|
Millford Plantation (also spelled Milford) is a historic place located on SC 261 west of Pinewood, South Carolina. It was sometimes called Manning's Folly, because of its remote location in the High Hills of Santee section of the state and its elaborate details. Designated as a National Historic Landmark, it is regarded as one of the finest examples of Greek Revival residential architecture in the United States.〔(2006 South Carolina Historic Preservation Awards )〕 It has been restored and preserved along with many of its original Duncan Phyfe furnishings. ==History== Millford Plantation's monumental two-story Greek Revival mansion was built in Clarendon (now Sumter) county between 1839 and 1841 for John L. Manning and his wife, Susan Frances Hampton Manning. The builder, Nathaniel F. Potter of Providence, Rhode Island, may have also done the design work. Manning later served as Governor of South Carolina from 1852 to 1854. Its imposing facade features six large carved Corinthian columns on granite bases that support the portico. Its walls are of brick made on the premises; the granite was shipped from Rhode Island. The excellence of Millford’s architecture extends throughout the house, from the tall floor-to-ceiling windows to a spectacular circular staircase rising, seemingly without support, in a domed cylindrical chamber on the rear side of the building. Susan Frances Hampton was the daughter of General Wade Hampton I and his wife, Mary Cantey; she was half-sister of Colonel Wade Hampton II. Although by law he inherited from their father after his death in 1935, Wade III shared the estate with Susan and another sister. Much of the money to build the Millford mansion (it cost $125,000, an enormous sum in 1840) probably came from Susan Hampton Manning’s recent inheritance.〔Classical American Homes Preservation Trust. ''Annual Report,'' 2008: p. 3〕 Susan Hampton Manning died in 1845 giving birth to her third child with John L. Manning. In 1848 Manning married Sally Bland Clarke and had four children with her.〔(Smith, Thomas Gordon, "Living with antiques: Millford Plantation in South Carolina", ''Antiques Magazine'', May, 1997. )〕 Near the end of the Civil War, the residence was threatened with destruction by Union troops on April 19, 1865, but was saved by the intervention of their commander, Brigadier General Edward E. Potter of New York. His exchange with Governor Manning was recorded as follows: :Potter: This is a fine structure. :Manning: Well, the house was built by a Potter (Nathaniel Potter, the architect) and it looks as though it will be destroyed by a Potter. :Potter: No, you are protected. Nathaniel Potter was my brother.〔 When General Potter spared Millford, he did not know that Manning had a copy of the Articles of Secession in his desk. The story of Millford's survival might have ended quite differently had he known.〔Marguerite Wiegand. ''South Carolina Plantations.com''〕 Despite economic ruin during and after the Civil War, the Manning family and their descendants managed to retain possession of Millford until 1902. That year they sold it to Mary Clark Thompson of New York. She bequeathed it to her two nephews upon her death in 1923. It remained in the Clarks' hands until 1992, used by the family primarily as a winter retreat and for hunting and fishing.〔〔nomination form for the National Register accessible only by Internet Explorer through the link on (South Carolina Department of Archives and History listing for Milford (sic) Plantation )〕 On November 19, 1971, Millford Plantation, also called the Governor John L. Manning House, was added to the National Register of Historic Places and on November 7, 1973, it was declared a National Historic Landmark,〔〔〔(South Carolina Department of Archives and History listing for Milford (sic) Plantation )〕〔 and 〕 due to its historic and artistic importance. The plantation is one of three National Historic Landmarks located on SC 261, the Kings Highway, in the High Hills of Santee. The other two are Borough House Plantation and the Church of the Holy Cross, both in Stateburg. The house, along with 400 acres of surrounding land, was acquired in May 1992 from three of the Clark descendants and was meticulously restored by Richard Hampton Jenrette. He is one of the founders of the New York investment banking firm, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, and a collateral descendant of Susan Hampton Manning. He referred to the estate as "the Taj Mahal of my dreams".〔Jenrette, Richard Hampton (2005). (''Adventures with Old Houses'' ), p. 179. Wyrick & Company.〕 In 1995, Jenrette received a South Carolina Historic Preservation Award for Millford. In 2006 he received the Governor's Award for his work on Millford and the Robert William Roper House in Charleston, another National Historic Landmark which he owns and restored.〔〔〔(Richard Hampton Jenrette biography )〕〔(1995 South Carolina Historic Preservation Awards )〕 The mansion was donated in December 2008 to the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust, a foundation established by Jenrette to: "Preserve, protect and open to the public examples of classical American residential architecture, fine and decorative arts of the first half of the 19th century."〔 In 2012 the "Friends of Millford" was formed as a group of supporters who appreciate the site and are interested in preserving its legacy for future generations. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Millford Plantation」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|