Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home (Columbia, South Carolina)

Last updated
Woodrow Wilson Family Home
Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home, 1705 Hampton St., Columbia (Richland County, South Carolina).jpg
Woodrow Wilson Family Home
USA South Carolina location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location1705 Hampton St., Columbia, South Carolina
Coordinates 34°0′29″N81°1′38″W / 34.00806°N 81.02722°W / 34.00806; -81.02722 Coordinates: 34°0′29″N81°1′38″W / 34.00806°N 81.02722°W / 34.00806; -81.02722
Arealess than one acre
Built1871
Architectural styleItalian Villa
NRHP reference No. 72001222 [1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 23, 1972

The Woodrow Wilson Family Home is located in Columbia, South Carolina [2] [3] and was one of the childhood homes of the 28th President Woodrow Wilson. He lived in the house from 1871 to 1875.

Contents

In 1967, Historic Columbia purchased the house. Renovation occurred in 2013 and the house was re-opened to the public in 2014. At that time the house museum was re-dedicated to focusing on the Reconstruction Era. In order to better represent the change, Historic Columbia changed the name of the site to the Museum of the Reconstruction Era at the Woodrow Wilson Home in 2020.

History

Woodrow Wilson's boy home in Columbia, SC Woodrow Wilson Columbia, SC home.jpg
Woodrow Wilson's boy home in Columbia, SC

The house, completed by late 1871, was the only one that Woodrow Wilson's parents would ever own. [4] They lived there for four years, before Wilson's father resigned his position as pastor. [5]

A grassroots movement in 1928 preserved the home and prevented its scheduled demolition. It opened to the public as a museum in 1932. The house is furnished with period pieces from the 1850s–1870s, although only a few were owned by the Wilson family. They include, although he was not born in the house, the bed on which Wilson was born. [5] Stewardship of the site shifted to Historic Columbia in 1967. The revised interpretation of the site debuted in February 2014.

Modern times

As the Woodrow Wilson Family Home

In October 2005, the home closed to tours in preparation for a complete renovation of the structure and landscaping. [6] In April 2009 the first of three phases of renovation began, starting with structural repairs. [7] Phase two, which included a new building on the property, electrical upgrades and minor carpentry work, was completed in late 2012. The new building, located in an area where previous support buildings stood in the past, includes bathrooms, a catering kitchen and mechanical and electrical rooms to offer the ability to host events at the home. [8] The renovation was completed in 2013, with re-opening to the public planned for 2014. [9]

Today, the house interprets the Reconstruction period—as experienced by the Wilsons and other citizens of Columbia and Richland County—as South Carolina and the rest of the nation shifted socially, politically and economically to adjust to new freedoms for previously enslaved men and women following the Civil War. Their experiences are the basis for modern interpretation of citizenship in the United States. [10]

Name change

In 2020, Historic Columbia renamed the site the Museum of the Reconstruction Era at the Woodrow Wilson Home. [11] A member of Historic Columbia stated the name change better represented the experience visitors have at the house. [12] The museum is one of the only museums in the country dedicated to the reconstruction era. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

Columbia, South Carolina Capital city of South Carolina, United States

Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 as of the 2020 U.S. Census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. It is the center of the Columbia metropolitan statistical area, which had a population of 829,470 and is the 72nd-largest metropolitan statistical area in the nation. The name Columbia is a poetic term used for the United States, derived from the name of Christopher Columbus, who explored for the Spanish Crown. Columbia is often abbreviated as Cola, leading to its nickname as "Soda City."

Cayce, South Carolina City in South Carolina, United States

Cayce is a city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, along the Congaree River. The population was 12,528 at the 2010 census. The estimated population was 14,009 in 2019, and it is the third-most populated municipality in Lexington County. The city is primarily in Lexington County, with additional, predominantly rural land to the east in Richland County. Cayce is part of the Columbia Metropolitan Statistical Area and is within South Carolina's Midlands region.

Fords Theatre Theater in Washington, DC

Ford's Theatre is a theater located in Washington, D.C., which opened in August 1863. It is infamous for being the site of the assassination of United States President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. After being shot in the head, the fatally wounded 56-year-old Lincoln was carried across the street to the Petersen House, where he died the next morning.

Joseph Rucker Lamar US Supreme Court justice from 1911 to 1916

Joseph Rucker Lamar was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court appointed by President William Howard Taft. A cousin of former associate justice Lucius Lamar, he served from 1911 until his death in 1916.

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site National Historic Site of the United States

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is a United States National Historic Site located in the states of Washington and Oregon. The National Historic Site consists of two units, one located on the site of Fort Vancouver in modern-day Vancouver, Washington; the other being the former residence of John McLoughlin in Oregon City, Oregon. The two sites were separately given national historic designation in the 1940s. The Fort Vancouver unit was designated a National Historic Site in 1961, and was combined with the McLoughlin House into a unit in 2003.

Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Presidential library and museum for U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, located in Staunton, Virginia

The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum is a complex located in Staunton, Virginia. It contains the President's birthplace, known as the "Manse", a Museum that explores the life and times of Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), a 6,800 square feet (630 m2) Research Library, a gift shop, and several other buildings that are not open to the public. As Woodrow Wilson's presidency predates the National Presidential Libraries act, it is not part of the Federal National Archives' Presidential library system.

South Carolina State House State capitol building of the U.S. state of South Carolina

The South Carolina State House is the building housing the government of the U.S. state of South Carolina, which includes the South Carolina General Assembly and the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina. Located in the capital city of Columbia near the corner of Gervais and Assembly Streets, the building also housed the Supreme Court until 1971.

South Carolina Governors Mansion Historic house in South Carolina, United States

The South Carolina Governor's Mansion is a historic U.S. governor's mansion in the Arsenal Hill neighborhood of Columbia, South Carolina and the official residence of the governor of South Carolina. It is a Federal style home influenced by British Colonial plantations. The building has a white stucco exterior and originally served as faculty quarters for the Arsenal Academy, which together with the Citadel Academy in Charleston formed the South Carolina Military Academy. The Arsenal was burned along with the city of Columbia by Sherman's forces in February, 1865; the structure was the only surviving building and became South Carolina's executive mansion in 1868. On June 5, 1970, the building was registered with the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The mansion is located on a single city block, and is surrounded by magnolia plants, elm and oak trees, and various other plants. It is accessed by a circular driveway around a fountain in front on the residence's main entrance. The building has a flat roof and a large central pavilion around the main entrance. The mansion has 15 rooms. It is located in Columbia Historic District I. The mansion is currently occupied by Governor Henry McMaster and his family.

McMaster School United States historic place

The McMaster School, built in 1911, is an historic building located at 1106 Pickens Street on the corner of Senate Street in Columbia, South Carolina. It was designed by noted Columbia architect William Augustus Edwards of the firm of Edwards and Walter. Edwards and his partner, Frank C. Walter, designed sixteen schools according to standardized guidelines established by the state legislature in 1905. The architects chose a Renaissance Revival style with H-shaped floor plans used as the standard for the state in buildings designed and constructed by other architects. The State newspaper declared it the "handsomest school building in Columbia" when it opened in 1911.

Augusta Downtown Historic District United States historic place

Augusta Downtown Historic District is a historic district that encompasses most of Downtown Augusta, Georgia and its pre-Civil War area.

Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home Historic house in Georgia, United States

The Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home is a historic house museum at 419 7th Street in Augusta, Georgia. Built in 1859, it was a childhood home of Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), the 28th president of the United States and proponent of the League of Nations. The house is owned and operated by Historic Augusta, Inc., and was designated a National Historic Landmark on October 6, 2008.

First Presbyterian Church (Augusta, Georgia) Historic church in Georgia, United States

First Presbyterian Church is an historic Presbyterian church located at 642 Telfair Street in Augusta, Georgia in the United States.

Hampton–Preston House Historic house in South Carolina, United States

The Hampton–Preston House located at 1615 Blanding Street in Columbia, South Carolina, is a historic mansion that was the home of members of the prominent Hampton family. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on July 29, 1969.

Millwood (Richland County, South Carolina) Historic house in South Carolina, United States

Millwood is the site and ruins of an antebellum plantation house at 6100 Garner's Ferry Road, Columbia, South Carolina. Owned by Colonel Wade Hampton II and his wife Ann Fitzsimmons Hampton, it was the boyhood home of their first son Wade Hampton III and other children. He later became a Confederate general and later, South Carolina governor, and U.S. Senator.

Gadsden, South Carolina Census-designated place in South Carolina, United States

Gadsden is a census-designated place (CDP) in Richland County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,632 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina metropolitan area.

First Presbyterian Church (Columbia, South Carolina) Historic church in South Carolina, United States

The First Presbyterian Church is a historic church building in Columbia, South Carolina. Constructed in 1854, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 25, 1971.

Charles Ives House Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Charles Ives House, also known as Charles Ives Birthplace, is located on Mountainville Avenue in Danbury, Connecticut, United States. It is a wooden frame structure built in 1780 and expanded on since. Over the course of the 19th century it was the residence of several generations of Iveses, a family important in the city's history. In 1874 it was the birthplace of Charles Ives, who became an internationally recognized composer in the early 20th century.

Paul Shoup House Historic house in California, United States

The Paul Shoup House, also known as the Shoup House, is a historic residence in Los Altos, Santa Clara County, California, United States. It was built as an American Craftsman- and Shingle-style home in 1910 for railroad executive Paul Shoup. In 2011 it was designated a historic site by the National Register of Historic Places; the first such designation in Los Altos.

Mann-Simons Cottage Historic house in South Carolina, United States

Mann-Simons Cottage is a historic home located at Columbia, South Carolina. It was built around 1850, and is a 1+12-story, cottage style frame house on a raised basement. The front façade features a porch supported by four Tuscan order columns. It was the antebellum home of a substantial free black Columbia family.

Dr. Cyril O. Spann Medical Office United States historic place

The Dr. Cyril O. Spann Medical Office, located in Columbia, South Carolina, served African-American patients during de jure and de facto racial segregation in the United States. Built in 1963, it was added to United States National Register of Historic Places on May 20, 2019.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. McCorkle, Norman (November 19, 1970). "Thomas Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  3. "Thomas Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home, Richland County (1705 Hampton St., Columbia)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  4. "Historic Columbia Foundation : Houses : Woodrow Wilson Family Home". www.historiccolumbia.org. Archived from the original on 2010-07-04.
  5. 1 2 http://www.presidentialavenue.com/ww.cfm#3 Archived 2010-10-05 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Follow Preservation and Progress with Historic Columbia Foundation" . Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  7. "WWFH Phase 1 Rehabilitation: Sills and Studs" . Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  8. "Woodrow Wilson Family Home Rehabilitation Update" . Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  9. "Woodrow Wilson Family Home: Hard Hat Tour" . Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  10. "The Museum of the Reconstruction Era | Historic Columbia". www.historiccolumbia.org. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  11. Marcus, Josh (2020-12-08). "Woodrow Wilson's childhood home gets name change over racist legacy". The Independent. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  12. Benson, Adam (2020-12-08). "Woodrow Wilson home in Columbia getting new name, mission". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  13. Marcus 2020.