Woodson Farmstead
National Register Listing
Street Address:
3 Powdersville Rd., Greenville, SC (Anderson County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817704018
Description and Narrative:
The Woodson Farmstead consists of an 1895 two-story farmhouse, a ca. 1875 cotton house and well house, and remnants of an early twentieth century pecan grove and fruit orchard. Contributing to upstate South Carolina’s agriculture for over 150 years and playing an instrumental part in the establishment of the Powdersville community, the Woodson Farmstead is a notable landmark. Established in 1852 by William Woodson, the farm exemplifies mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth century upstate agriculture. There were 13 known structures (including the first two Woodson dwellings, a slave residence, and multiple agricultural outbuildings) and 3 outhouses built on the property after 1852. The farmstead was a successful producer of corn, hay, cotton, tobacco, and oats. A tangible reminder of that agricultural success is the third and current house constructed on the property in 1895. James Allen Woodson commissioned expert carpenter and builder John O. Sheck of Washington, DC, to build an impressive home. Distinctly rural piedmont in form, the Woodson farmhouse displays picturesque Queen Anne and Eastlake ornamentation in a way that distinguishes it from many other typical upcountry farm residences. Stained glass windows and elaborately crafted porch detailing were exceptional in a rural farming community at the time of construction. The cotton house is a one-story, gable-front pine structure that rests on a stone foundation. The well house is a pyramidal roofed structure supported by four peeled posts. The well itself is constructed of wood and has a hand crank and pail still in place. Listed in the National Register April 30, 1998.
Period of Significance:
circa 1875;1895;circa 1875 – 1940
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
April 30 1998
