City Directories and History: Originally constructed on a smaller scale, this spectacular home with its many ornamental features appears to have been constructed in the late 19th century but in reality, it was first built in circa 1840. The home features early mantels, moldings, doors, and construction details commonly found in the mid 19th century. Another words, the Beaty-Sloan home has been renovated, updated, added to and changed so many times that it retains architectural characters from each period while keeping the form of an earlier house.
The current owners have worked diligently to not only renovate the dwelling but researched it’s history in great detail. They have enthusiastically worked to removed layers of paint, flooring, and grease to uncover the details and treasures of this dwelling without attempting to bring the house back to a specific historic era. Old hardware, hinges, door bells, flooring, doors, and windows have been repaired and the entire home is modern and inviting. It is also highly interesting and enhanced through the retention of one hundred and sixty years of architectural updates.
To date, there are no records yet discovered regarding an earlier version of the current house. Construction evidence indicates a simple house with possibly a large central hall, high ceilings, red clay/horse hair plastered walls, and a detached rear kitchen on site, prior to a Victorian-styled remodeling and expansion in at least two phases. The central foundation readily shows white washed granite slab construction with large, squared lumber beams attached by wooden pegs. The south wing, front porch, and rear additions indicate a masonry foundation with smaller framing attached with cut nails. Early American brick has been found buried within the earlier foundation corners, possibly denoting an even earlier pre-1800 structure on-site.
In our rehabilitation efforts, there were no signs of burning on any flooring or elements of an earlier foundation, so it is not known what damage, if any, was done by Sherman’s troops. Margaret Fleming Mushatt was living in the residence until her death in January of 1864. Although her family maintained possession of the property, it is unclear who was residing in the home during Sherman’s march. History does suggest it was most likely ransacked and looted like all of the other residences in Winnsboro.
There were several examples of Victorian-styled construction occurring in Winnsboro in and around 1880; many of these homes have been lost to fire or dilapidation due to neglect. Given the dynamics of framing materials/techniques, dates prior to 1880 found stamped in interior hardware, along with other construction elements, there is reason to believe the aforementioned date is applicable. The evidence also confirms the early, more primitive structure within the Victorian remodel was onsite well before 1880.
Early public records indicate fragmented ownership of the residence’s location by Richard Winn, Caleb Clarke, and H.H. Clarke of the lots numbered 18 and 205, as indicated in the 1787 plat “Village of Winnsboro.” The earliest actual plat discovered thus far of the said property in public records is dated 1856, showing lots 18 and 205 combined for 2 acres. Dr. H.J. Neal sold the 2 acres with “premise /appurtenances” to Saling Wolfe on July 29, 1857; there was no explicit description of the premises in the grantee deed. Saling Wolfe, a noted plantation owner, was grandfather of Bernard Baruch (famous financier of the early 20th century). Currently, there has been no grantor deed located in public records as issued from Saling Wolfe. The next mention of the property is in the will of Margaret Fleming Mushatt dated May 18, 1863.
Margaret Fleming, a native of Down, Ireland arrived in New York via the ship, George, of New Bedford, having departed Ireland on February 25, 1804. Miss Fleming, daughter of William Fleming and Mary Ann McBurney, made her way to Charleston, S.C. and then was married to John A. Mushatt of Cambridge, N.Y., as noted in the Charleston newspaper issue of March 16, 1807. The Mushatts had four children: Margaret, John A., Claripa (Clara), and Eliza Ann. The Mushatts attended the 2nd Presbyterian Church, and their children received baptisms between 1808 and 1815.
The Mushatt family arrived in Fairfield County to farm cotton sometime prior to 1820. They appear in the Fairfield County census of the same year and are noted to have had 9 slaves. Although there is no deed recorded in public record for initial acquisition of farmland, they did own hundreds of acres. There is a notation in the will of James Barber, dated December 20, 1824 stating the following: “…as far as Mr. Mushatts Branch” (sic) in describing property boundaries. In the noted local census, conducted by Abner Fant in 1829, the family was listed as Meshatt; the indexed version in the early 1900s offers a second spelling as “Mushet?.”
The family joined the congregation of Sion Presbyterian Church of Winnsboro, and many of the relevant, noted family members were buried in the church cemetery. Due to unexplained circumstances, John Mushatt, Sr. legally was declared a lunatic in 1827 and died in 1844. There were other rural property tracts purchased by Margaret for farming: she grew family holdings, acquired stock shares in the local bank and railroad, and was left to manage family and farm of hundreds of acres. Margaret and her son, John, owned 12 slaves, as mentioned in the 1850 Slave Schedules. She and her family were noted in both the 1850 and 1860 Fairfield County censuses, respectively.
Daughter, Clara Jane Mushatt, married James Smyth Stewart on February 17, 1846. A marriage contract protecting Clara’s property and assets around 1840 can be found in public records. James S. Stewart was elected secretary of the prestigious academic organization called the Mt. Zion Society in January of 1855 and then added the duties of treasurer in January of the following year. He served in both capacities until June of 1871. He was also auditor of Fairfield County by 1870. James S. was a successful planter and owned a plantation about two miles southwest of Winnsboro. A mention of him and his family is found in a 1937 interview of an old slave named Alexander Robertson; this was part of the WPA Writers’ Project.
Margaret, along with James, Clara, and family, was listed contiguously in the 1860 Fairfield County census as being residents in Winnsboro proper by 1860; both James S. and Margaret were listed as separate heads of households. In May 1863, Margaret Mushatt bequeathed her personal real estate to her daughter Clara, and Margaret died January 24, 1864. Interestingly, her marker denotes January 27, 1867 as being her date of death. During this time, James, Clara,
and their two children lived in what is currently known as the Neil House, just to the north of the home herein described as being occupied by Margaret. Daughter Clara became owner of mother Margaret’s home in 1864, with husband James S. Stewart acting as executor of Margaret’s will. It is unclear who lived in an earlier version of the home between 1864 and 1873, but possibly son James Mushatt Stewart, or possibly it was simply rented out.
Although James S. Stewart was a successful farmer/planter owning upwards of 27 slaves in 1860, he suffered tremendous financial hardship, like so many after the Civil War—including lawsuits, judgments, and subsequent loss of real estate. The old home was in Clara’s name and was thus held harmless. James died in 1873 and Clara relocated to her mother Margaret’s home shortly thereafter. In the 1880 Federal Census, Clara Mushatt Stewart was listed as head of household, with son James M. Stewart, (surveyor), William and Elizabeth Stewart Beaty, and baby Clara Jane at two months old. It was during this period the home was expanded to accommodate the extended family. Clara M. Stewart lived there until her death on December 13, 1893.
The older of two Stewart children, James Mushatt Stewart, was born November 7, 1847. James attended The Arsenal Military School in Columbia, was in the Battalion of State Cadets during the early years of the Civil War, served for a short time in Company C, 4th S.C. Regiment, and was educated at the South Carolina College and the University of Virginia. He was a successful planter and, in later years, health considerations prompted his family to move to Tampa, Florida where James M. Stewart sold insurance. Mr. Stewart died June 10, 1918, and his wife received a Civil War pension for his service. He was written about fondly in the Katherine Theus O’Bear book of 1940, Through the Years in Old Winnsboro. Miss O’Bear mentions the fact James bought the Episcopal’s rectory in Winnsboro, put another story on it, and there he moved his family. As a young man, he witnessed the same strategy used in the expansion of his mother’s home after the death of his father.
His younger sister, Elizabeth Stewart Beaty (Lizzy) was born July 4, 1852. She was a close friend of Katherine O’Bear, and they enjoyed many years together in their reading club. Elizabeth was married to a decorated Confederate veteran named William C. Beaty from Fairfield County on October 31, 1878. William was a quartermaster sergeant in the “D” Regiment of the 17th Battalion during the Civil War. He served under the command of his older brother, Captain James Beaty, and, after the war, was a merchant in Winnsboro specializing in “mowers and rakes” at his general store. Mr. Beaty was an active member of the Mt. Zion Society, treasurer of Sion Presbyterian Church for 20 years, and commander of the local Confederate Veterans Chapter at the time of his passing on March 12, 1916. All businesses in Winnsboro were closed during the time of his funeral in his respect and honor.
During the mid to late 1800s, the Winnsboro Postmaster was Preston Rion. Mr. Rion gave a documented interview in 1903 stating, “James S. Stewart, the father of Mrs. W.C. Beaty lived where H.J. Neil resides (the Neil House), and Mrs. Mushatt, the grandmother of Mrs. Beaty (Elizabeth Stewart Beaty), lived where W.C. Beaty now resides (233 South Vanderhorst St.). Clara bequeathed the residence to her daughter, Elizabeth Stewart Beaty, in Clara’s will dated April 1893.
Elizabeth and husband William raised a family of four children in the home:
1) Daughter Clara Jane Beaty married James C. Thomson of Abbeville, S.C. – B. January 14, 1880 – D. 1967
2) Son James Stewart Beaty became a prominent physician in Rock Hill, S.C. He married Anna Cherry, the daughter of noted business man Milton Cherry. – B. August 7, 1882 – D. October 1, 1949
3) Anna McCants Beaty was the 11th female attorney in South Carolina in 1923 and as the first as a partner in a S.C. female owned law practice. Both Anna and her partner Julia David Charles, the 4th female admitted to the S.C. Bar. Interestingly, nna and Julia were noted as living in the Winnsboro home in the 1910 census. – B. October 3, 1884 – D. July 7. 1969
4) Elizabeth Elliott Beaty attended Chicora College, a Presbyterian college for women in Greenville, S.C., and was a successful businesswoman in Greenville, SC. B. August 5, 1891–D. April 25, 1990
Elizabeth S. Beaty lived in the home until husband William’s death in 1916 resulting from a stroke. In October of the same year, Mrs. Beaty sold the home to Edward D. Sloan, a cotton broker from Wilmington, N.C. Elizabeth eloquently hand wrote the deed and described in detail the ownership roles of the residence back to her grandmother, Margaret Mushatt. Elizabeth then moved to Greenville, S.C., bought a home, and lived with daughters Anna and Elizabeth at 203 Rutherford St. She was able to draw a Confederate pension from her late husband William’s military service until her death on September 21, 1930.
Mr. Sloan, his wife, Margaret S. Sloan, and their children lived in the home together until Mr. Sloan’s death in 1929. The Sloan’s son, Edward Jr., graduated as a civil engineer from Clemson University and went on to develop one of the largest road construction companies in the country, Sloan Construction Company.
After the death of her husband, Margaret S. Sloan lived in the home with her daughter, Margaret B. Sloan, and a half sister Elizabeth Darby. Ms. Darby was a colorful character and was featured in an article from the WPA Writers’ Project in 1940. Upon the death of Margaret S. Sloan, Margaret B. Sloan acquired full ownership of the residence from her siblings in April 1961.
Margaret B. Sloan had a wide range of interests, and many entertaining tales still can be heard about her life and activities in Winnsboro. She served as an American Red Cross Volunteer in Europe during WWII and, for a time, was a mail carrier in Winnsboro. She was also Fairfield County’s first licensed realtor. For a time, Miss Sloan had the home sectioned into rented apartments. Miss Sloan never married nor had children, so upon her death in 1977, the home was willed in portions to her niece, Pamela Bryce Stidham, (with 7/9 interest), and to Margaret’s sister, Elizabeth Sloan Bryce, (with 2/9 interest). Mrs. Bryce then entrusted her interest in the home to her daughter, Pamela.
Mrs. Stidham sold approximately one acre behind the home facing Garden Street and then, in a separate transaction, sold the residence in 1978 to Kathlyn Fritz and Bruce Mayhew, two college professors from Columbia. Mr. Mayhew passed away, but Ms. Fritz kept the property until 1998. Ms. Fritz, a retired art professor from Newberry College, sold the home to David Hensley in 1998, and he converted the residence into a florist/gift shop.
Mr. Hensley closed his business and sold the property in 2006 to Wayne and Debbie Lewis of Winnsboro as an investment for them. The Lewises made minor repairs to the property and considered allowing the property to be used for either office space or as a reception venue. They elected to sell it as a residence as part of their contribution to the revitalization of downtown living in Winnsboro.
Robertson Family Connection: Dr. Thomas G. Robertson and his wife Sarah C., never lived in this house. As part of the discovery of associated families the displayed image was shared via a Tampa, Florida connection.
The Robertson’s were the in-laws of James Mushatt Stewart. James M. Stewart lived in this house in after 1873 most likely, with his young wife Rebecca, (Dr. Robertson’s daughter). O’Bear sited these folks many times in her book as being associated with the community.
Dr. Robertson was one of only three males left in Winnsboro “meeting the troops” at the end of the Civil War. One interesting anecdote about him according to a family member,…he studied in Europe with the School of Franz Mesmer, (as in “Mesmerize”)! (Information offered by an anonymous contributor to R&R)
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Curry Walker says
Who is Dr Thomas G Robertson pictured with this house?
rradmin says
R&R has requested further historical information from the donor.
Regards,
Wade
rradmin says
Information has been added to the page to answer your inquire.
R&R
R Starr says
Who is the Dr Thomas G Robertson imaged at the bottom of this 233 Vanderhorst St entry and what is his connection to the property?
rradmin says
Thank you for your enquiry and we are requesting further information from the individual who contributed the data.
Regards,
R&R
rradmin says
Information has been added to the page to answer your request.
R&R