McCormick County, South Carolina
McCormick County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 9,526, making it the second-least populous county in South Carolina. Its county seat is McCormick. The county was formed in 1 ...
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1977.
The house is thought to have been built in 1825 by John Hearst, the great-uncle of
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper publisher and politician who developed the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His extravagant methods of yellow jou ...
. John Hearst died in 1847, and James H. Wideman acquired the property. Frank Wideman, Sr., owner of the property during the 20th Century, was appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt as Assistant U.S. Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department Tax Division. Frank Wideman Jr., worked to restore the house between 1969 and 1971. It is a one-and-one-half story white clapboard building in the Federal style set on a low brick foundation and has fine Regency details in the interior and faux finishes. Current owners Jay and Kim Dowd III purchased Sylvania from the Wideman Family in 2020 after five generations of family ownership with a commitment to preservation and stewardship of this SC historical landmark.