Mason, Charles T., House

National Register Listing

Street Address:

111 Mason Croft, Sumter, SC (Sumter County)

Alternate Name:

Mason Croft

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NRHP Nomination

Record Number:

S10817743010

Description and Narrative:

(Mason Croft) The Charles T. Mason House, historically known as Mason Croft, is an outstanding example of the Neo-Classical style built on the outskirts of Sumter after 1904. It is one of four large Neo-Classical houses that remain in the city of Sumter. Charles Mason built his mansion on a 126.5-acre tract which remained intact until 1928, after which all but twenty-five acres surrounding the house was divided into streets and lots, becoming one of Sumter’s early bungalow suburbs of the 1930s and 1940s. Mason created a pond and surrounded his home with beautifully landscaped grounds. The brick house was built with fine materials and on a grand scale. It includes a full height portico supported by six fluted columns with Corinthian capitals and pilasters with Corinthian capitals at each side elevation. The hipped roof is covered in terracotta tiles. The property also includes a contributing garage and brick playhouse, also clad in terracotta tiles. Mason was an inventor and entrepreneur. After inventing a cotton-picking machine that could harvest 4,000 pounds of cotton a day, he opened Mason Cotton Harvester Company. In 1899, he organized the Sumter Telephone Manufacturing Company, one of the largest in the United States. He also organized the Three M Magneto Company that manufactured magnetos used to start airplanes during World War I. Listed in the National Register July 3, 1997..

Period of Significance:

circa 1905

Level of Significance:

Local

Area of Significance:

Architecture

National Register Determination:

listed

Date of Certification:

July 3 1997

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