The Brattonsville Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

and

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in York County,

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 = ...

. It includes three homes built between 1776 and 1855 by the Brattons, a prominent family of York County. 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 ...

in 1971.

Contributing properties

The Revolutionary House, built in 1776 by Colonel William Bratton (who fought in the Revolutionary War), was originally a one-room log house with a small porch. Later additions were added to the original structure, and clapboard siding was placed over the original logs. Brattonsville Historic District

The Homestead, Brattonsville's second house built about 1830 as the home of Dr. John S. Bratton, was significant as the center of an 8500-acre plantation. This 12-room, 2⅛-story antebellum mansion is an example of

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 ...

residential architecture. The interior features Adam mantels, exquisite dadoes, and a carved staircase. The Brick House, built in 1855, has a two-story brick façade with end chimneys, a two-tiered portico, stucco-over-brick columns, and a two-story wooden wing at back; it was originally a private boarding school for girls. The district was listed on the

on August 19, 1971. In 1997, the district's boundary was increased to comprise 6760 acres, 24 buildings, 12 structures, and 1 object.

Historic Brattonsville

Historic Brattonsville is the portion of the Brattonsville Historic District that is owned by th
York County Culture and Heritage Commission
and Dr. Rufus Bratton, and operates as an open-air museum. Buildings include

Hightower Hall Hightower Hall (Forrest Hall) is a historic home located near McConnells, York County, South Carolina. Completed in 1856, Hightower Hall is a two-story, weatherboarded frame dwelling in a vernacular interpretation of the Italianate style. The fr ...

, The Homestead, and the McConnell House (moved to the site in 1983).

In Popular Culture

The Brattonsville Historic District served as the location for several scenes in the 2000 Revolutionary War epic film '' The Patriot''. Portions of the Homestead House, including its east façade and porch, were used in scenes depicting Charlotte Selton's (played by Joely Richardson) rural plantation. The Continental Encampment, interior scenes of the Howard family's home, and the plantation at Camden were also filmed on site.

Notable residents

J. Rufus Bratton James Rufus Bratton (1821–1897) was a medical doctor, army surgeon, civic leader, and leader in the Ku Klux Klan in South Carolina with whom he was guilty of committing numerous crimes. Bratton trained in medicine in Philadelphia in the 1840s ...

, physician and inspiration for the main character in ''

The Clansman ''The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan'' is a novel published in 1905, the second work in the Ku Klux Klan trilogy by Thomas Dixon Jr. (the others are ''The Leopard's Spots'' and '' The Traitor''). Chronicling the American Civi ...

'' and ''

The Birth of a Nation ''The Birth of a Nation'', originally called ''The Clansman'', is a 1915 American silent epic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and play ''The Cla ...

References

Notes

External links

Homestead House - Historic Brattonsville
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Georgian architecture in South Carolina Buildings and structures in York County, South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in York County, South Carolina Museums in York County, South Carolina Open-air museums in South Carolina {{YorkCountySC-NRHP-stub