Brick House Plantation – Edisto Island – Charleston County

— Brick House Plantation Prior to 1929 Fire © Contributed by Courtney Druelle —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Basic Information

• Location – Russell Creek, Edisto Island, St. John's Colleton Parish, Charleston County

• Origin of name – ?

• Other names – Paul Hamilton House

• Current status – Privately owned

— Brick House Plantation Living Room © Contributed by Courtney Druelle —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Timeline

• ? – Earliest known date of existence

• 1725 – House built by Paul Hamilton (2, p. 2).
  

  Hamilton had the bricks imported from Boston because they were denser than what could be found locally. The wood used in the house was also aged a minimum of seven years (2, p. 2).
  

• 1798 – The Jenkins family acquired the estate of Paul Hamilton which included brick house plantation. As of 1984, the Jenkins family still owned the property (2, p. 2).
  

• 1929 – House burned (2, p. 3).
  

• ? – The Jenkins family acquired the plantation (7).
  

• 1940s-1950s – The Jenkins operated a summer camp at Brick House (7).
  

  Anna Blythe of Adams Run has shared some memories from Brick House Plantation when it was used as a summer camp including the song they sang:
  
  B is for the big house, R is for the rambler (small house that hurricans relocated several times), I is for the interest we had in work and play, C is for the cooking (great food from the local farms - you sould have seen us with no front teeth eating corn on the cob), K is for the kitchen – H is for the happiness we have, O is for the oak trees, U is for the uproar when we play, S is for the swimming, and E is for the eating. Together we save Brick House, the camp we thought was swell (1948 - 1952).
  
  We sang [that song] at least once a day! Camp was in June and you could go for 2 weeks (any 2) or the entire month. Lydia's grandmother, Rose Jenkins Montgomery, taught us dancing. The Big House was Mrs. [Lydia] Jenkins' house. The family all had homes on the little island and were in residence. Liz Jenkins Young owned "The Rambler." At first it was just one big room with a porch on back and bath next to the porch - that's why it was moved by the storms. Mrs. Jenkins taught on Edisto and then at Charleston Day.
  
  We would have a big breakfast and then lessons – we learned books of the Bible, several psalms, hymns and other songs, and handcrafts – usually sewing (I still have the place mat I made). Swimming and swimming lessons were next, then to change for lunch. Back then kids had to take a nap to keep from having polio. After our naps, there was time for recreational swimming before we cleaned-up and changed for supper and games – softball or some other outdoor game.
  
  We walked the limbs of the old oak trees. We were glad bedtime came early as we were tired but we had to have some ghost stories. Younger girls stayed in The Rambler and older girls in The Big House. Nancy Johnson taught swimming and was very exacting – we had to row a boat against the tide to get proper certification for swimming. (I still have my metals). Great time! (7)
  
  

• 1984 – Mrs. Elizabeth Jenkins Young was owner (2, p. 1).
  

— Brick House Plantation Ruins © Brandon Coffey, 2014 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Land

• Number of acres – 325 in 1865

• Primary crop – Sea island cotton

Owners

• Alphabetical list – Adam; Barnett; Bowen; Branford; Paul Grimball; John Hamilton; Hext; Colonel Joseph Evans Jenkins; Loughton; Maxwell; McLeod; Neal; Wilkins
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – 48 (6)
  

— Brick House Plantation Bedroom © Contributed by Courtney Druelle —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Buildings

• Ruins of the house remain standing.
  

References & Resources

1. Picture of ruins
   

2. National Register of Historic Places
   – Nomination form - PDF - submitted in 1984
   – Photographs, architectural overview
   

3. Library of Congress documents
   

4. 30-15 Plantation File, held by the South Carolina Historical Society
   

5. Samuel Gaillard Stoney, Plantations of the Carolina Low Country (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 1990)
   
   

6. Information contributed by Joseph Mackay Plaxco from Mr. Bill Albergotti, a Mackay and Salley family historian. (Abigal Jenkins, whose family has owned Brick House Plantation for generations was married to George Mackay).
   

7. Information contributed by Anna Blythe who attended camp at Brick House Plantation as a child.
   

— Brick House Plantation Oak Avenue © Brandon Coffey, 2014 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

— Brick House Plantation Side Elevation © Contributed by Courtney Druelle —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

— Rear of Brick House Plantation © Contributed by Courtney Druelle —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

— Front of Brick House Plantation © Pamela Bohnenstiehl, 2014 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

— Brick House Plantation Window © Pamela Bohnenstiehl, 2014 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

— Brick House Plantation Ruins © Gazie Nagle, 2014 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

— Brick House Plantation Ruins © Pamela Bohnenstiehl, 2014 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)