Zahara Plantation – Aiken – Aiken County
Basic Information
- Location – North of Aiken, Aiken County
Intersection of Wire Road and New Bridge Road (1, p. 1)
- Origin of name – ?
- Other names – Richardson Place, Dawson-Vanderhorst House, New Bridge Farm (1, pp. 1-2)
- Current status – Privately owned
Timeline
- 1785 – Earliest known date of existence (1, p. 3)
Englishman Charles Richmond received a grant for 150 acres (1, p. 3).
- Circa 1785-1800 – House built (1, p. 1)
Soon after acquiring the property, Charles Richmond built a one and one-half story house constructed of cypress clapboard and is believed to be possibly be the oldest house in Aiken County (1, p. 2).
- 1812 – Charles Richmond deeded the plantation to his wife Susannah (1, p. 3).
- 1842 – Mrs. L.E. Aveile, from Charleston, purchased the plantation (1, p. 3).
- ? – Another Charlestonian, author Sarah Rutledge, purchased Zahara as a gift for A.V. and Caroline Dawson (1, p. 3).
- 1858 – The Dawson's daughter, Mary Huger Dawson, married famed botanist Henry Ravenel at the plantation (1, p. 3).
- 1859 – Ann Vanderhorst purchased Zahara from the Dawsons with Henry Ravenel acting as the trustee (1, p. 3).
- 1877 – James Powell purchased the plantation (1, p. 3).
- 1901 – Zahara passed into the Richardson family who ran the plantation as a farm until 1976 (1, p. 3).
- 1976 – The heirs of Claude Newman, a Richardson descendant, were owners of record (1, p. 1).
- 1976 – Nancy Wilds purchased the property, which now goes by the name New Bridge Farm, and restored the house years later (2).
Land
Slaves
- Number of slaves – ?
Web Resources
- National Register of Historic Places
– Nomination form - PDF - submitted in 1976
– Photographs, architectural overview
- Stephen Delaney Hale, Features Hint At House's History (Augusta, GA: The Augusta Chronicle, August 31, 1999)
- 1976 Photos - PDF
