Withers House, 316 Screven Street, Georgetown

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS SC,22-GEOTO,14-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

pre-Revolutionary town house. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Original and Subsequent Owners: Withers family; later Dr. Foster, who gave it to his stepmother, Porter. Later owned by her son, Captain James Porter, and later by Miss Lorraine Porter. [Julian S. Boliek, Georgetown House lore (Clinton, S. C: Jacobs Press, > PP SO-81.] B. Date of Erection: Pre-Revolutionary. C. Notes on Known Alterations and Additions: Probably restored by Captain James Porter. [Julian S. Bolick, Georgetown Houselore.1 Prepared by Harley J. McKee, Architect National Park Service August PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: 1. Architectural character: Typical town house. 2. Condition of fabric: Good. B. Technical Description of Exterior: 1. Number of stories: Two-and-a-half stories. 2.

Number of bays: Four-bay side, two-bay front. 3. Over-all dimensions: Approximately 30* deep and 30' wide, including addition. WITHERS HOUSE HABS Mo. (Page 2) 4- Layout: Rectangle with narrow end to street; main por- tion with shed-roof addition on left from front to back, making house two rooms wide instead of traditional one. 5. Foundations; Appear to be brick. 6. Wall construction: Clapboards with molded edge, 7" to weather, painted white. 7. Structural system: Traditional frame construction. S. Porch: Porch across right-hand side of house, recently closed off to street with door (Charleston fashion); plain, square columns, no railing; board floor and flat board ceiling; now partially screened in.

Also, porch across left side of house; board floor with front part cut out as a car port; board ceiling. There may also have been a porch across the front originally. 9. Chimneys: Large, square, brick chimney in center of house; two smaller chimneys with arched miters on two- story lean-to addition to left. 10. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: Main entrance to house from center of porch. b. Windows and shutters: First-floor windows are double hung with wooden sash and two-over-two lights. These are not original. Second-floor windows are double hung with wooden sash, six-over-six and nine-over- nine lights, and are apparently original. First- and second-story windows have movable, two-panelj slat shutters. 11. Roof: a.

Shape, covering: Steeply pitched jerkinhead roof to original part of house. Lower pitched shed roofs over porches and addition. Roof covering is of large asphalt shingles. b. Dormers: Three dormers on left side, two on right; six-over-six light, gable roofs. C. Technical Description of Interior: 1. Floor plans: Entrance on right side of house into small entrance hall that slightly projects beyond face of build- ing. Two rooms , one to left and one to right of hall, in original house. Addition has been made on opposite side WITHERS HOUSE HABS No. (Page 3) of house, making building two rooms deep on "both floors. A kitchen is to the right beyond the dining room. Second- floor plan two rooms, one front and one back, in original part of house; chimney stack and closets between.

Two rooms and bathroom in addition. 2. Stairways: Stair from first to second floor is of recent construction. Stairway from second floor to attic is apparently original; it; proceeds with half-turn up a short run to a landing and then splits into two runs to the front and back attic rooms; closed-newel open-string stairs with a chamfered newel, square balusters, and plain rail. 3. Flooring; Wide pine boards, not old, nailed through; average width 8". 4. Wall and ceiling finish: Plaster walls, wooden baseboards, and plain matched board horizontal wainscoting. The fire- place wall of the first-floor front room (living room) has wooden paneling; over the mantelpiece are three raised panels, and the remainder of the paneling is vertical matched boarding.

The attic front room and stair hall have old, wide, pine boards on floor, walls, and ceiling. The walls and ceiling have beaded edges that are apparently original. 5. Doorways and doors: Some old, some modern, sik-paneled doors. The doorways are all quite simple and have both old and nineteenth-century trim. 6. Hardware: Apparently modern. 7. Lighting: Modern electric. S. Heating: Modern central heating. There are large fire- places in two original first-floor rooms. The living- room fireplace is early nineteenth century and has a deeply molded shelf and simple pilasters; the dining- rocm mantelpiece appears to have been altered somewhat in the nineteenth century. There is a small fireplace with a simple nineteenth-century mantelpiece in the addition (front room).

Second floor has late nineteenth-century mantelpiece. D. Site: 1. Orientation: Situated in quiet, residential street. Mature shrubs, large trees, including palms. 2. Outbuildings: None. 3. Walks, driveways: Concrete sidewalks; concrete driveway into car port. Prepared by James C. ifessey, Architect National Park Service February