City Directories and History: “On Chappell’s Cabin Branch Plantation at Hopkins stands the oldest house in Lower Richland. It was built by Major Hicks Chappell (1758-1846) at the time of his marriage to Elizabeth Threewits in 1781. Here he lived until his death in 1846.
The plantation was originally given the name of the branch on which it was located and later it had the name of its owner added to distinguish it from other plantations on Cabin Branch that had the same name. The house is interesting from the standpoint of its structure as well as from the history of the early Chappell family. The simple two-story frame house built on the style of those of early Virginia, consisted of two shed rooms on the front, which were the library and dining room. The parlor was a spacious room behind the shed rooms. Bedrooms were on the second floor and an attic was above. The kitchen, typical of the period, was in the yard. Major Hicks Chappell entered the army as a boy of eighteen as a private, fighting with Generals Sumter and Marion. At the close of the Revolution he was awarded the rank of major.
John Joel Chappell (b. 1782), the oldest son of Major Hicks Chappell, was a distinguished citizen of his time. He was an officer in the War of 1812, a lawyer, a statesman, serving from March 4, 1813, to March 3, 1817, as Congressman from the Second District.
One child born to this couple died in infancy and several years later the mother also passed away. Both are buried in the First Baptist Church yard in Columbia. On January 3, 1833, his daughter Eugenia married Andrew Pickens Calhoun (1812-1865), the son of John C. Calhoun (1782- 1850), the ceremony taking place in the parlor of Chappell’s Cabin Branch.
This interesting home, remodeled in recent years, has additional rooms and a wide porch across the front of the house.” Information from: Names in South Carolina by C.H. Neuffer, Published by the S.C. Dept. of English, USC
*** Note the location of J.J. Chappell’s home is shown on Colton’s 1854 Map of Richland County.
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Jan Arnold says
The porch was built by my dad, Stephen DeVeaux Palmer, in the late 1940’s. Daddy grew up on the farm with his grandparents Jesse Chappel Smith and Charles Smith. Through his grandmother, he is a direct descendant of Hicks Chappell.
Ted says
What’s the address of house?