Hanover House (Clemson University) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hanover House
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Hanover House in the South Carolina Botanical Garden
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| Location | Clemson University campus, Clemson, South Carolina postal address |
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| Built | 1714-1716 |
| Architect | Paul de St. Julien |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000594 |
| Added to NRHP | June 5, 1970 |
Hanover House is a very old house built between 1714 and 1716. A French family, called Huguenots, built it near the Cooper River in what is now Berkeley County, South Carolina. The house is also known as the St. Julien-Ravenel House because of its first owners.
In the 1940s, a big project was planned to build a dam on the river. This would create a large lake called Lake Moultrie, and the house's original spot would have been underwater. To save this important old building, Hanover House was carefully moved to the Clemson University campus. This campus is located near the City of Clemson.
The Story of Hanover House
Hanover House was built by Paul de St. Julien. His family were French Huguenots, which means they were Protestants who had to leave France to escape religious unfairness. His grandfather received the land by the Cooper River in 1688 from the Lords Proprietors of South Carolina. These "Lords Proprietors" were like the first owners of the colony.
The house is made of cypress wood and has a special roof shape called a gambrel roof. It has brick chimneys on both ends, with fireplaces on both the first and second floors. On one chimney, you can see the words PEU À PEU carved into the stucco. This is a French saying that means "Little by little, the bird builds his nest."
St. Julien named the house Hanover to honor the House of Hanover. This was the royal family that had just become kings and queens of Kingdom of Great Britain. He wanted to show his thanks to Britain for helping many Huguenot families find a safe home. The plantation where the house stood grew crops like indigo (used for blue dye) and rice. Enslaved African people were forced to do the hard work on this plantation.
St. Julien's daughter later married Henry Ravenel. The house stayed in their family for almost 200 years.
Moving the House
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In the 1930s, the state planned to build a dam on the Cooper River. This dam would help control floods and create electricity. The project would form Lake Moultrie, and the historic Hanover House would have been covered by the lake's water.
So, in 1941, the house was carefully taken apart. Each piece was then moved to Clemson University, a public university in the northwest part of South Carolina. It was rebuilt on the east side of the campus. Later, in 1994, the house was moved again! This time, it was relocated to the South Carolina Botanical Garden on the university campus.
Today, the house is filled with furniture that looks like it would have been there long ago. Some items were even donated by the Ravenel family, who used to own the house.
Hanover House was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1970. This means it is recognized as an important historical building. The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America helped restore the inside of the house. Now, it is a historic house museum that you can visit. It is open to the public on weekends. On Saturdays, you can visit from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and again from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Sundays, it is open from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
