City Directories and History: “Rural Point” was built by Judge Robertson in 1852. Mr. Williams Doty from Lancaster, Kentucky, bought the state of 125 acres in 1887, and it has been owned by the Doty family
ever since. The Doty family were heavily involved in the livestock business and owned a large livery stable near the town clock in Winnsboro. It is also believed they purchased stock from Kentucky and elsewhere to provide mules and horses for the farmers in Fairfield County.
The house is built twelve feet above ground because of the old superstition about malarial fever. Twelve wide steps lead to the piazza which is supported by four hand-carved pillows. The house is built of heart pine seasoned two years before using and features beautiful plaster moldings, simple mantels, elegant room proportions, and wide hallways that lend themselves to making this one of South Carolina’s outstanding examples of raising basement architecture.
The basement contains a billiard room, an ironing room which has a floor of Italian tile, and a wine closet on the first floor. There are seven rooms, a hall and a kitchen. In the attic or third floor are two small bedrooms, a long hall, and a large trunk room. The original kitchen was built in the back yard away from the “Big House.” The floors are of wide planks made of heart pine. The hand-carved rosettes on the parlor, hall and living room ceilings, from which gas chandeliers hung, are beautiful in detail. Hand-carved molding is around the ceilings. In the living room can still be seen the wires that connected with red velvet pull cords that summoned the servants by means of a brass bell hung on the outside of the house.
In this garden may still be seen a Cedar of Lebanon, large magnolia trees, and camellia bushes. The camellia bushes reach the second story window and are the largest and oldest in the upper state. Each year they have thousands of blossoms. The bushes are grafted and have several colors on one tree. There are wide double hedges bordering the walks of boxwood and cherry laurel.
The current owners of the home are the fifth generation of the Doty family to reside here and maintain both the home and extensive grounds in beautiful condition. John C. Calhoun and General Chestnut are two of the most famous men who have been entertained in this home. [Our Heritage Book and updates from Architectural Forensics]
Click on the More Information > link to find additional data – A Fairfield County Sketchbook, by J.S. Bolick, 2000 (Courtesy of the FCHS) The 1905 Sanborn map below shows the location of the Doughty (Doty) Stables on West Liberty street.
Rural Point is noted for its architecture, garden, and hospitality. Built in 1852 by William Ross (Royston) Robertson, probate judge and commissioner of equity of Fairfield County who served in South Carolina House of Representatives and as a member of the Secession Convention. This Greek Revival, one-and one-half-story house over a high basement is sheathed in white clapboard with green louvered shutters. The façade has twelve wide steps leading to a gable-roofed porch which is supported by four square columns and surrounded by a balustrade. There is a tripartite window in the gable. The foundation is of solid brick except for the porch which has brick piers with wooden lattice work between. The semi-formal garden is said to have been designed by John Grimke
Drayton, noted landscape architect of Magnolia Gardens in Charleston. Garden consists of a series of boxwood and mock orange hedges surrounding two grass plots about 85 feet wide on either side of the walk. Other plantings remaining from the original garden include such rare imports as a Cedar of Lebanon, a Japanese Cedar, a Chinese Varnish tree, a tea olive, and variegated boxwoods. A typical southern planter’s office of white clapboard with green louvered shutters is on the landscaped grounds, which are enclosed by a white picket fence. Listed in the National Register February 23, 1972. [Courtesy of the S.C. Dept. of Archives and History]
Clifton, the home of the David Gaillards after they also moved near Mt. Zion College, was located just one mile south of town on the old Camden Road, near Rural Point, the present home of the Misses Doty. The Clifton house was burned in 1887. (Information from: Names in South Carolina by C.H. Neuffer, Published by the S.C. Dept. of English, USC)
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Curry Walker says
Could anyone tell me if the Camden Road oeading east out of Winnsborough on the 1820 Tharp map of Fairfield County is SC21 on the modern DOT map of the county?
Thanking you in advance,
Curry Walker
Pelham Lyles says
Curry,
Modern day US #21 was built in the 20th century (note the sections that are straight as arrows) but the section called Old #21 was a part of the Camden Rd. Many portions of old roads fed into the Camden Rd. between Winnsboro and Camden and between Ridgeway and CAmden. The section called Barber Rd. was a part of the stage coach route to Camden, as was the section called Middlesix Rd. (the Doty house is on this road) and New Hope Rd.