to Historic South Carolina Property
It is with great pleasure that Three Palms Arabians and the Palm Family announce the acquisition of Magnolia Hall Plantation near Camden, South Carolina.
This antebellum estate situated on forty acres of
rich alluvial land lies between the Wateree River and Highway 261, also known
as the old King's Highway.
No one knows exactly when construction began, but
it is presumed to have been sometime between 1815 and 1821 because it first
appears on a map which bears the date 1821. Built by Isaac Barnes, it is constructed
of long leaf pine most likely cut from the surrounding plantation. When it
was built in the early 19th century it consisted of only two rooms. The kitchen,
barn and slave quarters were nearby.
Dr. Swepson Saunders purchased the house in 1853 and prior to the War Between the States added a wing to the west side to accommodate his fourteen children. The front piazza with six columns, another dining room (which later served as a schoolroom for the governess) and an enormous pantry were added as well. Dr. Saunders gained in excess of 1000 acres through land purchases for the production of cotton and food crops. Forty-one slaves who lived on the plantation tended to the fields. In 1860 there were eight slave cabins on the property to house the slaves.
Dr. Saunders was a physician by training but never practiced medicine, preferring life as a planter. Because Dr. Saunders suffered from inflammatory rheumatism, he did not serve in the Confederate Army, but aided it by raising crops for the hospitals.
The Camden to Kingville Railroad passed through the property. Troops and military supplies were transported by this rail system. Therefore, it was a prime target for Sherman during his march through South Carolina. During the final days of conflict, a skirmish known as "Potter's'Raid" (April 8-21, 1865) took place within two miles of Magnolia Hall. Federal troops were fed from the kitchen window during this conflict and that may be the only reason that Sherman did not burn the house to the ground.
In a letter written by Dr. Saunders to his wife, Rebecca, in 1865 he described the activity of Sherman's army.
"Dear Beck,
I am better this morning, but still quite stiff from my ride. I will send Willis over tomorrow if it is safe for him to go. I can see father's house from here and can tell when the Yankeys get to my house. Can see the houses burning at Statesburg now. Kiss the children for me and believe me ever your affection.
S.H.S."
The reference to "father's house" is Dixie Hall, the sister plantation to Magnolia Hall. General Potter occupied this house and used it as a field hospital during Potter's Raid.
Magnolia Hall has passed from generation to generation in the Saunders' family. In 1901, the house passed to Dr. Marion Singleton Kirk then to Susan Kirk Haynesworth in 1953. The last descendant to occupy the house was Mrs. Haynesworth's daughter, Mary Alden Carrison. She is credited with the research necessary to enter Magnolia Hall in the National Register of Historic places by the U.S. Department of the Interior on September 2, 1999.
The shape and form of the property essentially retain the design that was present at the beginning of the Civil War. Magnolia Hall is an exemplary example of a typical plantation built in the Greek Revival style. Ancient magnolia trees provide shade and a welcome respite from the heat on sultry summer days and are responsible for the plantation's name.