Caldwell-Hampton-Boylston House - Columbia, South Carolina
Posted by: Groundspeak Charter Member BruceS
N 34° 00.549 W 081° 02.579
17S E 496031 N 3763171
Historic house in Columbia, South Carolina
Waymark Code: WMGYBJ
Location: South Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 04/23/2013
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member silverquill
Views: 2

"The Caldwell-Hampton-Boylston House is significant as one of Columbia’s finest examples of Greek Revival architecture. The house is historically and politically significant because of its owners who were important in South Carolina affairs and its proximity and association with the Governor’s Mansion. In 1869, the house was bought by Daniel H. Chamberlain, South Carolina Reconstruction governor, who resided there 1874-1876. It was also the home of John Caldwell, Columbia banker, and later the Frank Hampton (brother of General Wade Hampton) family. The significance of the gardens should also be noted. Planting had probably been done when the house was built ca. 1830 and added to throughout the last half of the nineteenth century. Mrs. Sarah Porter Smith of Chicago bought the house in 1895 for winter quarters and began further landscaping, featuring formal arrangements of boxwoods, grassy plots, shady arbors, walls and statuary with hundreds of azaleas, camellias and dogwoods, as well as rare shrubs and trees. During her and the subsequent ownership by her niece, Mrs. Sarah Porter Boylston, the gardens were a social gathering place and used for elaborate garden parties. The house is a three-story clapboard Greek Revival mansion with two matching inside chimneys. The double-tiered porches are supported by four columns and have a simple balustrade on each story. The house and gardens are surrounded by handsome ironwork and brick fencing (ca. 1855). Outbuildings include a stable/carriage house, garden gazebo, and tea house. Listed in the National Register May 6, 1971." - South Carolina Department of Archives and History

The house is now owned by the State of South Carolina and is used by the Governor's Mansions state and welcome center for the welcome center for the Governor's Mansion. The house and its surrounding gardens are well maintained.
Street address:
829 Richland St.
Columbia, South Carolina


County / Borough / Parish: Richland

Year listed: 1971

Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Person

Periods of significance: 1825-1849, 1850-1874

Historic function: Domestic

Current function: Government

Privately owned?: yes

Primary Web Site: [Web Link]

Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]

Season start / Season finish: Not listed

Hours of operation: Not listed

Secondary Website 2: Not listed

National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
There are no logs for this waymark yet.