Millford Plantation Greek Revival

One of the most important Greek Revival country mansions of South Carolina, “Milford” is a large, pre-Civil War plantation on the “High Hills of the Santee River” near the point where the Wateree and Gongaree Rivers merge – a very rural neighborhood in Pinewood SC. Beautiful and extensive landscaping with mature trees and shrubs; live oak, pines, cedars, and magnolias hanging with Spanish moss. Cost reputed to be $100,000 in 1839, which would be at least 3 Million in today for the house alone. Millford Plantation is operated by the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust ((Millford Plantation, Pinewood SC)), along with several other historic houses. See their social media channels for updates on tours and events. ((In the past, tours were conducted on the first Saturday of every month from February to December (with exceptions), and every Saturday in the month of April))

The house is arranged around a rectangular central pavilion with portico at the front, and apse at rear with a curving stair. A central hall runs from the front to back of the building on all three floors. A covered piazza leads to side pavilions, which are two-story service buildings for the kitchen and laundry. Front porch facing the garden is an impressive parapeted, hexastyle, prostyle portico with Corinthian columns across the front; fluted wooden columns; dentil cornice; palmettes at center of parapet; cut granite base and floor paved with gray and white marble tiles; columns painted white and capitals gray; capitals are freely interpreted with Greek detail, including rosettes and palmettes.

Heavy, recessed, double, four-paneled front doors of mahogany with side lights and transom; elaborate entablature with dentil cornice and flaring palmette supported by two Corinthian columns in antis. Four-paneled mahogany interior doors on the first floor; architrave with Greek Revival trim based on palmettes. Between the stair and hall is a screen of large double mahogany doors with side lights and transom; architrave with Greek Revival detail based on palmettes. In the middle of the double living room is a screen of four doors; the inner two slide into outer two, which are glazed with mirrors, and these, in turn, fold back on a track into a wall recess; the inner pair are of mahogany with four panels. Antique silver-plated brass hardware (such as mortise locks and butt hinges) throughout house.

Large, floor-length windows on the first floor; double-hung wooden sash slide up into wall at top; sash are six-over nine lights. Wooden slatted (operable) shutters on first- and second-story windows. Small, one-pane windows on the third floor within entablature surrounded by wreath-like scrolls. The grand curving stair in apse has open string with fancy carved scrolls, pine steps with the original carpeting. The scroll-like heavy newel is in the Empire style; the simple balusters and railing are of mahogany. There are separate service stairs, first through third.

Plaster walls and ceiling; stucco cornices; stucco ceiling medallions in all rooms on first and second stories; low, ribbed dome over stair hall and oculus decorated with rosettes and palmettes. High wooden baseboards. Living room has heavy double cornice and an entablature across room with two columns and pilaster at walls. Library has large mahogany bookcases around the walls. Several antique light fixtures in house in the Empire style, including two large glass-enclosed hexagonal candle fixtures in first-floor hall.

Completed

1841

Millford Plantation	Greek Revival Style
Pinewood, South Carolina	Classical American Homes Preservation Trust ≫
National Historic Landmark (1973), National Register of Historic Places	Private events