Walnut Grove Plantation, the home of Charles and Mary Moore, was built in 1765 on a land grant given by

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

. The property is located in Roebuck in

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat, seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest c ...

. Charles Moore was a school teacher and used the plantation as a farm. The Moores had ten children, and some of their descendants still live within the area. The eldest daughter, Margaret Catharine Moore (best known as

Kate Barry Catherine Moore Barry (October 1752 – September 1823) was a heroine of the American Revolutionary War. She was the daughter of Charles and Mary Moore, and the eldest of ten children. She married Andrew Barry in 1767 at the age of 15 and lived on ...

), served as a scout for General

Daniel Morgan Daniel Morgan (1735–1736July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. One of the most respected battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he later commanded troops during the sup ...

during the

Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781 near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between U.S. forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and British forces under Lieutenant Colo ...

. Kate Moore Barry is credited with planting the grove of black walnut trees. Today, the main house has been renovated and preserved. Tours are given throughout the Manor as well as the other houses, including a schoolhouse, a wheat house, and several other structures. A stain on the floor of the upstairs bedroom in the manor was for a long time believed to be the blood of a

patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

named John Steadman, who was killed by

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

forces led by "Bloody" Bill Cunningham. The stain and this story were popular with tourists. As 21st-century research determined the stain was not from human blood, tour guides have been prohibited from attributing it to the Steadman murder.

References

External links

Walnut Grove Plantation
Spartanburg County Historical Association, official site
Walnut Grove Plantation
* * * * * {{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 1765 Historic house museums in South Carolina Plantation houses in South Carolina Museums in Spartanburg County, South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Spartanburg County, South Carolina Houses in Spartanburg County, South Carolina