Rankin-Harwell House

National Register Listing

Street Address:

6 mi. NE of Florence off SC 305, Florence, SC City Vicinity (Florence County)

Alternate Name:

The Columns; Carolina Hall

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NRHP Nomination

Record Number:

S10817721012

Description and Narrative:

(The Columns; Carolina Hall) Built in 1857, the Rankin-Harwell House is an outstanding example of the Greek Revival, which was fairly prevalent in the antebellum South. The house has 22 giant order Doric columns, strict symmetry, and a painted white façade. The twenty-two freestanding Doric columns are brick covered with stucco and surround the house on three sides. The two-story frame structure rests on a raised basement. The façade has five bays. Two 6/6 double sash windows flank the entrance, which is a double doorway with transom and sidelights. Low-pitched hipped roof covers the house and portico. Two interior brick chimneys are painted white. William Rogers Johnson, original owner of the house, represented Marion District in both the South Carolina House of Representatives (1852-1856) and in the South Carolina Senate (1860-1864). He participated in the Southern Rights Convention of 1852 and, continuing his political activity in the post-war period, served as a member of the Second Taxpayers Convention. Johnson also practiced the professions of physician and planter; he lived at the house from its construction in 1857 until his death thirty-six years later. Corresponding to the image of the antebellum southern home, the Rankin-Harwell House served as a model for the setting of the 1934 movie “Carolina.” Listed in the National Register October 9, 1974.

Period of Significance:

1857

Level of Significance:

State

Area of Significance:

Politics/Government;Architecture

National Register Determination:

listed

Date of Certification:

October 9 1974

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