Historic Walterboro mansion offers Holy Citycharm at Colleton County price

By Robert Salvo

For those of us living on the south side of the Stono River, traffic congestion offers plenty of time to think. And if idle hands are, as they say, the “devil’s workshop,” then time spent bumper-to-bumper in an unceasing stream of comeyas and construction vehicles must be his mental playground. Thus did I find myself recently on Johns Island — ostensibly within the Charleston

city limits — and still an hour’s drive away from the peninsula. And I began to think about the profusion of new development being sold to folks as “about an hour away” from Downtown: Nexton, Cainhoy, Kiawah River, and many others.

But what if that’s not the right way to think about this? How much good and worthy real estate offers real history, a true Lowcountry provenance, and allure and authenticity that only comes with time that isn’t the result of some Clearfield new-build? So my thoughts turned roughly an hour due west of Downtown Charleston, towards the self-proclaimed “front porch of the Lowcountry” — historic Walterboro. Once an inland retreat for the planters of the ACE Basin, then a thriving train stop between Charleston and Savannah, it is the seat of Colleton County and today enjoys a large historic district, a college, a 135-bed hospital, South Carolina’s largest city park, and the state Artisan Center.

Of note, there is a lovely historic home at 458 Hampton Street that feels like a little slice of the Holy City — and is currently on offer through Ellen Murray of Charleston Premier Properties. This dwelling, the Stokes-Hiott House, was designed by John Darlington Newcomer, a prolific Charleston architect whose resume includes the Baker Sanitorium (now condominiums) on Colonial Lake. Designed in 1880, the Stokes-Hiott House shows Newcomer skillfully playing with various neoclassical elements; a grand entry features four beautifully proportioned Tuscan columns that support a large pediment with a decorative keystone arch in the tympanum … all offset to one side of the building to preserve overall balance rather than rigid symmetry. It creates powerful visual interest, establishes the historic home squarely in its original setting, and adds the charm the house has in spades.

There’s more architectural interest, of course — a handsome belt course defines the upstairs from the outside, a columned porte-cochere offers a welcoming, luxurious side entry to the home. But let me stop here to mention another bit of architectural excellence this property enjoys. Set on a full half-acre “mini estate,” the grounds of the Stokes-Hiott House were designed by the late, legendary Robert E. Marvin. A Colleton County native, Marvin grew up at Bonnie Doone Plantation and graduated from Clemson with a degree in horticulture. After service in the Army during the Second World War, he returned home and set up shop in the tiny town of Walterboro in 1947. Marvin was attentive, exacting, and a true visionary. With a sensitive eye for preserving nature’s own rhythms and beauties, his renown soon spread beyond Colleton County; he would become the landscape architect for such notables as Sea Pines, Chambers Park in Beaufort, the Governor’s Mansion.

Here at 458 Hampton Street, his touch is evident all over the grounds. Beyond an ornate wrought-iron gate, a centuries-old oak sits, surrounded by a brick seat wall. Dozens and dozens of different varieties of camellia and azalea beckon from every corner. A koi pond and stone grotto offer a place for contemplation and the pleasant burble of ever-flowing water. The grounds are a serene and compelling place. So is the whole home, of course. At 4,200 square feet, with seven bedrooms and five baths can accommodate whatever you might need or dream up. Dream big: this listing includes a detached guest cottage and a transferable license to operate as a bed and breakfast. Nestled amongst Walterboro’s antebellum homes and historic civic buildings, within walking distance to restaurants and shops, and a just a quick, effectively equidistant car ride away from Savannah, Hilton Head, Charleston and Edisto Beach, the Stokes- Hiott House offers an elegant solution to the intelligent homebuyer looking to enjoy the best of Lowcountry living in a unique way.