Cauthen, Dr. William Columbus, House
National Register Listing
Street Address:
SR 75, Kershaw, SC City Vicinity (Lancaster County)
Alternate Name:
Oak View Farm
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817729008
Description and Narrative:
(Oak Farm) The Dr. William Columbus Cauthen House was built ca. 1848 for Dr. William Columbus Cauthen and is the oldest known residence in Lancaster County. Located on a flat tract of land in rural Lancaster County, the house is approximately three miles northwest of the town of Kershaw. This two-story, frame, weatherboarded, central-hall farmhouse, or I-House, is in amazingly original form, retaining its pine plank floors, ceilings, and walls. Indoor plumbing has never been introduced into this house, and only minimal electrical wiring has been installed. The only alterations to the house include new roof sheathing and a circa 1865 kitchen addition with two small porches. The Cauthen House possesses a very high degree of integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Outbuildings include a barn of log construction and a barn and shed of frame construction. Dr. William Columbus Cauthen was actively involved in state politics. He was elected and served three terms in the state House of Representatives from 1852-1858. In 1860 he refused a nomination as a delegate to the delegate selection committee for the National Democratic Convention to be held in Charleston, stating that South Carolina should boycott the convention. Later in 1860 Dr. Cauthen accepted the nomination to attend another convention, the Secession Convention in Columbia and Charleston. Cauthen along with two other delegates signed the Ordinance of Secession for Lancaster District. Listed in the National Register June 28, 1982.
Period of Significance:
circa 1848
Level of Significance:
State
Area of Significance:
Politics/Government;Architecture
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
June 28 1982
