 |
|
"It is my desire that the dwelling house on Fort Hill shall never be torn down or altered, but kept in repair, with all articles of furniture and vesture which I herein after give for that purpose, and shall always be open for the inspection of visitors." Thomas Green Clemson
|
The Plantation
By penning these words, Thomas Green Clemson opened the home of John C. Calhoun to the public. The Fort Hill Plantation was the home of Calhoun, South Carolina's preeminent nineteenth century statesman. He lived in the home from 1825 to 1850. The surviving parts of the plantation include the dwelling house, Calhoun's office, a reconstructed kitchen, and a partially restored spring.
|
Fort Hill is an upcountry vernacular design with Greek Revival and Federal period design. The house contains three Greek Revival columned piazzas. The main house was originally called Clergy Hall, and was owned by the second pastor of The Old Stone Church. Clergy Hall was a two story, four room house. The Calhouns added ten rooms to the structure during their stay.
Most of the items in the house have never left Fort Hill. Several other items were donated by family members during the last century. Key pieces of furniture include a Duncan Phyfe dining table, complete with all twelve chairs, a mahogany side board made from wood from the U.S.S. Constitution, and a Windsor chair owned by George Washington.
The plantation was not large by plantation standards. Calhoun only cultivated 450 of his 1,100 acres. From the drawing seen above, one can get a sense of the homestead. The front gate of Fort Hill is located near Sikes Hall on the Clemson University campus. From the north porch, Calhoun could view the Blue Ridge Mountains. To the south, he could see the Seneca River. At the site of the current Trustee House, Calhoun had a small vegetable garden planted. The drive to the house was lined with cedar trees. In the yard, Calhoun had two trees presented as gifts: an arborvitae, presented by Henry Clay, and a hemlock, presented by Daniel Webster.
|
John C. Calhoun
Calhoun was born on March 18, 1782 to Patrick and Martha Caldwell Calhoun, Scotch-Irish settlers in the Abbeville district of South Carolina. He received his formal education from the Reverend Moses Waddel in Appling, Georgia. Waddle was the husband of Calhoun's older sister, Catherine. Catherine, took a keen interest in Calhoun's education. He entered Yale in his junior year, and attracted the attention of Yale President Timothy Dwight. While at Yale, Calhoun wrote an article titled The Qualifications Necessary to Constitute a Perfect Statesman. Calhoun graduated from Yale in 1804 with honors. He finished law school in Litchfield, Connecticut, and then opened a law practice in Abbeville. Four years later, he began his political career. Seizing upon a volitale issue, the attack of the US frigate Chesapeak by the British warship Leopard's in June 1807, Calhoun captured the attention of the citizens of Abbeville. Spanning almost fifty years in politics, Calhoun held the following offices during his extradonary life:
- South Carolina State legislator: 1808-1810
- US Representative from South Carolina: 1811-1817
- Secretary of War (under James Monroe): 1817-1825
- Vice President (under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson): 1825-1832
- US Senator from South Carolina: 1832-1843
- Secretary of State (under John Tyler): 1844-1845
- US Senator (from South Carolina): 1845-1850
|
Floride Bonneau Calhoun
During his term as a US Representative, Calhoun married a distant cousin named Floride Bonneau Calhoun. They made their home in the small community of Bath, South Carolina. Before establishing their permanent residence at Fort Hill, the Calhouns also lived in Washington near the present-day Dumbarton Oaks. The Calhouns had ten children; seven surviving to adulthood. One daughter, Martha Cornelia, was born lame. To allow her some freedom, the Calhouns had a small garden built near the back entrance of the house. This garden was where Cornelia played, and has become known as Cornelia's Garden. Calhoun died in Washington, D.C., March 31, 1850. He is buried in Charleston. After his death, Floride moved to near-by Pendleton and lived at Mi Casa until her death in 1866. John C. Calhoun's influence was felt both during his life and after his death. Calhoun County, Illinois, was named for him. Calhoun was called one of the five most important Senators in US history, and his name garners a US submarine: the USS John C. Calhoun.
|
City of Clemson
Phone: 864-653-2030 or email.
1250 Tiger Blvd. Suite 1
Clemson, SC 29631
|
|
 | | Fort Hill |
|
|
|
|
|
