Millford Plantation facts for kids
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Millford Plantation
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Millford Plantation as photographed by the Historic American Buildings Survey
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 Location in South Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | On SC 261 west of Pinewood, South Carolina |
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| Area | 712 acres (2.88 km2) surrounding house (out of 4,251 acres (17.20 km2) total) |
| Built | Completed in 1841 |
| Built by | Nathaniel F. Potter of Providence, Rhode Island |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000808 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 19, 1971 |
| Designated NHL | November 7, 1973 |
Millford Plantation (sometimes called Milford) is a historic house and large farm located near Pinewood, South Carolina. People sometimes called it Manning's Folly because it was built in a faraway place with many fancy details. It is known as one of the best examples of Greek Revival style homes in the United States. This means its design was inspired by ancient Greek temples. The house has been carefully fixed up and kept safe, along with many of its original furniture pieces.
Contents
History of Millford Plantation
Millford Plantation is a huge, two-story house built between 1839 and 1841. It was made for John L. Manning and his wife, Susan Frances Hampton Manning. John Manning later became the Governor of South Carolina from 1852 to 1854. Many enslaved people worked on the plantation during this time.
Building the Mansion
The person who built the house was Nathaniel F. Potter from Providence, Rhode Island. He might have also designed the building. The front of the house has six large, carved columns that look like those on ancient Greek buildings. These columns stand on strong granite bases. The walls of the house are very thick, about two feet (0.6 meters) thick. They are made of bricks that were created right there on the property. The granite for the columns was shipped all the way from Rhode Island.
The amazing design of Millford continues inside the house. It has tall windows that go from the floor to the ceiling. There is also a spectacular round staircase that seems to float without support. This staircase is inside a round room at the back of the house.
Family and Inheritance
Susan Frances Hampton was the daughter of General Wade Hampton I. He was one of the biggest landowners in the United States. Susan inherited a lot of money when her father died in 1835. Much of the money used to build the Millford mansion, which cost a huge amount ($125,000) in 1840, likely came from Susan's inheritance.
Sadly, Susan Hampton Manning died in 1845 while giving birth to her third child. In 1848, John Manning married Sally Bland Clarke and they had four children together.
Saving the House During the Civil War
Towards the end of the Civil War, the house was almost destroyed by Union soldiers on April 19, 1865. However, their commander, Brigadier General Edward E. Potter, saved it. He had a conversation with Governor Manning that went like this:
- Potter: This is a fine building.
- Manning: Well, the house was built by a Potter (Nathaniel Potter, the architect) and it looks like it will be destroyed by a Potter.
- Potter: No, you are safe. Nathaniel Potter was my brother.
General Potter did not know that Governor Manning had a copy of the document that started the Civil War in his desk. If he had known, the story of Millford's survival might have been very different.
Later Owners and Restoration
Even though times were tough after the Civil War, the Manning family kept Millford until 1902. They then sold it to Mary Clark Thompson of New York. She left it to her nephews when she died in 1923. The Clark family owned it until 1992. They mostly used it as a winter getaway and for hunting and fishing.
On November 19, 1971, Millford Plantation was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Then, on November 7, 1973, it was named a National Historic Landmark. This means it is very important for its history and art.
In May 1992, Richard Hampton Jenrette bought the house and 400 acres of land. He was a founder of a big investment company in New York. He was also a distant relative of Susan Hampton Manning. He worked very hard to restore the house perfectly. He called the estate "the Taj Mahal of my dreams."
Richard Jenrette received awards for his work on Millford in 1995 and 2006. In December 2008, he gave the mansion to the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust. This group works to "Preserve, protect and open to the public examples of classical American residential architecture, fine and decorative arts of the first half of the 19th century."
In 2012, a group called "Friends of Millford" was started. They support the site and want to help keep its history alive for future generations.
Duncan Phyfe Furnishings
John and Susan Manning decorated Millford in a popular style of the time called Grecian. They bought a lot of furniture from Duncan Phyfe, who was one of America's most famous furniture makers. Many of these original pieces are still in the house today. This furniture shows the last part of Duncan Phyfe's career.
Ordering the Furniture
In 1840, John Laurence Manning went to New York City. He probably visited Phyfe's workshop there. Between 1840 and 1844, the Mannings placed four separate orders with D. Phyfe & Son. They bought a total of 72 furniture items. More than 50 of these pieces are still at Millford today.
During this time, Phyfe's furniture often used smooth, polished wood with little carving. It featured designs like volutes (spiral shapes), deep curved edges, simple square columns, and special leg designs. These designs were known as "Grecian scrolls" in Phyfe's shop.
Furniture in Each Room
Every room in the mansion was filled with furniture from D. Phyfe & Son. This is known from a letter and shipping list from the company in 1841. In most rooms, the furniture was in a simple Grecian style. However, for the double parlors (living rooms), the Phyfes created something new. They mixed Grecian styles with Gothic and French styles. This was unusual because the Phyfes usually did not use these other historical styles.
In the entrance hall, most of the furniture is made of walnut. This wood was affordable and strong. But in the double parlors, the furniture is mostly made of rosewood. Rosewood is an expensive and unusual wood from South America. Using such fancy woods showed that the double parlors were for formal parties. It was a place for the Mannings to show off their good taste and wealth.
In the dining room, the oval-shaped table matches the shape of the room. It is made of mahogany and has four animal-paw feet. It also has six leaves that can be added to make it bigger. Other pieces ordered included 14 armchairs in the French style. It was not common to have armchairs at every seat at a dining table. Usually, only the chairs at the ends of the table had arms.
Bringing Furniture Home
When Richard Jenrette bought the property in 1992, less than half of the original furniture was still in the mansion. He did a lot of research and worked with experts for many years. He found and bought many of the original furniture pieces and brought them back to the house. Other pieces were given by the families who used to own the plantation. This hard work is still going on, and more pieces are expected to be returned in the future.
Millford and its furniture are special because the entire house was decorated with furniture from just one maker. This was very uncommon back then. It was also one of the largest orders Duncan Phyfe ever received. Most of these pieces are still in the same building they were made for, which is very rare in the United States.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Sumter County, South Carolina
- List of National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina
- St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Pinewood, South Carolina), the church for Millford Plantation.
- Plantation complexes in the Southern United States
Images for kids
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Another view from the Historic American Buildings Survey
