Fairfield Plantation (Charleston County, South Carolina)
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Fairfield Plantation, also known as the Lynch House is a
plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
about east of
McClellanville McClellanville is a small fishing town in rural Charleston County, South Carolina, Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,040 at the 2010 census. It is situated on the Atlantic coast, on land surrounded by Francis Ma ...
in
Charleston County, South Carolina Charleston County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina along the Atlantic coast. As of the 2020 census, its population was 408,235, making it the third most populous county in South Carolina (behind Greenville and Richland counties). ...
. It is adjacent to the
Wedge Plantation The Wedge Plantation, which is also known as The Wedge or the William Lucas House, is a plantation about east of McClellanville in Charleston County, South Carolina. The plantation is a wedge-shaped property between the Harrietta Plantation ...
and just north of
Harrietta Plantation Harrieta Plantation is a plantation about east of McClellanville in Charleston County, South Carolina. It is located off US Highway 17 near the Santee River, adjacent to the Wedge Plantation and just south of Fairfield Plantation. The plan ...
. The
plantation house A plantation house is the main house of a plantation, often a substantial farmhouse, which often serves as a symbol for the plantation as a whole. Plantation houses in the Southern United States and in other areas are known as quite grand and e ...
was built around 1730. It is located just off
US Highway 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length, with ...
near the
Santee River } The Santee River is a river in South Carolina in the United States, and is long. The Santee and its tributaries provide the principal drainage for the coastal areas of southeastern South Carolina and navigation for the central coastal plain of ...
. It was named to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on September 18, 1975.


History

The house at Fairfield Plantation is believed to have been built by the Lynch family around 1730. In 1758, Jacob Motte, son of Jacob Motte who was provincial treasurer, and his wife
Rebecca Brewton Motte Rebecca Brewton Motte (1737–1815) was a plantation owner in South Carolina and townhouse owner in its chief city of Charleston. She was known as a patriot in the American Revolution, supplying continental forces with food and supplies for five y ...
obtained the house. Their daughters, Elizabeth and Frances, both married Thomas Pinckney in succession and the house was left to Pinckney. Pinckney then left the house to his son, Thomas Pinckney Jr who in turn left it to his nephew, Captain Thomas Pinckney. The plantation has remained in the Pinckney family for over 200 years.


Architecture

This is a
Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
style,
clapboard Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of these terms, is wooden siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping. ''Clapboard'' in modern Americ ...
house on a raised basement. It has central porches on the south and north elevations. Each is
pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...
ed and supported by six
Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...
columns. Two columns are
engaged An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...
. The south porch on the landside is supported by brick columns. The riverside north porch has brick arch supports. The porches were probably in the late 18th century. The house has a
hip roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus, ...
and two cross-shaped interior chimneys. The house originally had four rooms on the main floor and two rooms on the second floor. The latter rooms were facing the river. After Jacob Motte acquired the house, the second floor was squared out by adding two additional rooms. The main floor is taller than the second floor. There is a horizontal band on the exterior that separates the top floor from the main floor. The south facade has a pair of nine over nine
lights Light is an electromagnetic radiation, part of which stimulates the sense of vision. Light or Lights may also refer to: Illumination * Light bulb * Traffic light Arts and entertainment Music * Lights (musician) (born 1987), Canadian singer-son ...
on each side of the door. The second floor has six over six lights above each of the first floor windows. In the second story, there are pairs of six over six lights to the left and right of the porch gable. The east and west elevations each have three four over four lights on the first floor with shorter six over six lights above on the second floor. In the late 19th century bay windows were added, though they were subsequently removed toward the end of the 20th century. The second floor has a six over six light on each side of the porch roof just inside of the bay windows. There is small nine light window over the north door. The first floor has four rooms. The larger of the front rooms has the central front entrance. The smaller room on the left is connected to the large room by a single door. The two rear rooms are the same size. They are divided by the central hall with staircase. The front rooms have barrel-vaulted fireplaces with high mantels on their back walls. The left hand rear room has had small bathroom added at a later period. The floor plan of the basement is the same as the first floor. The upper floor has four rooms with small fireplaces. Additional pictures are available.


References


External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Historic American Buildings Survey in South Carolina Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Georgian architecture in South Carolina Houses completed in 1730 Houses in Charleston County, South Carolina Plantation houses in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Charleston County, South Carolina 1730 establishments in South Carolina