A Southern Girl and Her Suitcase: Ruins of Millwood Plantation

One of my favorite time periods in (American) history is the 1860s. I come by this honest because it's also my Father's favorite time period in American history. My parents began, thirty years ago, taking myself and my brother on family vacations. Those vacations always took us to a Civil War Site. My love of history, my vivid imagination, my endless questions, and my curiosity began on those family vacations. Through that love of history, I have seen many, many, many Civil War historical sites. And through that love of history (and some emails & phone calls), I was able to visit a place that has been on the top of my "to-see" list for a few years, Millwood. (Millwood is located on private property.)

I met my friend Jane and we rode together into Millwood. My excitement was on level 100! As soon as I could see Millwood, I could feel my heart racing and there maybe might have been tears in my eyes. (Jane knows my nerdiness so to her this was just another outing with me to a historical site!) All that is left of Millwood is five columns and a brick base where the sixth column would have stood. Did I hug the columns, you bet!

Millwood was the boyhood home of Wade Hampton, III, Lt. General in the Confederacy. It was owned by Wade Hampton II and his wife Ann Fitzsimmons. Upon Wade Hampton II's death, Millwood was left to his unmarried daughters. However, Millwood was burned in 1865 when Sherman came through Columbia. Their were different residences built on the Hampton property but the original Millwood Plantation was not rebuilt.