— Kensington Plantation © SCIWAY —

Basic Information

• Location – Wateree River, Eastover, Richland County
  

  Located eight miles east of Eastover on US 601, half a mile past the entrance to International Paper
  

• Origin of name – Named for Martha Rutledge Kinloch Singleton's childhood home.
  

• Other names – Headquarters was original name until changed to Kensington in 1844.
  

• Current status – Open to the public for tours
  

Timeline

• 1787 – Earliest known date of existence

  Matthew Singleton was the first owner of the plantation originally known as Headquarters. He died in 1787 and his son John inherited the property (HABS Report 1, p. 2).
  

  At the death of John Singleton the plantation was passed on to Colonel Richard Singleton, his son. During Colonel Singleton's life he acquired six additional plantations located on both sides of the Wateree River.
  

  Matthew Richard Singleton was the heir of Colonel Singleton (HABS Report 1, p. 2).
  

• 1844 – Matthew Richard Singleton married Martha Rutledge Kinloch. They changed the name of the plantation to Kensington to reflect the name of the bride's childhood home near Georgetown (Neuffer, bk. 2, vol. 13, p. 22).
  

• 1851 – Matthew Richard Singleton began construction of a plantation house. It was not completed until 1855. By this time Matthew had died and his wife and children continued to live on the plantation (Neuffer, bk. 2, vol. 13, p. 23).
  

  The house consisted of twenty-nine rooms with a total of 12,000 square feet.
  

• 1870-1880 – Matthew Richard Singleton's sons, Richard and Cleland Singleton, divided the plantation lands in half.
  

  Cleland Singleton built a house on the southern half. It was a one story structure with three rooms built high off the ground. It was used by the overseer of the plantation from 1925-1941. It has since burned down (HABS Report 2, p. 2).
  

  Richard Singleton's heir, Matthew Richard Singleton, constructed a small house on the northern portion of the plantation (HABS Report 4, p. 2).
  

  When his son died, Richard Singleton decided to sell his half of the plantation. Robert Hamer purchased the property, however, before he could live there he died. His family moved in and proceeded to farm the land (HABS Report 1, pp. 2-3).
  

• 1925 – Cleland Singleton died and the Hamers purchased his lands. The original plantation lands were once again back together.
  

  The Hamers added indoor plumbing and electricity to Kensington Mansion along with other improvements (HABS Report 1, p. 3).
  

• 1941 – The Hamers sold the entire plantation to the United States Government as an agricultural cooperative for displaced farmers. Nothing came of this project and the plantation was sold to the Lanhams (HABS Report 1, p. 3).
  

  When the Lanhams bought the property they built their own residence at the junction of the oval drive and the avenue to the highway. It was a small brick house that resembled a suburban ranch style house. The iron railing surrounding the porch was taken from the interior balcony of the Kensington mansion. In 1983 the house was slated to be demolished (HABS Report 3, p. 2).
  

  The Kensington Mansion was no longer in use as a residence. Instead, it became a storage area for farm equipment, fertilizer, and feed for animals (HABS Report 1, p. 3).
  

• 1981 – The plantation was purchased by Union Camp Corporation, later known as International Paper.
  

  International Paper and the Scarborough-Hamer Foundation have restored the house and it is now open for tours.
  

Land

• Number of acres – ?

• Primary crop – Cotton and indigo

Owners

• Alphabetical list – Hamer; Lanham; Cleland and Richard Singleton; John Singleton; Matthew Singleton; Matthew Richard Singleton; Colonel Richard Singleton; Union Camp Corporation/International Paper; United States Government
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – ?

Buildings

• Kensington Mansion pictures: Click here
  

• Plantation Store pictures: Click here
  

• Summer Kitchen pictures: Click here
  

• Matthew Singleton Residence pictures: Click here
  

Web Resources

• Kensington Mansion: Click here

• National Register of Historic Places
  – Nomination form - PDF - submitted in 1970
  – Photographs, architectural overview
  

1. Library of Congress, Historic American Building Survey, Main House (HABS SC,40-EAST.V,1D)
   

2. Library of Congress, Historic American Building Survey Cleland Singleton Residence (HABS SC,40-EAST.V,1D)
   

3. Library of Congress, Historic American Building Survey Lanham Residence (HABS SC,40-EAST.V,1D)
   

4. Library of Congress, Historic American Building Survey Matthew Singleton Residence (HABS SC,40-EAST.V,1C)
   

Print Resources

• Initial references: 1, 31

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

Contact Information

• Scarborough-Hamer Foundation
  Kensington Mansion
  PO Box 237
  Eastover, SC 29044
  

  Telephone: 803-353-0456
  Website: Click here
  

More about Richland County

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