City Directories and History: This rice mill chimney is significant as one of seven Known extant rice mill chimneys in Georgetown County arid for its association with Nightingale Hall, one of several productive plantations on the Pee Dee River. Robert F.W. Allston, the plantation’s most prominent and most successful owner, bought Nightingale Hall for $80,000 from the estate of George A. Moultrie in 1846. In this transaction Allston paid approximately $30,000 for 1200 acres and $500 each for some 100 slaves. Allston bought Waterford, between the Pee Dee and Waccamaw Rivers, in 1847; it adjoined Nightingale Hall and he planted the two plantations as a unit. These plantations were successful in both the quantity and quality of their rice; in 1858 Nightingale Hall produced 18,000 bushels and in 1859 produced 20,000 bushels of rice, which had a reputation for being some of the best rice grown in Georgetown District. Allston preferred living on his plantations to being an absentee owner, however, and considered selling Nightingale Hall and Waterford on several occasions. After Allston 1 s death in the spring of
1864,Nightingale Hall was to be sold and the proceeds divided among his heirs, but the disruption brought about by the emancipation of his slaves postponed its sale for some time. “Your negroes are I hear perfectly insubordinate,” Jane Pringle wrote to Allston 1 s widow, Adele Petigru Allston, in April 1865. “The women at Nightingale Hall behaved like devils . . . The women turned in and killed the sheep and acted in a frenzied way. . . . The blacks are masters of the situation, this is a conquered country and for the moment law and order are in abeyance.” The plantation passed through a succession of owners after 1869, and the present house was constructed c. 1918 after the original house was torn down. Nightingale Hall is now known as Nightingale. (NR File Data – Courtesy of the S.C. Dept. of Archives and History)
Stay Connected
Explore history, houses, and stories across S.C. Your membership provides you with updates on regional topics, information on historic research, preservation, and monthly feature articles. But remember R&R wants to hear from you and assist in preserving your own family genealogy and memorabilia.
Visit the Southern Queries – Forum to receive assistance in answering questions, discuss genealogy, and enjoy exploring preservation topics with other members. Also listed are several history and genealogical researchers for hire.
User comments welcome — post at the bottom of this page.
Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.
Do you have information to share and preserve? Family, school, church, or other older photos and stories are welcome. Send them digitally through the “Share Your Story” link, so they too might be posted on Roots and Recall.
Thanks!