Robwood Plantation – Appleton – Allendale County

Basic Information

• Location – Appleton, Allendale County

  Located in Appleton on SC 125, three miles northwest of the Town of Allendale
  

• Origin of name – After the Allens took up residence in 1936, they changed the name to Robwood, a combination of their children's names, Roberta and Woodward. (1).
  

• Other names – Colding-Walker House, White Lands

• Current status – Privately owned

Timeline

• 1788 – The property that would become Robwood is traced back as being part of a 9,334-acre land grant acquired by William Minor Clark. This large land holding was known as White Lands (1).
  

• 1853 – C.H. Colding purchased 430 acres of the White Lands tract in a public auction held January 3. He later built a house on this property (1).
  

• 1883 – C.H. Colding died and his 430 acres were divided among the family. The house and surrounding 10 acres went to C.H. Colding, Jr. (1).
  

• 1883 – Shortly after inheriting Robwood, C.H. Colding, Jr. conveyed it to Richard Henry Walker. Richard's brother, Jesse M. Walker, became the owner of 57 acres across the street from his brother's land during the division of the 430 acres. Another section of the tract was designated to be carved into lots and streets to form the town of Appleton (1).
  

• 1897 – The Walkers hired architect Vincent J. Fountaine to work on the house. This is when the third floor with gables was added. Also, four piazzas with a patio along the front were added in the remodeling (3).
  

  The Walker family would continue to add to their land holdings in the area over the years.
  

• 1936 – Woodward and Francis Allen purchased 192 acres which included the house from the Walker Family (1).
  

• ? – Francis Allen became the sole owner upon her husband's death. She remained at Robwood and later married Victor Barker (1).
  

• 1995 – Francis Barker sold the property to Collum's Lumber Mill (1).
  

• ? – Scott Woodlands became the owner (1).
  

• 1997 – Rebecca Elliott purchased Robwood in January (1).
  

Land

• Number of acres – 430 in 1853; 192 in 1936; 5 in 1998 (1)
  

• Primary crop – ?

Owners

• Chronological list – William Minor Clark (1788-?); C.H. Colding (1853-1883); C.H. Colding Jr. (1883); Richard Henry Walker (1883-?); Ralph Walker family (?-1936); Woodward and Francis Allen (1936-?); Victor and Francis Allen Barker (?-1995); Collum's Lumber Mill (1995-?); Scott Woodlands (?); Rebecca Elliott (1997-?)
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – ?

Buildings

• Outbuildings include a carriage house, smoke house, and barn (1).
  

References & Resources

1. National Register of Historic Places
   – Nomination form - PDF - submitted in 1998
   – Photographs, architectural overview
   

2. Brief history of Robwood Plantation - source no longer available online
   

3. Alexania Easterling Lawton, Allendale on the Savannah (Bamberg, SC: Bamberg Herald Printers, 1970).