Oak Grove Plantation – St Matthews – Calhoun County

— Oak Grove Plantation • National Register of Historic Places, 1980 —

Basic Information

• Location – St. Matthews, St. Matthews Parish, Calhoun County

  Original plantation lands were located off US 176 near intersection of SC Highway 6 approximately 2.5 miles west of St. Matthews.
  

• Origin of name – ?

• Other names – David Houser Home
  

• Current status – Privately owned

Timeline

• ? – Earliest known date of existence

  Andrew Houser, Jr. acquired the property and bequeathed it to his son, David Houser.
  

• 1829 – House built (1, p. 2)
  

  David Houser constructed a two-story wood frame house. The house has been altered many times over the years (1, p. 2).
  

• 1876 – David Houser died and left the plantation to his wife Ellen Vermelle Houser (1, p. 2-3).
  

• 1930s – R. Waldo Banks, grandon of David Houser, owned Oak Grove (1, p. 2).
  

• 1980 – David Houser Banks, Sr and Trustees of the Houser and Banks Cemetery owned Oak Grove Plantation (1, p. 5).
  

— Outbuilding at Oak Grove Plantation © Ann Helms, 2015 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Land

• Number of acres – 500 in early 1800s; 4,800 in 1860 (1, p. 3)
  

• Primary crop – Corn, cotton, rice, sweet potatoes (1, p. 3)
  

• The Houser and Banks Cemetery is located at the plantation (1, p. 5).
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – 54 in 1860 (1, p. 3)

References & Resources

1. National Register of Historic Places
   – Nomination form - PDF - submitted in 1980
   – Photographs, architectural overview
   

2. Daniel Marchant Culler, Orangeburgh District, 1768-1868: History and Records (Spartanburg, SC: The Reprint Company, 1995), pp. 141-142.
    Order Orangeburgh District, 1768-1868: History and Records