Major E. R. Hays Home
Historic Property
Alternate Name:
Unknown
Street Address:
218 Midway Street, Bamberg, SC
Site Number:
S108042001400226
Site Number:
64
Date Surveyed:
1979
Category:
Building
Construction Date:
circa 1886
Historic Use:
Residential/Domestic
Current Use:
Residential/Domestic
Construction Method:
wood frame
Foundation Materials:
Brick
Roof Materials:
shingle
Signficant Architectural Features:
2 1/2 story clapboard house with gable roof and bracketed box cornice. 2 interior chimneys are visible from Midway St. Front: asymmetrical; gabled projecting right side of front, facade features a 3 bay (ABB), 2 tiered veranda with sawn balustrade and brackets; main entrance and entrance on 2nd story veranda are identical and have rectangular transom and sidelights; to the right of these entries on both the 1st and 2nd floors are 2 French windows; left side of front facade has 2 windows on each floor. A 2/2 window is set in the front gable end and in the side gables. Rear: 1 story porch, several 1 story additions. Interior: is unusual because it contains 2 spacious dining rooms. The carving in plaster on the ceiling of the parlor is noteworthy. OUTBUILDINGS: 3 shed buildings to rear
Alterations:
altered - the major exterior alterations to the Hays home were the removal of the 2 story veranda from the left front side and the closing of the French doors opening onto it. (1972) Shutters and metal awnings have been attached to windows.
Historical Information:
Mayor E. R. Hays built this house in the 1880's after his plantation home was destroyed by fire. Hays served as a volunteer to so to Kansas during the the uprisings and also served during the entire Civil War, being promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. It is thought that he later joined a local volunteer company in the rank of major, a title he bore his lifetime. Hays was outstanding in leadership during the hectic days of reconstruction, served as Mayor of Bamberg, had extensive farming interests, including a ginnery and sawmill. He operated a general mercantile and hardware store, sales stables, and established Bamberg's first funeral services with a hearse drawn by horses. One of the founders of Bamberg Cotton Mills, Hays served as first president and was vice president of the Bamberg Banking Company.
Source of Historical Information:
"Midway Street, Bamberg. S. C.";Margaret Lawrence, 111 Felder Street, Bamberg, S.C.
Survey:
Bamberg - City, 1979-1980
Archives Location:
Box 14, Series 108042, Survey of historic resources (county by county data on surface properties), circa 1971-2014
