During Potter’s Raid of SC covered in a previous post (link) Millford Plantation served as General Edward Potter’s headquarters for a brief period of time. The house is now owned by the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation, from their website (link)- Millford is a magnificent site, with a grand house at the center of an extensive compound that was first developed in 1839. It was ambitious enough to be dubbed “Manning’s Folly” by contemporary critics. The main house was furnished with an array of beautifully veneered chairs, tables, and beds by New York cabinetmaker Duncan Phyfe, to create an ensemble in which everything within view, from table wares to portraits to outbuildings, contributed to an aesthetic whole. The Mannings set their house in landscaped grounds surrounded by outbuildings, including a kitchen, laundry, gardener’s house, two servants apartments, a Greek Revival porter’s lodge, a Gothic Revival spring house, and a remarkable stable, built in the form of a Greek temple. Millford is open to the public every second Saturday, October through June. All guests are required to purchase tickets in advance. Tickets are $20 per person. Children under six (6) years of age are free. Tour dates and times may shift due to holidays and special events.
From the National Register of Historic Places- Symbolic of the rural community life that flourished before the Civil War, Millford, ca. 1839, is considered one of the most outstanding Greek Revival plantation homes in the South. Having escaped being burned by General W. T. Sherman’s troops, it remains a museum piece of the traditional antebellum south. The Mannings, the original family owners, contributed many governors to the State of South Carolina and were leaders in the politics and society of the area. When first built, it earned the title of “Manning’s Folly” since its location was so remote and the details so elaborate. The façade has six magnificent carved columns on granite bases that support a classical portico with a parapet adorned with a Greek motif. The walls of Milford, two feet thick, are of handmade brick fired on the place, but the granite came by boat from Rhode Island, and much of the marble as well as the carving and ornamentation came from abroad. One of the most striking features of the interior is the rear rotunda that features an art-glass eye, framed by elaborate carving, on the ceiling and an imposing, unsupported, flying, circular stair. Milford’s builder was Nathaniel F. Potter of Rhode Island. While Potter may have designed the building as well, the architect is unknown. The property also includes contributing guesthouses/dependencies, a ca. 1850 stable and water tower (bell tower), and a spring house.
There is an anecdote repeated on the tour of the plantation and often repeated online (link, link) about why General Potter did not burn Millford- “A remarkable anecdote, passed down in local history, tells how Millford was saved from burning at the very last moment. On April 19, 1865, General Potter’s men arrived at the plantation, likely intending to sack or torch the grand house as they had many others. Governor Manning, confronting the Union commander on his front steps, is said to have remarked wryly, “Well, the house was built by a Potter, and it looks as though it will be destroyed by a Potter.” (He was referring to architect Nathaniel Potter, who had built the mansion 25 years earlier.) Surprised, Gen. Edward Potter supposedly replied, “No, you are protected. Nathaniel Potter was my brother.” In an extraordinary coincidence, the Union general turned out to be the sibling of Millford’s architect – and upon recognizing this personal connection, he ordered his troops to spare the house from harm. Thanks to this chance encounter, Millford Plantation survived the Civil War intact, unlike so many Southern homes that were looted or burned.” Like many Civil War anecdotes this one is not true, at least as stated. Although Nathaniel Potter had three brothers (Christopher, James and Lorenzo) none of them were named Edward. It is possible they may have been distant relatives but they were not brothers.
The Millford Plantation will be covered in four posts