Ashley-Willis House
National Register Listing
Street Address:
312 West Main St., Williston, SC (Barnwell County)
Alternate Name:
Ashley House; Ashley-Chapman House
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817706001
Description and Narrative:
The Ashley-Willis House is significant as a rare example of an intact gable-front Greek Revival residence in South Carolina. The two-and-a-half story home with a unique gable-front form was probably built for the Ashley or Willis families between 1830 and 1850. Although more elaborate examples of the front-gable form were built in Georgia and Mississippi, very few were built in South Carolina. In fact, residential Greek Revival architecture such as this is uncommon outside of Charleston. The first story is composed of brick covered with stucco, while the second story is sheathed in weatherboard. Four massive brick unfluted Doric columns support a two-story, engaged porch. Emphasizing the Greek Revival style are fluted pilasters on the corners of the façade, decorative molding around the attic tripartite windows, and double doors on the first and second story. Another prominent feature on the façade is a tripartite window in its pediment. Several elements suggest late nineteenth or early twentieth-century alterations including a decorative cornice that continues along the gable ends and side staircases to the second-story porch. The rear elevation was altered during the mid-twentieth century with a one-story, one-room addition that extends across the full façade. A small, hipped roof bathroom addition was constructed between 1922-32. The Ashley-Willis House sits on its original lot, located between the rail bed of the former South Carolina Rail Road and US Highway 78. The house faces downtown Williston. Listed in the National Register June 22, 2004.
Period of Significance:
1830;circa 1830 – 1930;1833;1865
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
June 22 2004
