City Directories and History: Reported to have been constructed as early as 1785.
“Belfast, one of the oldest and best preserved of the prominent landmarks in the Piedmont section of South Carolina, is located in lower Laurens County. The tall Georgian manor house, constructed of brick made in Ireland, has been a show place for almost two centuries. The white exterior is accented by the long, small-paned windows flanked with dark green shutters. The interior walls are covered with a hard finish plaster made of mud, salt and horse hair, coated over with alabaster-like white plaster.
The four large rooms in the main body of the structure have hand carved mantels of black walnut which were made in England. The same wood is used for the stair rail and balustrade, and for the elegant cornices throughout the lower floor. The floors are long leaf pine, the single planks running the full length and put together with wooden pegs.
The place was named for Belfast, Ireland, where the builder John Simpson lived before coming to America. It was constructed in 1786 for Simpson’s English bride, Mary Wells, of Burford, Oxfordshire. In its early history, Belfast housed the only post office between Laurens and Newberry.”
Information from: The Laurens County Sketchbook, Author – J.S. Bolick, 1973
R&R NOTE: This was the boyhood home of Gov. Wm. D. Simpson of Laurens, S.C.
***Historian, Harvey S. Teal’s S.C. Post Office History, 1989 states: the Belfast Post Office operated here from ca. 180 – 1826, John Simpson – Postmaster. Later changed to Belfast from the Simpsonville PO, operated by William J. Simpson – Postmaster
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