Photograph by the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust
Click image for more Millford Plantation pictures.

Basic Information

• Location – Pinewood, Sumter County, St Mark's Parish

  Located west of the Town of Pinewood and south of Poinsett State Park off SC 261 at 7320 Millford Plantation Road, Pinewood. Click here for directions.
  

• Comments – Bears a striking resemblance to the old Charleston Hotel in Charleston, SC which is not surprising since Millford's builder, Nathaniel P. Potter, was an understudy for the hotel's architect
  

• Origin of name –

• Other names – Manning's Folly

• Other spellings – Milford

• Current status – Owned by the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust and open to the public for tours
  

Timeline

• 1839 – Earliest known date of existence
  

• 1839-1841 – House was built by Nathaniel P. Potter for future South Carolina governor John Lawrence Manning and his young bride Susan Frances Hampton.
  

  Millford was built on land inherited by John Lawrence Manning from his grandfather William Richardson. The Richardsons also owned nearby Bloom Hill Plantation.
  

• 1902 – The Manning family sold Millford to Mary Clark Thompson.
  

• 1903 – Mary Clark Thompson willed the plantation to her nephew, Emory W. Clark.

• ? – Emory Clark's son, William Reeve Clark, would become Millford's next owner and enjoyed the property as a winter home.
  

• 1992 – Richard Hampton Jenrette purchased Millford along with 400 acres and began an extensive restoration of the house.
  

• 2008 – Jenrette donated Millford to be used as a house museum by the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust.
  

Land

• Number of acres – 4,251 in 1969; 400 in 1992

• Primary crop – Cotton

• Bloom Hill Cemetery is located on the Millford Plantation property, not far from Poinsett Park State.
  

Owners

• Alphabetical list – Emory W. Clark (1903-?), William Reeve Clark (?-1992), Classical American Homes Preservation Trust (2008-present), Richard Hampton Jenrette (1992-2008), Susan Frances Hampton and John Lawrence Manning (1839-?), William Richardson (?-1839), Mary Clark Thompson (1902-1903)
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves –

Buildings

• The house was built by Rhode Island's Nathaniel P. Potter who would also design Susan Manning's brother's, Wade Hampton III, Millwood Plantation in Columbia, SC.
  

• The Greek Revival mansion is equally impressive inside and out. The walls are two-foot thick and constructed of handmade bricks that were fired on site. Imported materials were transported via boat up the Santee River. Most of the original Duncan Phyfe furniture still remains in the house.
  

• A remarkable coincidence saved Millford from the fiery end that destroyed many stately homes during the Civil War. From the web site of the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust, "On what turned out to be the final day of the War before Lee's surrender, Northern troops, under the command of Brig. General Edward Elmer Potter arrived at Millford. Gov. Manning met the Yankee General at the front door and observed: Well, the house was built by a Potter (Nathaniel Potter, the architect) and it looks as though it will be destroyed by a Potter. General Potter responded: No, you are protected. Nathaniel Potter was my brother."
  

• Servant quarters were small white stone houses built at the sides and back of the big house
  

• Other structures on the property include guesthouses, a 26 stall stable c. 1850, water tower, and a spring house.
  

Web Resources

• Millford Plantation
  –  Photos
  

• National Register of Historic Places
  – Nomination form - PDF - submitted in 1969
  – Photographs, architectural overview
  

Print Resources

Contact Information

• Classical American Homes Preservations Trust
  Millford Plantation
  7320 Millford Plantation Road
  Pinewood, SC 29125
  Tour information
  

  Telephone: 803-452-6194

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