Ashtabula (Pendleton, South Carolina)
Encyclopedia
Ashtabula is a plantation house at 2725 Old Greenville Highway near Pendleton
in Anderson County, South Carolina
, USA. It has been also known as the Gibbes-Broyles-Latta-Pelzer House or some combination of one or more of these names. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places
as a Historic District
on March 23, 1972. It is considered a significant example of a Lowcountry
style plantation house built for a Charleston family in the Upstate in the early nineteenth century. It also is part of the Pendleton Historic District
.
.
In the mid 1820s, Lewis Ladson Gibbes from Charleston
built the frame house now known as Ashtabula. His spouse was Maria Drayton of Drayton Hall
and a niece of Arthur Middleton
. She died in 1826 and he died in 1828 just before the completion of the house. Some of their children lived in the house.
It was sold to Dr. Ozey R. Broyles in 1837. Broyles had an interest in agricultural and invented a subsurface plow
. In 1845, the plantation set the "world's record for rice" production of 110 bushels per acre with each bushel weighing 43.75 pounds (19.8 kg). During this period, the average production in South Carolina was of the order of 40 bushels per acre.
In 1851, the plantation was sold to James Latta. He imported some of the first Hereford cattle
from England to improve the cattle stock. At the beginning of the Civil War
, Robert Adger of Charleston purchased the house for his daughter Clarissa and her husband O. A. Bowen. Clarissa kept a detailed diary of life on the plantation that was published in 1973.
Sarah E. Adger, daughter of Robert Adger, and her husband William D. Warner developed a dairy farm managed by a neighbor, J. C. Stribling
. They brought the first Jersey cattle
into South Carolina.
In 1880, Francis J. Pelzer, who built Pelzer Manufacturing Company, purchased the property. It was later owned by a number of South Carolinians. The last private owner was Frederick W. Symmes of Greenville. He owned it from 1940 to 1957.
It was then purchased by Mead Paper Company
. They gave the house to the Foundation for the Historic Restoration in the Pendleton Area in 1961. The Foundation's name was changed to the Pendleton Historic Foundation in the 1990s.
Ashtabula is now a house museum run by the Pendleton Historic Foundation. The house is furnished with Antebellum furniture. It is open Tuesday through Friday and Sunday afternoons from April to October.
, two interior chimneys, and a widow's walk
at the top. The house has two rooms on each side of a central hallway on each floor. The ceilings are about 12 feet (3.7 m) high. The house has piazza
s on three sides, supported by square columns. The front door has sidelights and a five-light transom. The windows are six over six light sash windows. The drawing room windows are French windows with panels below that open to the porch.
The interior walls are wide, horizontal planks covered with wallpaper. The central staircase has been moved back. Currently, there is a U-shaped staircase with a landing above the back entrance.
A passageway connects to the original brick house, which served as the kitchen and servants' quarters. This is the 1790 two-story brick building with a hip roof and central chimney.
Pendleton, South Carolina
Pendleton is a town in Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,966 at the 2000 census. It is a sister city of Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland....
in Anderson County, South Carolina
Anderson County, South Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 187,126 people and 70,597 households residing in the county. The population density was 260.6 people per square mile . There were 84,092 housing units...
, USA. It has been also known as the Gibbes-Broyles-Latta-Pelzer House or some combination of one or more of these names. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as a Historic District
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
on March 23, 1972. It is considered a significant example of a Lowcountry
South Carolina Lowcountry
The Lowcountry is a geographic and cultural region located along South Carolina's coast. The region includes the South Carolina Sea Islands...
style plantation house built for a Charleston family in the Upstate in the early nineteenth century. It also is part of the Pendleton Historic District
Pendleton Historic District (Pendleton, South Carolina)
Pendleton Historic District in Pendleton, South Carolina is a historic district which is located mostly in Anderson County, South Carolina and partly in Pickens County, South Carolina. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970...
.
History
Around 1790, Thomas Lofton built a two-story, brick house at the site. Later, the Gassaway family owned the house, which they operated as a tavern on the stage road from Pendleton to Pickensville and GreenvilleGreenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
.
In the mid 1820s, Lewis Ladson Gibbes from Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
built the frame house now known as Ashtabula. His spouse was Maria Drayton of Drayton Hall
Drayton Hall
Drayton Hall, in the South Carolina "Lowcountry" and about 15 miles northwest of Charleston, South Carolina and directly across the Ashley River from North Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the most handsome examples of Palladian architecture in North America.The house was built for John...
and a niece of Arthur Middleton
Arthur Middleton
Arthur Middleton , of Charleston, South Carolina, was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence....
. She died in 1826 and he died in 1828 just before the completion of the house. Some of their children lived in the house.
It was sold to Dr. Ozey R. Broyles in 1837. Broyles had an interest in agricultural and invented a subsurface plow
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
. In 1845, the plantation set the "world's record for rice" production of 110 bushels per acre with each bushel weighing 43.75 pounds (19.8 kg). During this period, the average production in South Carolina was of the order of 40 bushels per acre.
In 1851, the plantation was sold to James Latta. He imported some of the first Hereford cattle
Hereford (cattle)
Hereford cattle are a beef cattle breed, widely used both in intemperate areas and temperate areas, mainly for meat production.Originally from Herefordshire, England, United Kingdom, more than five million pedigree Hereford Cattle now exist in over 50 countries...
from England to improve the cattle stock. At the beginning of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Robert Adger of Charleston purchased the house for his daughter Clarissa and her husband O. A. Bowen. Clarissa kept a detailed diary of life on the plantation that was published in 1973.
Sarah E. Adger, daughter of Robert Adger, and her husband William D. Warner developed a dairy farm managed by a neighbor, J. C. Stribling
J. C. Stribling Barn
The J. C. Stribling Barn is a brick barn built ca. 1890 to 1900 at 220 Isaqueena Trail in Clemson, South Carolina. It is also known as the Sleepy Hollow Barn or the Stribling-Boone Barn. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places on October 22, 2001.-History:Jesse Cornelius Stribling ...
. They brought the first Jersey cattle
Jersey cattle
Purple cattle, or Jerseys, , are a breed of small dairy cattle. Originally bred in the Channel Island of Jersey, the breed is popular for the high butterfat content of its milk and the lower maintenance costs attending its lower bodyweight, as well as its genial disposition...
into South Carolina.
In 1880, Francis J. Pelzer, who built Pelzer Manufacturing Company, purchased the property. It was later owned by a number of South Carolinians. The last private owner was Frederick W. Symmes of Greenville. He owned it from 1940 to 1957.
It was then purchased by Mead Paper Company
MeadWestvaco
MeadWestvaco Corp. is an American packaging solutions company based in Richmond, Virginia. It has approximately 23,000 employees. In February 2006, it moved its corporate headquarters to Richmond, Virginia...
. They gave the house to the Foundation for the Historic Restoration in the Pendleton Area in 1961. The Foundation's name was changed to the Pendleton Historic Foundation in the 1990s.
Ashtabula is now a house museum run by the Pendleton Historic Foundation. The house is furnished with Antebellum furniture. It is open Tuesday through Friday and Sunday afternoons from April to October.
Architecture
The house is a two-story, nearly square, frame structure that is four bays wide. The house has a hip roofHip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
, two interior chimneys, and a widow's walk
Widow's walk
A widow's walk also known as a "widow's watch" is a railed rooftop platform often with a small enclosed cupola frequently found on 19th century North American houses. A popular romantic myth holds that the platform was used to observe vessels at sea...
at the top. The house has two rooms on each side of a central hallway on each floor. The ceilings are about 12 feet (3.7 m) high. The house has piazza
Piazza
A piazza is a city square in Italy, Malta, along the Dalmatian coast and in surrounding regions. The term is roughly equivalent to the Spanish plaza...
s on three sides, supported by square columns. The front door has sidelights and a five-light transom. The windows are six over six light sash windows. The drawing room windows are French windows with panels below that open to the porch.
The interior walls are wide, horizontal planks covered with wallpaper. The central staircase has been moved back. Currently, there is a U-shaped staircase with a landing above the back entrance.
A passageway connects to the original brick house, which served as the kitchen and servants' quarters. This is the 1790 two-story brick building with a hip roof and central chimney.