Kensington Mansion

Sunday, November 4, 2018

This past summer, I ventured to Eastover, South Carolina for a tour of Kensington Mansion.  Kensington Mansion has been closed to the public for a while but opened (to the public) for a one day only tour of the mansion (it is my understanding that another one day only tour was held in September as well).  The event was put on by International Paper (owner of the property) and Historic Columbia.  My mom was in town for the weekend so we decided to make it a Mother/Daughter Day which began with a 9:00 am tour of Kensington.  Have you every been to Eastover/Hopkins/Lower Richland?  Talk about an area jammed packed FULL of history.  This area is a gem!

We arrived a little early (what can I say I was excited) for the tour which met at Eastover Park and checked in. 

We then took our seats on the motor coach that would be taking us to Kensington (a hop, skip, and a jump to Kensington).  When we arrived at Kensington the drive way was interesting because it was circular instead of straight...I may be the only one that thought it was interesting but the 'norm' would be as you're driving (can we pretend its the 1800s and we're riding in a carriage, please?) up the drive way, once you clear the beautiful old oaks ta-da, there's the grand house and everyone gasped at the beauty (are you currently hearing the them music from Gone with the Wind?).  Well, like I said, this drive way is circular which meant once we cleared the trees we took a turn getting to not only see the beautiful house but also the landscape. 


We got off the bus right in front of the house (talk about curb side service) at which time we were ushered under a huge white tent for a quick 'how the tour goes' talk, bottled water, and Cromer's popcorn (have you had Cromer's popcorn, geez louise is that stuff addictive, I mean good...good addictive...anyway).  Our large group was separated into 3 groups and off we went for our tour.  The tour we were on started outside learning about the architecture of the mansion and the layout of the grounds (including outbuildings).


Our tour then made it's way inside to the first level of the house (think ground level basement).  The basement would have possibly housed a warming kitchen, dining area, and store rooms.
 45 feet cistern.  The cistern was used to collect/store rainwater.



The final piece of our tour took us up the sandstone steps (painted to look marble), through a huge mahogany front door into the grandness that is Kensington Mansion.






Kensington Mansion was built in 1854 by Matthew R. Singleton, the son of Col. Richard Singleton.  The property consisted of 6,600 acres and 465 slaves.  The mansion is 12,000 square feet and 29 rooms.  The Singleton family were very well known in the Columbia/Midlands area as they were one of the wealthiest families in the state.  At one time they owned an estimated 19 plantations (totaling around 30,000+ acres).  Matthew R. Singleton passed away in 1854 leaving his wife, Mattie, the sole heir to the his estate.  She was to hold on to Kensington, overseeing its daily operations, until 1887.  The house changed hands a few times over the years when in 1941 it was purchased by the US Government.  The house was basically abandoned for the next 40 years.  I can only imagine the damage that was done to the mansion out of sheer neglect for that period of time.  The home was then purchased by the Lanham family who due to the terrible condition that Kensington was in, decided not to live in the mansion.  At this time, the mansion became a type of warehouse/barn area as grain, farm equipment, and other farming items were stored in the mansion.  In 1971 the mansion was listed on the National Register for Historical Places and was then purchased by Union Camp Corporation (now International Paper Company) in 1981.  Union Camp restored the mansion to its originally state and opened it for public tours for the next 30+ years.  However, in 2014/2015 the mansion was closed due to repairs that needed to be completed.  The mansion was closed to the public and all of the furniture was removed from the house.  International Paper Company has had the needed repairs completed and we were all very grateful to be able to visit the mansion and see the beautiful work that had been done to restore this wonderful piece of history back to its originally 1854 grandeur.  Thank you to International Paper Company, Dixon Construction, Historic Columbia, and many others who helped in restoring this property.

Fun Fact:  Wade Hampton III honeymooned with his wife Mary Singleton McDuffie at Kensington Mansion.

Reading Recommendations: 
Kensington by David Gottfred
Sketches of Planters, Plantations, and Living Along the Grgeat Road Saint Mark's Parish 1700-2000 by Charles Broadwell
The Singleton Family of Sumter County by Charles Broadwell

Happy Travels,
Amber

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