Star of Edgefield
Historic Property
Alternate Name:
Old Butler House
Street Address:
111 Butler Avenue, between Martintown Road and Georgia Avenue, North Augusta, SC
Site Number:
S108042001100102
Site Number:
2-26-8
Date Surveyed:
1973
Category:
Building
Construction Date:
circa 1859
Historic Use:
Residential/Domestic
Current Use:
Residential/Domestic
Construction Method:
brick
Signficant Architectural Features:
2 story house, constructed of red brick (said to have been hand made by slaves in the brickyard owned by Robert J. Butler near Getzen's Pond) laid in English bond and with a cornice of angled headers; exterior walls are said to be 21/2 feet thick. Front: symmetrical, 5 bays; the 2-tiered veranda that extends across the front facade features wrought iron that is believed to have been brought from England through the Union blockade off Charleston - brackets, posts and rails of this trim are different on each story. A belvedere rises from the center of the hipped roof of the house between interior chimneys. Interior: there are eight rooms, 4 on 4, with central halls. OUTBUILDINGS:
Alterations:
There appear to have been no significant changes made to this house since it was first recorded for the S.C. Inventory of Historic Places.
Historical Information:
Robert J. Butler built this brick house prior to the Civil War after an earlier house on the site burned. The large crape myrtles in the front yard are said to have been planted when the original dwelling stood on the property. Butler owned an extensive plantation, which stretched to the Savannah River. Developers attempted to buy this site from Mrs. Mealing, Butler's daughter, for the Hampton Terrance Hotel, but she was adamant in her refusal to sell. It is said that her resolve remained firm in the face of a $50,000 bid and the offer to move her house, brick by brick, to any other location of her choosing.
Source of Historical Information:
LSCOG survey files.
Survey:
North Augusta Survey, 1982
Archives Location:
Box 11, Series 108042, Survey of historic resources (county by county data on surface properties), circa 1971-2014
