Woodlands, or the William Gilmore Simms Estate, is a historic plantation estate in

Bamberg County, South Carolina Bamberg County is a county located in the southwestern portion of U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,311, making the rural county the fourth-least populous of any in South Carolina. Its county seat is Bam ...

. The property is nationally notable as the home for many years of author

William Gilmore Simms William Gilmore Simms (April 17, 1806 – June 11, 1870) was an American writer and politician from the American South who was a "staunch defender" of slavery. A poet, novelist, and historian, his ''History of South Carolina'' served as the defin ...

(1806-1870), considered one of the leading literary voices of the antebellum

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

, and was designated 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 ...

in 1971. The main house, built in part by Simms, contains mementos from his period. and

Description and history

The Woodlands estate is located east of Bamberg on both sides of

U.S. Highway 78 U.S. Route 78 (US 78) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 715 miles (1,151 km) from Memphis, Tennessee, to Charleston, South Carolina. From Byhalia, Mississippi to Birmingham, Alabama, US 78 is concurrent with Interstate 2 ...

, on the south bank of the south branch of the

Edisto River The Edisto River is one of the longest free-flowing blackwater rivers in North America, flowing over 250 meandering miles from its sources in Saluda and Edgefield counties, to its Atlantic Ocean mouth at Edisto Beach, South Carolina. It rises in ...

. The main estate house is a two-story structure, brick on the first floor and wood frame on the second. Its main facade is five bays across, with asymmetrical window and door placement. The estate has two outbuildings from the 1860s: a small cabin that was used by

as a study, and a small dairy house. The estate was already of some age when William Gilmore Simms inherited it from his in-laws in 1836. It was for many years his primary residence, where many of his most significant works were written. The main estate house was rebuilt several times, once after a fire, and again after its destruction by

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

forces late in 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 ...

. Simms was not able to fully rebuild the main house, and only completed the library wing in 1867, which forms the first floor of the current main house. A documentary was made about the enslaved population at the Woodlands plantation.

References

External links

Woodlands, Bamberg County (S.C. Hwy. 78, Bamberg vicinity)
at South Carolina Department of Archives and History * {{National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina Houses in Bamberg County, South Carolina Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Houses completed in 1836 Historic American Buildings Survey in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Bamberg County, South Carolina

Description and history

See also

References

External links