Japonica Hall, also known as the Major J.J. Lucas House, is a historic home located at Society Hill,

Darlington County, South Carolina Darlington County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 62,905. Its county seat is Darlington. Hartsville is the largest city in the county. Darlington County is home to the Darlington Rac ...

. It was built in 1896–1897, and is a -story over basement brick residence with a rusticated first story and a second story. It is in the Beaux Arts style with a facade reminiscent of Italian Renaissance palazzos. It has a projecting hipped-roof central entrance bay and a one-story

Tuscan order The Tuscan order (Latin ''Ordo Tuscanicus'' or ''Ordo Tuscanus'', with the meaning of Etruscan order) is one of the two classical orders developed by the Romans, the other being the composite order. It is influenced by the Doric order, but with u ...

verandah A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...

. It was the home of Major James Jonathan Lucas, a prominent local railroad builder and businessman. Lucas, who represented Charleston in the state House of Representatives from 1856 to 1862, was a prominent Confederate artillery officer in the defense of Charleston during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. It was listed on 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 1989. It is located in the

Welsh Neck-Long Bluff-Society Hill Historic District Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

References

Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Beaux-Arts architecture in South Carolina Houses completed in 1897 Houses in Darlington County, South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Darlington County, South Carolina 1897 establishments in South Carolina {{DarlingtonCountySC-NRHP-stub