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.