Hampton Plantation

Hampton Plantation is a historic plantation estate and publicly operated state historic site near McClellanville in Charleston County, South Carolina. It is not a consumer brand in the conventional sense; its name identifies a historic property, preservation site, and visitor destination associated with South Carolina's colonial, antebellum, literary, and architectural history. The property occupies just under 300 acres along Hampton Creek, a tributary of the Santee River, west of U.S. Route 17. Much of the former agricultural landscape has returned to wooded and swamp environments, while the principal house remains the site's defining built resource. The plantation was established in 1735 by Noe Serre, a French Huguenot refugee. The original house was a two-story, central-hall structure. In 1757, Daniel Horry acquired the property and substantially enlarged the residence. His additions included a two-story ballroom and a master-bedroom suite. The changes were designed to create a more imposing and symmetrical Georgian composition, including false shuttered windows installed on the front elevations of the additions. The building's final major architectural transformation occurred in 1790–1791, when a projecting temple front was added. The portico has eight Doric columns and supports a carved Adamesque frieze and pedimented gable. It is regarded as one of the earliest known domestic temple fronts in the United States and is a central reason for the property's architectural importance. The completed portico was in place for a visit by George Washington. Hampton Plantation is also notable as one of South Carolina's strongest surviving examples of a wood-frame Georgian plantation house. Its 2½-story structure has clapboard siding, a dormered hip roof, and a raised brick foundation. The house's form reflects several phases of construction rather than a single campaign, allowing the property to document changing architectural ambitions and social expectations among prominent South Carolina families. Ownership and association with influential families form another part of the site's significance. The Horry, Pinckney, and Rutledge families were prominent in South Carolina's political and economic life. Archibald Rutledge, the last private owner, became South Carolina's first poet laureate. His 1941 book Home by the River described his return to Hampton Plantation in 1937 after a long absence and his efforts to restore the house. The property also has a literary association with Pat Conroy, who later recalled meeting Rutledge at Hampton Plantation as a teenage aspiring writer and discussing literature and local history with him. The State of South Carolina purchased Hampton Plantation from the Rutledge family in 1971. The property had already received national recognition when it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970. It is now preserved and interpreted as a state historic site, with the house, surrounding landscape, and associated stories providing insight into colonial settlement, plantation society, historic preservation, architecture, and South Carolina literary culture.

Hampton Plantation's documented history begins in 1735, when Noe Serre, a French Huguenot refugee, established the property in the South Carolina Lowcountry. The original residence was a two-story central-hall house. Its location beside Hampton Creek placed it within a landscape shaped by waterways, agriculture, forests, and wetlands, although most of the land is no longer farmed and has reverted to natural wooded and swamp conditions. Daniel Horry acquired Hampton Plantation in 1757 and undertook a major expansion of the house. He added a two-story ballroom on one side and a master-bedroom suite on the other. These additions enlarged the family's domestic and representational space while also creating a challenge of exterior balance. To preserve a symmetrical appearance, false shuttered windows were placed on the front walls of the additions. The resulting building illustrates how plantation residences could develop incrementally as family wealth, social expectations, and architectural preferences changed. The last major alteration took place in 1790–1791 with the construction of the projecting temple front. The feature consists of eight Doric columns—six across the front and two on the sides—supporting a carved Adamesque frieze and a pedimented gable. This temple-front treatment is considered one of the earliest known examples of its kind in American domestic architecture. The work was completed in time for George Washington's visit to the plantation, adding a notable association to the house's architectural history. The completed residence is a large 2½-story wood-frame Georgian plantation house. Its dormered hip roof, clapboard exterior, raised brick foundation, and columned portico make it an important surviving example of the form in South Carolina. The property was associated over time with the Horry, Pinckney, and Rutledge families, all prominent in the state's political and economic history. Archibald Rutledge was Hampton Plantation's final private owner. He was South Carolina's first poet laureate and used the property as both a family inheritance and a subject of literary remembrance. In his 1941 book Home by the River, Rutledge described returning to Hampton Plantation in 1937 after a thirty-three-year absence and working to restore the plantation and its then 209-year-old house. The site later acquired an additional literary connection through Pat Conroy, who recalled meeting Rutledge there during Conroy's adolescence and discussing writing and the plantation's history. Hampton Plantation was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970. The State of South Carolina purchased the property from the Rutledge family in 1971, securing its transition from private estate to publicly preserved historic site. It is now operated within the state's park and heritage framework. Its significance rests on the combined survival of the house, the layered construction history, the landscape setting, the associations with prominent South Carolina families, and its links to the state's literary tradition.

• 1971

  Acquired by South Carolina

  [1]Hampton Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The State of South Carolina purchased Hampton Plantation from the Rutledge family and converted it to a publicly preserved historic site.

• 1970

  Designated a National Historic Landmark

  [1]Hampton Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Hampton Plantation received National Historic Landmark designation in recognition of its architectural and historical importance.

• 1937

  Archibald Rutledge returns and begins restoration

  [1]Hampton Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Archibald Rutledge returned to Hampton Plantation after a lengthy absence and undertook restoration efforts later described in his memoir-like book Home by the River.

• 1791

  Major architectural work completed

  [1]Hampton Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The temple-front addition was completed, reportedly in time for George Washington's visit.

• 1790

  Temple front added

  [1]Hampton Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Construction of the projecting temple front began during the 1790–1791 renovation campaign, creating the feature for which the house is best known.

• 1757

  Daniel Horry acquires the property

  [1]Hampton Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Daniel Horry purchased Hampton Plantation and expanded the house with a ballroom and master-bedroom suite.

• 1735

  Plantation established

  [1]Hampton Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Noe Serre, a French Huguenot refugee, established Hampton Plantation and built the original central-hall residence.

A South Carolina heritage destination centered on the preservation and interpretation of an exceptionally early wood-frame Georgian plantation house, its landscape, and its connections to prominent families and writers.

• Historic architecture · 1735

  Hampton Plantation historic house

  The principal offering is the preserved 2½-story wood-frame Georgian plantation house. Its architectural development spans from the 1735 central-hall core through Daniel Horry's mid-eighteenth-century additions and the 1790–1791 projecting temple front. The eight-column portico, Adamesque decorative work, dormered hip roof, clapboard siding, and raised brick foundation give the house exceptional value as an example of early American domestic architecture.

• Cultural landscape · 1735

  Hampton Plantation historic grounds

  The site includes just under 300 acres along Hampton Creek, a tributary of the Santee River. Although much of the former agricultural land is no longer cultivated, the wooded and swampy setting remains important to understanding the plantation's geography and environmental context.

1. 1Hampton Plantationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Hampton Plantation State Historic Sitesouthcarolinaparks.com