Fort Hill, John C Calhoun House and libraries', is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

on the

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enr ...

campus in Clemson,

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, United States. The house is significant as the home of John C. Calhoun, the 7th

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

, from 1825 to 1850. It is now a house for museums and libraries.

History

The house was originally built as a four-room house about 1803 and was called Clergy Hall by Dr. James McElhenny, who was the pastor of Hopewell Presbyterian Church. The house later became the home of John C. Calhoun and his wife Floride Calhoun in 1825. Calhoun enlarged it to 14 rooms and renamed it Fort Hill for nearby Fort Rutledge, which was built around 1776. The architectural style is

Greek revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

with Federal detailing and with simple interior detailing. After John Calhoun's death in 1850, the property and the 50 slaves there passed to his wife to be shared with three of her children: Cornelia, John, and Anna Maria, wife of

Thomas Green Clemson Thomas Green Clemson (July 1, 1807April 6, 1888) was an American politician and statesman, serving as an ambassador and United States Superintendent of Agriculture. He served in the Confederate Army and founded Clemson University in South Carolin ...

. Anna sold her share to Floride Calhoun. Floride Calhoun sold the

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 ...

to her son, Andrew Pickens Calhoun, and held the mortgage. After Andrew died in 1865, she filed for foreclosure against Andrew's heirs before her death in 1866. After lengthy legal proceedings, the plantation was auctioned at Walhalla in 1872. The executor of her estate won the auction, which was divided among her surviving heirs. Her daughter, Anna Clemson, received the residence with about and her great-granddaughter, Floride Isabella Lee, received about . Thomas Green and Anna Clemson moved into Fort Hill in 1872. After Anna's death in 1875, Thomas Green Clemson inherited Fort Hill. In his 1888 will, Clemson bequeathed more than of the Fort Hill estate to the State of South Carolina for an agricultural college with a stipulation that the dwelling house "shall never be torn down or altered; but shall be kept in repair with all articles of furniture and vesture...and shall always be open for inspection of visitors."E. M. Lander, Jr., ''The Calhoun Family and Thomas Green Clemson: The Decline of a Southern Patriarchy'' (1983) University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, SC.

has operated Fort Hill as a house museum as stipulated in the will. The house is all that remains of what was once an extensive plantation estate. The home was designated a

in 1960. and Fort Hill was closed for a two-year restoration project and was reopened in the spring of 2003. Fort Hill was named a national treasure by the

Save America's Treasures Save America's Treasures is a United States federal government initiative to preserve and protect historic buildings, arts, and published works. It is a public–private partnership between the U.S. National Park Service and the National Trust fo ...

program, and its artifacts are currently undergoing a comprehensive conservation program funded by this federal grant and matching funds.

References

External links

History

See also

References

External links