedestal that may have once been the base of a belvedere or a widow’s walk. Three massive stuccoed chimneys project through the roof. On each elevation there is a one-story porch, the back porch having been partially enclosed ca. 1905 for a kitchen. About 1905, after the creation of Edwards Avenue to the east, the house was modified to have its principal entrance on the east side. Behind the house is the original 19th century kitchen. The house was purchased from the Wilds estate in 1870 by the Hon. Berryman Wheeler Edwards, a prominent Darlington attorney and county senator. His son, Charles B. Edwards, a mayor of Darlington, added electric lights and the arch in the east hall about 1905. Listed in the National Register February 10, 1988 (Courtesy of South Carolina Department of Archives and History)
Author and preservationist Bill Segars wrote in 2015 – “You’re referring to the original builder of the 1857 Wilds-Edward House on Edwards Ave. in Darlington. There is not a builder here by that name now. It is on the National Register as well as I remember. I know that there is a historical marker at this location. If I gave you photos of all the DC Historical Markers, you should have some info. on it. Clickner was actually from up North, for some unknown reason came down here to build this house. I don’t know of an others that he built here. The next time he came to Darlington, he was a Union soldier and convinced his commander not to burn it, so the story goes.
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