Category Archives: Houses

Black History, Houses, National Register of Historic Places, North Carolina

Nina Simone’s Childhood Home-Tryon, North Carolina

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Nina Simone was born on February 21, 1933, in this 660-foot square home in Tryon, North Carolina. Named Eunice Waymon, she lived here with her parents and eight siblings until 1937. This home is mere feet away from St. Luke’s CME Church, where her mother was a pastor, and she began to play the piano for the church by the age of four.

In 2017, artists Adam Pendleton, Rashid John, Ellen Gallagher, and Julie Mehretu bought the home for $95,000. This prevented the potential demolition of this historic home. The artists worked with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and other groups to help restore the home. Plans include adding a living space with modern amenities for a potential artist-in-residence program.

Black History, Houses, South Carolina

Morris Street Slave Dwellings-Anderson, South Carolina

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Located in Anderson, South Carolina, are likely the last standing slave houses in an upstate South Carolina town. Four houses sit along an alleyway in the Anderson Historic District. Architectural historians determined three houses are antebellum, with the other one built after the Civil War.

These houses were up for demolition in 2009 when The Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation stepped in and purchased them. According to the newspaper searches, people lived in these houses until 2008. They were condemned after complaints to the city.

It is suspected that the slave alley was tied to an in-town estate, likely the Caldwell-Johnson-Morris Cottage. According to the 1860 Slave Census, Margaret Morris enslaved two women. Her house is on the same street and one block down from the slave alley.

Below is the 1918 Sanborn map, which shows the four houses in a row. Unfortunately, previous Sanborn maps do not go east enough to show the houses.

In 2011, Joseph McGill of the Slave Dwelling Project stayed in one of the houses.

Houses, National Register of Historic Places, South Carolina

Hubbard-McFall-King House-Anderson, South Carolina

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Hubbard-McFall-King House was built after the honeymoon trip of John and Lavina Hubbard, where they fell in love with similarly styled homes along the Hudson River in New York City. This style, Chinese Chippendale, is a relatively rare type of Queen Anne. It’s scarce in the South. There are four homes in the greater Anderson area that were built in this style. Two are in town. The other two are inaccessible. There is one that was up for sale a few years ago. You can see it here.

Chinese Chippendale architecture refers to specific banister styles influenced by the cabinetmaker and furniture designer Thomas Chippendale.

Houses, South Carolina

Earlesdale-Gowensville, South Carolina

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Reverend Thomas J. Earle was a minister and educator who settled in Gowensville, South Carolina. He founded the Gowensville Seminary, which educated students from around the area. Built in 1874, Earlsedale was made of bricks that were made on-site. Students would often board at the home while going to the school.

Abandoned, Demolished, Houses, South Carolina

Plantation Plain House-Fountain Inn, South Carolina

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I photographed this I-House, also known as a plantation plain, in August 2020. As I was driving home today and avoiding the interstate, I caught a glimpse of the house and realized it had been lost to fire.

The only information I can find on the home is that it was built in the 1880s. I suspect it might be earlier than that.

The many trees made the property hard to photograph.
Here is a link to the Google Street View.
Houses, National Register of Historic Places, South Carolina

Frierson-Marshall House-Anderson, South Carolina

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The ornate fretwork and balustrade make this one story Italianate home stand out. In some literature this home is described as Chinese Chippendale. Information on the home differs. Some articles indicate it was built in the early 1890s; others indicate in 1902. The home was built by the same Morris family that lived in the Caldwell-Johnson-Morris Cottage.

The home was sold to Nellie Bewley Frierson who then sold it to the Aubrey Marshall family.