Oaks, The

National Register Listing

Street Address:

On unpaved rd. .3 mi. W of SC Sec. Rd. 165, St. Helena Island, SC (Beaufort County)

Alternate Name:

The Cooler House

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NRHP Nomination

Record Number:

S10817707042

Description and Narrative:

The house at the Oaks is significant for its association with the military occupation of St. Helena during the Civil War and with the establishment of Penn School, the first school for freedmen in the United States. The house was built ca. 1855 by John Jeremiah Theus Pope and Mary Frampton Townsend Pope. With the federal occupation of the island in November 1861, the owners left the island and the plantation was confiscated. Edward L. Pierce, one of the leaders of the Port Royal Experiment, chose the Oaks as his headquarters because it was the first plantation to be reached on St. Helena by boat from Beaufort. The Oaks remained St. Helena headquarters throughout the war and was the center for military and agricultural activities on the island. On June 18, 1862, Ellen Murray, who had ten days earlier arrived from Pennsylvania, opened a school for freedmen in a back room of the house. She was helped by her close friend Laura M. Towne, also from the Pennsylvania Freedmen’s Relief Association. The house also served as a hotel for military personnel from Port Royal, superintendents, and teachers. The house is an I-House and the basic core of the house is characteristic of this vernacular form. Listed in the National Register October 6, 1988.

Period of Significance:

1862 – 1864

Level of Significance:

National

Area of Significance:

Education;Ethnic Heritage: Black;Military

National Register Determination:

listed

Date of Certification:

October 6 1988

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