| | | | | | A Nonprofit Membership Organization Working for South Carolinians Since 1990.
| | | | Headlines + Happenings June 3, 2024 | | | | | | The Dawkins House Project Update | | Exciting news for the Dawkins House! The Dawkins House will be the University of South Carolina-Union’s new Alumni Association Department Center. As such, it will provide the campus, as well as the community, access to a space for campus, corporate and community related meetings, events, and receptions. This Alumni Center will not only benefit USC-Union, but will serve as an economic engine for the City and County of Union, bringing alumni dollars back to Union for visits and potential employment with local companies.
We look forward to sharing more updates as we progress, but for now, take a moment to appreciate the brand new sign (pictured above) dedicated to this joint project with USC-U, Union County, and the City of Union. | | Interior of the Dawkins House featuring Craig Bennett and Staff of Bennett Preservation Engineering, PC. | | Judge Thomas Dawkins. Photo credit: Union County Historical Society. | | | | ABOUT: The “Dawkins House” is the former home of Judge Thomas N. Dawkins (1807 – 1870) and his second wife, Mary Poulton Dawkins (1820 – 1906). The 4,500+ square foot house sits adjacent to the USC-Union campus. It is a “terminus” home because it is situated squarely at the end of N. Church Street connecting to Hwy. 176, the main route from Union to Columbia, as well as at the end of East Academy Street.
When Judge Dawkins built his home in 1845, he added it to a pre-existing structure dating to approximately the 1790’s, making it one of Union’s oldest surviving homes. The original structure still exists and has exposed beams with carved end fittings and bead-cut edges. The house is supported by chiseled granite foundation blocks and once had a floating spiral staircase in the main hall. Some of the hand-decorated crown molding still survives.
In May 1845, Judge Dawkins married Mary Poulton, a London native who arrived in Union around 1842 to teach music and French. They made the house their home and named it “The Shrubs” after Mrs. Dawkins’ grandfather’s home in England. She designed a garden to feature shrubs. Judge Dawkins, a lawyer, was active in the Union community, and in state and national politics. The couple founded the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Union in 1855.
In February 1865 as General Sherman’s troops closed in on Columbia, Governor Andrew Magrath contacted Judge Dawkins, his old South Carolina College classmate, to request relocation of the State’s governmental operations to Union. Around February 15th, two days before Columbia was burned, the center of South Carolina’s government with its records, office holders, and workers, moved to the Dawkins House. Magrath used the home’s library on the ground floor as his office for several days in late February and early March. It was during this period that Union served as South Carolina’s Provisional Capital. Union has the distinction of being only one of four cities to serve as a South Carolina state capital, with the others being Columbia, Charleston, and Jacksonboro (during the Revolutionary War). Mrs. Dawkins continued to live in the house after Judge Dawkins’ death and was a devoted member of the Episcopal Church of the Nativity until her death in 1906. Judge and Mrs. Dawkins are buried in the Church’s cemetery in the same grave, as was the custom in England.
| | Learn more about this Preservation SC project by visiting our website. | | | | | | | - The 2024 South Carolina Historic Preservation Awards Ceremony is June 20, 2024 at 3:30pm at the South Carolina Statehouse. Following the ceremony will be a reception at Smoked in Columbia from 5:00pm-6:30pm. Learn more here. - The Union County Community Remembrance Project (UCCRP) is hosting their 4th Annual JUNETEENTH Remembrance & Celebration event on Saturday, June 15, 2024, at Main Street Junction. Learn more here. - The National Park Service has awarded $23.4 million to 39 projects in 16 states (including 4 in South Carolina) as part of the Historic Preservation Fund’s African American Civil Rights grant program. Learn more here. - Oakland Plantation to be a part of new Greenville County Park. Learn more here. - The Fork Shoals Historical Society restoring the McCullough House, Greenville County's oldest brick structure. Learn more here. - The City of Columbia and Historic Columbia release preservation economic impact study, "Catalyst for Columbia: The Impacts of Historic Preservation in Columbia, SC", completed by Place Economics. Learn more here. | | | | | | Sweet Potato Kiln from Puritan Farm. | | Preservation month may be over, but our stories are still worth checking out. We highlighted a variety of preservation and rehabilitation projects across the state, showcasing the incredible work of individuals and groups dedicated to preserving our cultural heritage. Visit our Facebook page to look at these stories. | | | | | | | | 2024 South Carolina Historic Preservation Awards Reception | | It is not too late to become a sponsor of the 2024 South Carolina Historic Preservation Awards Reception! Since 1995, the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Preservation South Carolina, and the Office of the Governor have recognized exceptional accomplishments in the preservation, rehabilitation, and interpretation of our architectural and cultural heritage with a series of statewide awards.
The ceremony is held annually at the State House in Columbia, where the Governor and representatives from the SCDAH and Preservation SC unveil the award recipients against the backdrop of the lobby.
Award Ceremony DATE: June 20, 2024 TIME 3:30 P.M.
Following the awards ceremony, there will be a reception to honor the award recipients and celebrate historic preservation in our state. This year, we are offering sponsorship opportunities to businesses and organizations for the RECEPTION. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Preservation South Carolina1103 Little Street, Suite 5 Camden, SC 29020803.729.7782 | | | | You are receiving this email as you signed up for our newsletters. Want to change how you receive these emails?
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