J. R. Strother House, State Routes 28 & 11 (Old Georgian Road), West Union

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS SC,37-UNIW,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Original and subsequent owners (chain of title): J, R# Strother and descendents, to Purchased in by the Nevilles. m 2. Date of erection: B. Supplemental Information: Miss Caroline Verner, 406 East Main Street, Walhalla, S. C. gave me the following information about the Strother House. It was built about a hundred years ago by Mr. J. R. Strother, grandfather of Jim Fitzgerald, 305 Allen Ave., Richmond, Virginia (who was Miss Josephine Strother, librarian of Clemson College Library and Virginia State Library). Mr. Strother left the house to his family who were to use it whenever they wished for a home.

For years the Strother family would gather there in the summers but now they are so scattered that the house has not been used as a summer home by the family for many years. It is now managed by Mr. Dave Strother of Fort Valley, Georgia. The Strothers are from an old Virginia family and they formerly owned a great deal of property around Walhalla including Stump House Mountain tunnel (this sentence is not information from Miss Verner but was told to me by Miss Josephine Strother some years ago). Fitzgerald (Josephine Strother) has a brother and a nephew (a lawyer) in Atlanta. # J. R. STROTHER HOUSE HABS Wo. (Page 2) Supplement prepared by Mary Stevenson June 9} I960 PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A, General Statement: 1.

Architectural character: A mid Century house with an interesting two-story arcaded piazza. 2. Condition of fabric: Poor in i960; demolished between and B# Description of Exterior: 1. Over-all dimensions: Two stories, with one-story wings. Irregular shape: front block with rear wing and addition. 2. Foundations: Fieldstone piers; some wooden piers in rear portion. 3. Wall construction: Frame, clapboarding painted red (faded). 4. Porches: Across the north front there is a two-tiered arcaded piazza crowned by a pediment. Arches are semi- elliptical. The second story has a railing with turned balusters. In the pediment is a small star-shaped louvered opening. There is an irregular one-story porch on the east side of the front block, and others on the east and west sides of the rear wing. 5.

Openings: a. Doorways and doors: Centered on the piazza, the main entrance has a rectangular opening containing a pair of glazed doors, sidelights and a high transom. There is a similar doorway above it except for lacking a transom. Trim is plain. b. Windows and shutters: First story: Wooden double- hung sash, nine-over-nine-light. Second story: triple- hung sash, three-over-three light$ there are enamel knobs on each side for raising and lowering sash* Openings have plain trim and some have exterior louvered shutt ers. 6. Roof: a. Shape, covering: The main portion has a shed roof of m low pitch (toward the rear), masked on the front and J. R. STROTHER HOUSE HABS Wo. (Page 3) sides by a low parapet and cornice. Rear wings have gable and hip roofs. b.

Cornice: The main portion has a moulded cornice with a course of brackets in the form of consoles. C, Description of Interior: 1. Floor plans: The front portion has a central hall with two rooms at each side. The rear ell has a breezeway and two rooms, followed by a later bathroom, addition. D. Site: 1. General setting and orientation: The house faced north toward the street. 2. Outbuildings: A small frame building to the southwest is said to have been used for slaves. PART III. PROJECT INFORMATION These records are part of a co-operative photo-data project undertaken by the Historic American Buildings Survey and Mr. Harold Cooledge of the faculty of the School of Architecture, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina.

The project was originally arranged by Supervisory Architect Historic Structures, Charles E. Peterson in HABS archi- tectural historian John C. Poppeliers did much of the preliminary research for architectural and historical writeups in March of the written documentation was completed by Professor Harley J. McKee of Syracuse University, in Photographs of the buildings were taken in i960 by Mr. Jack E. Boucher. Prepared by John C. Poppeliers Architectural Historian National Park Service Harley J. McKee Professor of Architecture Syracuse University #