— Fort Hill Plantation's Calhoun Mansion © —

Basic Information

• Location – Clemson University Campus, Clemson, Pickens County

  Located near the intersection of Fort Hill Street and Calhoun Drive in the center of the Clemson University campus.
  

• Origin of name – Named for Fort Rutledge that had been built on the property during the Revolutionary War
  

• Other names – Clergy Hall, John C. Calhoun Mansion and Library

• Current status – The land is now Clemson University. The plantation house is open to visitors.
  

Timeline

• 1784 – Earliest known date of existence

  Robert Tate was granted 600 acres by the state (National Register, p. 2).
  

  The land was referred to as the Fort Hill Tract because of Fort Rutledge that had been built in 1776. General Andrew Williamson of White Hall Plantation was in command of the forces in the area during the Revolutionary War. He applied to Governor John Rutledge for funds and authority to erect a defensive fort. His request was granted and the fort built was named Fort Rutledge in honor of the governor (Neuffer, bk. 2, vol. 18, p. 7).
  

• Late 1700s – John Ewing Calhoun owned the plantation (National Register, p. 2).
  

• 1802 – The property was deeded to Reverend James and Elizabeth McElhenney. They built a small four-room house and called it Clergy Hall plantation (National Register, p. 2).
  

• ? – Reverend James McElhenney died. The property was purchased by Mrs. John Ewing Calhoun (National Register, p. 2).
  

• 1811 – Mrs. John Ewing Calhoun's daughter, Floride, married John C. Calhoun. They were distant cousins.
  

• 1825 – John C. Calhoun moved his family from Washington, D.C. to Fort Hill Plantation. He rented the property from his mother-in-law, Mrs. John Ewing Calhoun (National Register, p. 2).
  

  He and Floride raised their nine children on the plantation. They remodeled the house several times to accommodate their large family. The house eventually contained 14 rooms Calhoun (National Register, p. 3).
  

• 1836 – Mrs. John Ewing Calhoun died and John C. Calhoun became the sole owner of the plantation Calhoun (National Register, p. 2).
  

  John C. Calhoun began purchasing adjoining tracts of land until he had accumulated about 1,100 acres.
  

• 1838 – Anna Maria Calhoun, daughter of Floride and John C. Calhoun, married Thomas Green Clemson in the parlor at Fort Hill on November 13.
  

  They lived at Fort Hill for the first few years of their marriage. They then lived at Cane Brake Plantation before moving to Belgium for Thomas Clemson's political career.
  

• 1850 – John C. Calhoun died in Washington on March 31. He was buried in St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Charleston.

• 1854 – Floride Calhoun sold Fort Hill to her eldest son, Andrew, who continued to operate the plantation.
  

• 1865 – Andrew Calhoun died and Floride Calhoun was once again the owner of Fort Hill.
  

• 1866 – Floride Calhoun died and willed Fort Hill to her daughter and only remaining child, Anna Maria Calhoun Clemson.
  

• 1872 – Thomas and Anna Clemson retired to Fort Hill.
  

• 1875 – Anna Clemson died of a heart attack. It was her wish that her husband preserve her father's house and use the land for a state agricultural college.
  

• 1888 – Thomas G. Clemson died. His will states that he has "determined to devote the bulk of [his] property to the establishment of an agricultural college upon the Fort Hill place." His will was honored and the school became Clemson University.
  

Land

• Number of acres – 600 in 1784; 1,100

• Primary crop – Cotton

Owners

• Alphabetical list – John C. Calhoun; John Ewing Calhoun; Mrs. John Ewing Calhoun; Thomas G. Clemson; Clemson University; Reverend James and Elizabeth McElhenney; Robert Tate
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – 70 to 80

Buildings

• ?

Web Resources

• National Register of Historic Places
  – Nomination form - PDF - submitted in 1975
  – Photographs, architectural overview
  

• Fort Hill Plantation - Clemson University

• History of African Americans at Fort Hill: 1825-1888

• John C. Calhoun - biography and political career
  

• Thomas G. Clemson - detailed biography
  

• Floride Calhoun - a short biography
  

• Anna Maria Calhoun Clemson - a short biography
  

Print Resources

• Initial references: See #1

• Claude Henry Neuffer (editor), Names in South Carolina, 1943-1983 (Columbia, SC: The State Printing Company).
  

Contact Information

• Fort Hill Plantation House
  Historic Properties
  Clemson University
  PO Box 345615
  Clemson, SC 29634-5615
  

  Telephone: 864-656-2475
  Website: Click here
  

More about Pickens County

• Learn more about historic Pickens County, including the lovely town of Clemson as well as the county seat Pickens. We have helpful guides to Clemson history and Pickens libraries and museums – plus Clemson restaurants, Clemson hotels, and Clemson real estate.