A unique rather large house that has been moved twice in it's life. Originally built in Edgefield County South Carolina near Edgewood Road , it was moved to 101 Gregg Street in Aiken, South Carolina in 1929 and then moved again in 1989 to it's current location on the campus of the University of South Carolina at Aiken.
From the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, dating from 1983 (
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(Edgewood) The Pickens house is reputed to have been built in 1829 by Governor Andrew Pickens for his son Francis W. Pickens, who called the home Edgewood. Abandoned and in a state of disrepair, the house was moved from near Edgefield to Kalmia Hill in Aiken in 1929 by Eulalie Chafee Salley. Salley was a prominent Aiken businesswoman and leader of the women’s rights movement. The house is significant for its association with her contributions to Aiken and women’s rights. The Pickens House is also a fine example of early nineteenth century backcountry plantation architecture, and although it has been moved it still carries an association with Governor F. W. Pickens and his family. The rebuilding and restoration by Byron Hair, contractor and Willis Irvin, architect are significant in their own right. Irregular-shaped in plan, the Pickens House is sheathed with weatherboard, except under the roof of the front porch, where it has flushboard siding. The complex gable roof, which is covered with composition shingles, features boxed cornices with returns. A central projecting five-bay pavilion and flanking wings characterizes the symmetrical façade. The Pickens House was moved again ca. 1990 to the campus of the University of South Carolina at Aiken. Listed in the National Register May 19, 1983.
Updated information from the nearby historical marker
(Front text)
2 24 Pickens-Salley House
This plantation house, first known as "Edgewood," is an excellent example of Federal-era architecture. Originally near Edgefield, it was built in 1828 for Francis W. Pickens (1807-1869), state representative and senator, congressman, U.S. Minister to Russia, and governor 1860-62 during the secession crisis and the first two years of the Civil War. Lucy Holcombe Pickens was an ardent Confederate and novelist.
Erected by the Aiken County Historical Society, 2002
(Reverse text)
2 24 Pickens-Salley House
In 1929 Eulalie Chafee Salley (1883-1975), pioneer woman suffragist, real estate broker, and developer, saved the house. Salley, architect Willis Irvin (1891-1950), and contractor Byron E. Hair supervised its dismantling, relocation to the Kalmia Hill area of Aiken, and restoration. It was moved here in 1989 when developer Ronny Bolton donated it to the University of South Carolina Aiken.
Erected by the Aiken County Historical Society, 2002
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