City Directories and History: 1908 – James A. Barber (Also listed in 1908 on another page is W.W. Fennell, M.D.) though he has moved to his new home., 1917 – NA, 1922/23 – W.M. Patrick, M.D. (@#132 Oakland Ave.), 1936 – William M. Patrick – Dentist office @205 Peoples Bank Bldg., 1946 – William M. Patrick, 1963 – Mrs. Margaret A. Patrick
This home belonged to a number of prominent Rock Hill families. It was constructed by A.D. Holler for J.W. Roddey on the corner of Oakland and Wilson streets. The Roddey family lived here for years until they sold the home and the adjoining lot to Dr. Wallace Fennell for his home. The beautiful house was moved to the new lot where the Fennell family lived. Later it was sold to Dr. W.M. Patrick and his wife Ann S. Patrick.
The Yorkville Enquire reported on Oct. 18, 1877 – “Dr. J.B. Patrick, Jr., of Charleston announces that he maybe found at Rawlinson’s Hotel until Oct. 27 and solicits anyone who requires the services of a dentist. He has visited Yorkville on several occasions.”
RODDEY – FENNELL – PATRICK HOUSE, Contributed and written for R&R by P. M. Gettys
The Herald reported on July 29, 1896 – “On Monday Mr. W. J. Roddey let the contract for the building on his new home to Mr. A. D. Holler and expects to have the work started by the middle of August. The house will have all modern conveniences and thirteen rooms. It is on the east corner of Oakland and Wilson.” Sept. 12, 1896 – “Work has commenced on W. J. Roddey’s handsome new residence in Oakland.”
The Herald reported on Nov. 25, 1896 – “Walter and Herbert Dunlap (brothers of Mrs. Roddey), are keeping bachelors quarters at Mr. W. J. Roddey’s handsome new residence on Oakland Avenue.”
From the Rock Hill Herald, February 4, 1903: “The Hunters Return”
“After a week’s hunting and fishing on the Waccamaw, with a camp on old ocean’s stormy shore, W. J. Roddey, J. G. Anderson, W. W. Fennell, and Pride Ratterree returned to the city yesterday. Their camp was always supplied with ducks, quail, squirrels, fish, and oysters. Dr.
Fennell allowed a fine deer, a big buck, to pass his stand without even snapping a cap. He lost the opportunity by turning his attention to an eagle.”The RH Record reported on May 31, 1909 – “Mr. James A. Barber has bought the handsome home of Dr. W.W. Fennell on Oakland Ave., and will move his family here.”
The RH Record reported on July 1, 1909 – “Dr. Fennell had a narrow escape while trying to ford Fishing Creek on his way to Edgemoor to see his wife. The current was stronger than he thought, the result is that his buggy was swept down the stream, everything being washed away, including his instrument case.”
This house was built in 1896 for William Joseph Roddey (1861-1945) and his wife Perry Dunlap – Roddey (1866-1967). Both the Roddey and Dunlap families were important in the early history of Rock Hill. The house was one of the early properties to be developed in the Oakland community, a major new development begun in 1891 which had a significant impact on the growth and development of Rock Hill. Roddey’s father, Capt. William Lyle Roddey, was a director and investor in the Rock Hill Land and Town Site Company, which developed Oakland. He was also a merchant and pioneer in many of the commercial, industrial and cultural developments of Rock Hill. William Joseph Roddey also became a leader in the business life of Rock Hill. During his career, he served as President of the First National Bank, the National Union Bank, and the Victoria Cotton Mill. He was general agent and manager for the Rock Hill office of the Equitable Life Assurance Society, and served on the national board of the Equitable. He served as President of the South Carolina Bankers Association, Director of the Charlotte branch of the Federal Reserve Bank, and served as a trustee of Winthrop University, Erskine College, and Davidson College.
The home was constructed at the corner or Oakland Avenue and Wilson Street, and was surrounded by homes of other members of the Roddey family and related families. When it was built in 1896, it was in the high Queen Anne Style, with a turret and rich ornamentation. Only ten years after the completion of the house, the Roddeys decided they wanted a newer, larger, and more modern house. They sold the adjacent lot on Oakland Avenue to Dr. and Mrs. W. W. Fennell, and the Fennells also purchased the Roddey house and moved it from the original location at 148 Oakland to its present location at 128 Oakland Avenue. The Herald of October 10, 1906 carried an article which stated: “Mr. W. J. Roddey is having his residence in Oakland rolled to an adjacent lot which is the property of Dr. W. W. Fennell and who has bought the Roddey residence. Mr. Roddey will erect a colonial mansion on his lot in the near future.” When the move occurred, the house was also modernized. In the ten years since it had been built, the prevalent house style had changed from Queen Anne to Classical Revival. The house lost most of the rich ornamentation and the porch columns became more classical in style, although it still retains the basic form of the Queen Anne house.
Dr. William Wallace Fennell (1868-1926) graduated from the South Carolina Medical College in 1895 and also studied under Dr. Gill Wylie, a Chester County native who became nationally known. Fennell married Mary Lyle and settled in Rock Hill in 1897. By 1900, he was
operating an infirmary on Clay Street (now Charlotte Avenue). The Herald reported on Aug 17, 1901 – “That a thief broke into the workshop of Mr. K.D. Parks, on West Main Street and stole ad suite belonging to Dr. W.W. Fennell and a vest belonging to Mr. Parks.”
The Robbins – White Tour Booklet states, “The next house on Elm Avenue was the Forney house. Mr. Forney was the ticket agent for the Southern Railway in Rock Hill. On the same side of the street, next to’ the Forney house, stood the two-story frame house used as the rectory for the Episcopal Church of Our Savior. At one time Dr. W. W. Fennell, prominent surgeon, lived in this house. It has been said that Doctor Fennell performed several operations in this house before he built the first Fennell Infirmary (located on what was then known as Clay Street, now Charlotte Avenue).“
In 1910, he established the Fennell Infirmary, which operated on Confederate Avenue until 1935. He was a noted surgeon, a charter member of the American College of Surgeons, and a member of the Medical Board of South Carolina. The Fennells lived in the house from 1906 to 1909. They later built a large home on Confederate Avenue adjacent to the Fennell Infirmary. Dr. Fennell sold the Infirmary in 1935 to the Sisters of St. Francis, who operated St. Phillips Hospital in the building for a number of years.
In 1909, the house was purchased by James A. Barber, a local farmer. He sold it in 1915 to Dr. and Mrs. William M. Patrick. Dr. Patrick (1887-1957) was a native of Rock Hill and received his training at Atlanta Dental College, graduating in 1908. He was born into a family of dentists. His father, Dr. J. B. Patrick, was a founder of the South Carolina Dental Association, and his brother, Dr. J. B. Patrick, Jr., also practiced in Rock Hill. Dr. Patrick located in Rock Hill in 1909 and practiced until about 1942. In 1914, he married Maggie Atkinson from Richburg, S. C. His office for a number of years was in the Peoples National Bank Building on Main Street.
The home passed through a number of owners and was restored in the early 2000s.
The Herald reported on Sept. 26, 1906 – “That Willie Moore Patrick will leave about Oct. 1st, for Atlanta to attend Southern Atlantic Dental College.”
The Herald reported on Oct. 9, 1906 – “That Mr. W.J. Roddey is having his residence in Oakland rolled to an adjoining lot which is the property of Dr. W.W. Fennell, who has bought the Roddey residence. Mr. Roddey will erect a colonial mansion on his lot in the near future. In the meantime, Mr. Roddey and his family are occupying the Brice residence in Oakland.”
Click on the More Information > link found below the picture column for additional data or pictures. The aerial view of Oakland Avenue shows the Patrick home via the yellow arrow. Click on Lauelwood Cemetery Tours for Roddey’s gravesite. Or click HOME to be returned to the Oakland Tour.
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