This Queen Anne Victorian was built in the mid-1880s. Meyer Wachtel was a dry goods merchant who moved to the United States from Germany. His son, Manning, stayed in Chester after his parents passed away and became a dry goods merchant. I was not able to confirm if he took over a family business.
This Queen Anne Victorian was built before 1900. The exact date is unknown since a fire in the courthouse destroyed the property records. According to one account, the land was purchased in 1897. This Chester, South Carolina home sits just off downtown.
According to the 1900 Census Records, JM Coleman lives here with his wife Stella and her mother, Sarah Mattoon. Coleman was a dry good salesman. News articles highlight he graduated in May 1883 from a college in Baltimore. By August 1883, another news article lists Coleman with other men who are looking to build in Chester.
According to information on the South Carolina Historic Properties website, Coleman sells the house to his mother-in-law, Sarah Mattoon, for $4000 in 1903. They are still listed in residence in 1906.
By 1908, the Chester City Directory shows Augustus Aiken living here with his family. He works in the fertilizer industry.
By 1920, Abraham Balser, another dry goods salesman, is living here with his family. The Balser family is a prominent Jewish family who lives in the house for several decades. There is a Balser Building in downtown Chester.
It was listed as a contributing property of the Chester Historical District in 1987 on the National Register of Historic Places.
Purity Presbyterian Church was first know as Bull Run Presbyterian Church. It was founded in 1770. The cemetery was started I. 1787. While the church moved closer into the town of Chester. The cemetery remains active.
The cemetery is filled with early Victorian markers.
