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Argyle, since 1830 by Missy Schenck

by | May 23, 2020 | Blogs, Historic

Seventh in a series on Flat Rock by the Charleston Mercury

Recently, my husband, Sandy, and I had the most delightful visit with Alexander Campbell King III, owner of Argyle in Flat Rock, North Carolina. It was Mr. King’s 91st birthday, so we celebrated in social distancing style — on his front porch. He related wonderful stories of growing up at Argyle, a family home with the distinction of having the longest continuous possession in the same family of any place in Flat Rock, perhaps in all of Western North Carolina. His people have owned it since 1830. The house felt alive with history. I could almost hear it humming as Mr. King told tales of family picnics, fishing at the dam and swinging on the porch with his grandmother. We all got very emotional and even shed tears. It was truly a memorable occasion.

Judge Mitchell King, Alex King’s ancestor, was one of the earliest settlers of Flat Rock. Born in Crail, Fifeshire, Scotland on June 8, 1783, King (originally Kingo) left Scotland in 1804 bound for Malta hoping to enter the mercantile life. The English vessel on which he traveled was captured by Spanish pirates and Mr. King was taken as a prisoner to Malaga, where he stayed for several months. Finally, in September 1805, he succeeded in escaping and sailed on a ship headed for Charleston, South Carolina.

Upon his arrival in Charleston, King immediately sought employment and his scholarly achievements provided well for him. He was able to start a small private school and within six months was offered a teaching position at The College of Charleston. While at the C of C he pursued the study of law and in 1810 he was admitted to the bar in South Carolina. He proceeded to become one of the wealthiest and most prominent citizens of the state. The father of 18 children, 11 of whom lived to adulthood, King is buried in First Scots Presbyterian graveyard in Charleston along with his two successive wives — the Campbell sisters, Susanna Campbell King and Margaret Campbell King.

King first traveled to Western North Carolina in 1828 with an interest in linking a railroad from the seaport of Charleston to the West. Shortly afterwards, King and his wife visited Asheville, N.C. hoping to find relief for his wife’s asthma. On their way home, they stopped to spend the night in Flat Rock and for the first time in months, his wife immediately found comfort. It was then King decided to make Flat Rock his summer home and proceeded to buy acreage until he and Charles Baring owned all the land in Flat Rock. Eventually King’s holdings amounted to 7,852 acres including property adjacent to Flat Rock. In 1838, with a gift of 50 acres, he was instrumental in the creation of Henderson County and the establishment of Hendersonville as the county seat.

In 1830, Judge King bought the property known as Argyle from Colonel John Davis. Once called the “Saw Mill Tract,” it was originally part of a Revolutionary land grant to Abraham Kuykendall and D. Miller. In addition to the 1,390 acres, the land included a dwelling house, saw mill, furniture factory and various other buildings. The original house, a two-on-two with a central staircase, remains the core of Argyle today. This portion of the house, built around 1815, makes Argyle the oldest dwelling in Flat Rock and one of the first two houses in the Flat Rock settlement, “The Little Charleston of the Mountains.” King named his summer home Argyle, after his wife’s ancestral county in Scotland.

Judge King enlarged the mill house dwelling with two story matching wings and arched latticework across the entire front porch. A kitchen house and other small buildings were built or upgraded and a book cottage was created to house King’s extensive collection. Trees harvested from the land were sawed into planks at the lumber mill on the property and 80,000 bricks were made locally for the chimneys and 12 fireplaces. Granite was quarried nearby and used for the foundation and stairs.

When Judge King died, he left Argyle to his two unmarried daughters. One married soon after his death, leaving sole ownership of Argyle to his daughter, Susan. Upon her death in 1910, Argyle was to be sold on the courthouse steps. Judge King’s grandson, Alexander Campbell King, solicitor general of the United States under Woodrow Wilson and later associate judge of the Fifth Court of Appeals, made sure his bid was the highest and Argyle remained in the family.

The most significant renovations to Argyle were made under the ownership of Alexander King. He hired Richard Sharp Smith, supervising architect for the Biltmore House, to help with these plans. The lattice across the front porch was removed and replaced with wooden columns. Indoor plumbing, bathrooms and electricity were added. The kitchen once housed in a separate building was a new addition to the main dwelling as well as the grand staircase in the front hall. The old kitchen house was converted to servants’ quarters and the book cottage was renovated to include two bedrooms and a small kitchen for year round use. The house, once designed for comfort, had a newly acquired colonial elegance.

Alexander King died in July 1926 at Argyle. His wife, Alice May Fowler King, continued to gather her children and grandchildren every summer and to carry on the summer traditions embedded in Argyle’s history. Eventually, she remained at Argyle in the book cottage with the care of a registered nurse, Miss Olive Braswell, until her death in 1955 at the age of 97.

Alex King III is part of the fifth generation of Kings to grow up spending summers at Argyle. His grandmother’s chauffeur, Albert, would drive them up to Flat Rock from Atlanta, Georgia in her “Twin Six” 12-cylinder Packard and the children would sit on the jumper seats in the back of the car. It was always quite an adventure including tales of speeding tickets and picnics on the way. Spinola, the chief cook, came along with them to man the kitchen in Flat Rock — a spot off limits to the children. Next to the kitchen was a hallway with back stairs; the only ones the children were allowed to use. Every time they ran up and down the stairs, Spinola would have a tizzy. At the top of the staircase was a big room designated as the nursery where Hattie, the children’s nurse, was in charge of the babies. Napoleon Capps, a local man, was the caretaker of Argyle and tended the vegetable garden and the barnyard. These devoted individuals created the sure and steady rhythm of the Argyle household.

Each morning, the family would rise early for breakfast followed by a morning outing that wove through family and friends’ properties beginning at the top of King’s Creek over at Glenroy (now Kenmure). Immersed in nature and exploration, the community of cousins and friends would make their way either on foot or horseback down Greenville Highway through the woods until they reached Action Briars (location of Pinecrest Presbyterian Church) and then head back home. Swimming, fishing and picking berries were all part of the quest and differed each day as the group practiced courage and resilience. It was a whole other kind of education that lay a foundation for deep connections.

The household rule was to be home in time for 2:00 dinner, the big meal of the day. Supper was always light and the evening was filled with parties or bridge for the adults and games like kick the can or king of the mountain for the children. A favorite play area in the yard was Grandmother’s Oak, an ancient oak tree with multiple large limbs resting on the ground providing generations of little Kings with an obstacle course, benches and swings. Sometimes there were family picnics and bonfires with other families; roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, singing songs. Occasionally, there was a square dance or a ball.

Clifford King Harbin, (Alex King III’s daughter) fondly recalls summer days of independence and adventures with sixth generation Kings and her summer best friends, Gus Smythe and Jan Wardlaw from Charleston. “Every summer we would arrive at Argyle by June 1 and my grandmother would take all of us to Sherman’s on Main Street to buy each grandchild a new pair of Keds and a gray sweatshirt. We always took off our Keds at the backdoor and our sweatshirts hung on the hooks in the back hall for chilly summer nights.” Their daily outings were similar to her father’s route with the big treat of the day at Bonclarken’s camp store where they bought candy bars. On Wednesday afternoons they all went to the matinee at the Flat Rock Playhouse for $.25 and as teenagers they’d hide beer at the Highland Lake spring house and skinny dip in the ice cold creek nearby. Summer after summer, their indestructible relationships were cultivated and fortified by a lasting love. It was a joy-filled time.

As our visit with Alex King came to a close, I asked him to relate his favorite summer memory of Argyle: — fishing. His father, Alexander Campbell King, Jr., loved to fly fish and tied his own flies with hackles from the rooster on their property. Just down from the house was Erle’s Creek with a dam and a pond where Alex fished with his best friend, Wick Andrews, Wick’s Uncle, Punk Lowndes, (Alex’s father’s best friend) and his father. “Sometimes we would go down into the Green River Valley and fish the Lemon Hole. Once we got permission to fish the headwaters of the Green River, the Schenck family property, where I caught my biggest rainbow ever. My father knew exactly how to cook it — the most delicious fish I ever ate.”

In that tearful storytelling moment ,I realized what a refuge Argyle is for Mr. King; a grounding place where he escapes year after year to be healed and upheld by the magic of summer with family and friends. It is the heart of the King family and home for the last 190 years.

Missy Craver Izard was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. She resides in Flat Rock, North Carolina with her husband, Sandy Schenck, where their family runs a summer camp.

The Village of Flat Rock 

The exact date that settlers began to make homesteads in Flat Rock is not know, but the first recorded mention of Flat Rock was in 1807. We do know that late in the 1700s, veterans of the Revolutionary War came to claim land grants awarded to them for their valiant wartime service. By then, the Cherokee, who had long claimed “the flat rock” as theirs, had been evicted. The Cherokee had sided with the British against the tough and hardy Americans in the war, and as the country won its independence, they found their vacation and trading lands were no longer theirs. North Carolina ceded all lands claimed by the Cherokee to the government in 1783. The Cherokee had been the first to discover the summer glories of pure mountain air, an abundance of game for the taking, clear water and the convenience of a huge expanse of flat rock on which to camp and hold ceremonial rites. From here, they established trade routes to the south and east. 

The homesteaders were hard working, educated and industrious people, building saw mills, homes, churches and inns to serve drovers traveling through Flat Rock to South Carolina. Access to Flat Rock was by old Indian paths and dangerous trails until 1828 when the Buncombe Turnpike was completed, and connected to the State Road of SC. This road became known as the Drovers Road, because every fall, farmers would drive their herds of animals through Flat Rock to markets in the south and east. Soon Flat Rock began seeing more visitors from Charleston and the Low Country. They were looking for a pleasant, cool, and healthy climate for their families during the disease-ridden summers on South Carolina and Georgia plantations, as well as a possible rail route from the seacoast to inland waters and beyond. By 1827, even with the lack of easy transportation, the settlement that would become the “Little Charleston of the Mountains” had begun in earnest. Charles and Susan Baring, he of the British Baring Bank Co. and she the wealthy widow of cotton broker James Heyward, built what is acknowledged to be the first of the grand summer houses, Mountain Lodge. It was the Barings who built St. John in the Wilderness Church 1833, the oldest Episcopal Church in Western North Carolina. 

Soon the affluent of Charleston, Savannah and New Orleans visited Flat Rock, and many bought land to establish their own summer homes. Travel was easier, and as a result, Flat Rock thrived. Gracious summer homes were built on land that afforded privacy and views, usually at the end of long, tree-lined drives. Soon it was the summer destination for many influential families from not only the south, but the nation. Among its residents were Christopher Gustavus Memminger and George Trenholm (first and second Secretaries of the Confederate Treasury), Judge Mitchell King (lawyer and judge in Charleston and Savannah), Edmund Molyneaux (the British Consul to Charleston), Count Joseph Marie Gabriel Xavier de Choiseul (French Consul to Charleston and Savannah). These were the halcyon days of Flat Rock, ranking in popularity with the northern summer colony, Newport, Rhode Island.

There was no particular architectural style adhered to, making Flat Rock’s historic homes an interesting mix to please all who care to visit or call our village home. Luckily, a great many historic estates are now well cared for year-round residences. As a result of a survey by North Carolina Department of Archives and History, Flat Rock was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. An updated re nomination of all historic structures, sponsored almost entirely by Historic Flat Rock, Inc., was completed in 2015. This document solidified the Village of Flat Rock as a National Historic District. HFR was formed in 1968 for the sole purpose of preserving Flat Rock’s historic homes and vistas for future generations. 

By: Galen Reuther

Peace’s Store, ca. 1900

What was a central gathering place for so many village residents when it was Peace’s store and gas station, sits on land that was known as “Mr. Farmer’s Brick Yard”. In 1900, E.J. Francis bought seventeen acres and built the store. He then sold the store and two acres to the Peace family. Luther, Melton, Rufus and then their nephew Clarence Peace ran the store. Clarence lived at the store while running it as a grocery store, gas station and barber shop. It was a magnet for youngsters of the village because of its candy counter. Historic Flat Rock, Inc. purchased the property from Clarence Peace’s estate, put a Preservation Agreement on it, and sold it in 1990 to David L. Galloway. The building is now owned by Mr. Starr Teel, and contains a retail business, a bakery and restaurant. It’s the anchor for what’s locally referred to as “Little Rainbow Row.”

Stradley-Jones House, ca. 1845

The original section of the house that is now the core section of the village hall was built c1845 by the Rev. Peter Stradley (see Old Post Office). The complex was a small working farm and included, in addition to the usual outbuildings of the time, a building that served as a store and post office, a blacksmith shop and barn. Stradley sold to Alan Tabor who kept it for thirty years or more. It then went to the Ripley family, who lived here and ran the store and post office. In 1915, the house was sold to Postmaster Jones and his wife Dovie. He was the last postmaster to live in the house, therefore the double name of the first postmaster to live there and the last. In 1997, HFR purchased the house, and remaining outbuildings when they purchased the Old Post Office. In 2003, the property (except for the Old Post Office building) was sold to the Village of Flat Rock. The barn was dismantled according to the agreement with The Village to provide parking spaces.

Rutledge Cottage, ca. 1838

Rutledge Cottage c1838, is one of the most charming houses in the village. It sits at the end of an avenue of towering Hemlocks and pines. The house was built by Dr. Mitchell Campbell King, son of Judge Mitchell King (Argyle), and reflects the architectural influence of German country houses. When Dr. King returned to Flat Rock after medical studies abroad, he built this house for his family’s use while he completed his permanent home, Glenroy (Kenmure) c1850. He also built a medical office building close to the Glenroy construction site, and when Glenroy was completed, this office building was placed on lags and rolled to the Rutledge Cottage site. It was added to the main house and serves as the present-day kitchen. What is now a guesthouse was the original kitchen house, and may, in fact, be an even older dwelling than the main house. In a recent renovation of the guesthouse, old slave beds were discovered in the rafters. c1857, the property was sold to Elizabeth Pinckney Rutledge, daughter of Frederick Rutledge of Hampton Plantation for $4,000. Her father was one of the earliest settlers of Flat Rock. The house was then known as Forest View. In 1908, Elizabeth Rutledge gave the house to her sister Alice Rutledge Felder. Alexander F. Schenck and his wife Laurinda purchased Rutledge Cottage in 1966. Mr. Schenck was the first president of Historic Flat Rock, Inc.

Saluda Cottages, ca. 1836

Count Joseph Marie Gabriel St. Xavier de Choiseul, known as cousin of Louis Phillip, Duke of Orleans and one time governor of Corsica, became so charmed by the gay cultured social life he found in Flat Rock he settled his family there while he conducted his duties as French consul to Savannah and Charleston. He built Saluda Cottages where his family became favorites of the colony. The estate was later taken over by Izard Middleton, a descendant of one of the 1670 land proprietors of South Carolina. General Seigling, owner of the Charleston News and Courier, made extensive alterations in 1887 adding the third floor, the tower and other elaborate features of the house. He gave it the carefree name, San Souci. The extensive grounds, typical of Flat Rock places, are so laid out that broad vistas can be seen through tall hemlocks planted in rings of five to seven, giving a feeling of open spaces in dense forest. A path once leading through the grounds was known as the Jerusalem Walk. It led from Ravenwood to the church. An early deed had a provision reserving this path for people walking to church.

Forest Preserve and Bird Sanctuary

The Preserve is a 1 ¼ acre green space located on the corner of Greenville Highway and Memminger Drive in the center of the village. HFR purchased the land in 2000 to prevent it from commercial development. It was, at one time, part of the Ravenswood estate, home of Rev. John Grimke Drayton of Magnolia Gardens and Civil War pastor of the Church of St. John in the Wilderness. There is a walking trail through the woods, maintained by HFR.

The Old Post Office, ca. 1845

The Old Post Office was built c1845 by the Rev. Peter Stradley, who purchased the land for his home, farm and shop c1844. He was a Baptist minister, a blacksmith, storekeeper and postmaster, a position he kept until after the Civil War when he was relieved of his duties because of his service as a “Civil War postmaster.” (His son was named to succeed him.) This building was the first designated post office location. Prior to this, mail was collected at local inns or taverns. The central location of the building along the Saluda Path at the intersection of present day Little River Road, made it a gathering place, not just to retrieve mail, but to hear the news. This was especially the case during the Civil War years. Historic Flat Rock, Inc. purchased the building in 1979, and renovated it thoroughly. They use the upper floor as offices and beginning in 2017, the first floor will house the HFR Cultural Center/Museum, fulfilling its Mission to make artifacts and collections available to the public. HFR donated a Preservation Agreement on the building to Preservation North Carolina in order to avoid the appearance of any merger of interests, ensuring the protection of the building and the agreement will survive in perpetuity.

Oak Knoll, ca. 1886

Built c1886 by Penelope Pyatt Parker of Georgetown, SC as a summer house, the house and property were owned and enjoyed by her granddaughter Penelope Parker Peterson throughout her life. Mrs. Parker designed the house herself and completed it on her own after her husband passed away. It has been used by her family as a summer residence ever since. The house, with a long wrap-around covered porch, guest house, and tennis court, sits at the end of a long and interesting private drive, lined with towering evergreens. The Preservation Agreement allows for one additional house to be built on the property.

Mountain Lodge, ca. 1827

Mountain Lodge is one of the first summer estate houses built by Charlestonians in Flat Rock. Built c1827, by Charles and Susan Baring on appr. 300 acres, the house sits high on a hill. Originally including a deer park, out buildings and private chapel, Mountain Lodge is recorded to have been the center of the Flat Rock social season. Charles Baring went on to purchase over 3,000 acres which he divided and sold to friends who followed. Susan Baring was the widow of James Heyward, and had inherited a life estate in his vast SC holdings, making her a very wealthy woman in her own right. Charles was a member of the Baring Bank family. Together they built their summer retreat, Mountain Lodge, and established themselves as Flat Rock’s most social couple. In 1845, Susan died and her SC estate reverted to the Heyward family. Charles inherited the NC property, but in 1849, he indentured it to pay a debt to his family firm, Baring Brothers. Following financial downturns, he sold Mountain Lodge to Edward L. Trenholm in 1853. Trenholm owned a cotton shipping firm in England and ran the largest fleet of blockade runners during the Civil War. The family spent summers at Mountain Lodge until 1911 when they sold to George and Lucy Baldwin of Savannah. The Baldwins added land and outbuildings to the estate and willed the property to their children who held it until 1935, when they sold it with 197 acres to Edward and Margaret Jones of Texas. They made many changes to the house including a two-story porch, porte cochere, sunroom and kitchen wing, all designed by Erle Stillwell. In 1958, Mountain Lodge was purchased by the Galloways, who renamed it Heaven Trees, and in 1959 the property, which only included 25 acres by then, was purchased by Newton Duke Angier and his wife Jane. They lived there year-round and in 1972, sold to Albert and Sarah Little Moreno of Savannah. William Gregg bought the property in 1995, and by 2014, Historic Flat Rock, Inc. was able to purchase the property out of bankruptcy. After a long and interesting history, the house and grounds are finally being refurbished and restored.

McAllen Craft Shop, ca. 1968

Now part of the Wrinkled Egg, the mid 20thc cottage sits adjacent to it on the south side. The two buildings are now joined by a pass-through and a deck and operate as one business. There is an office, originally identified as a residential “cottage” at the rear of the building. It is now part of Flat Rock’s Rainbow Row commercial area.

Little Bye, ca. 1948

Located on the Greenville Highway, one house south of the Andrews House, Little Bye was built by Alice G. Braswell in 1948. She came to Flat Rock from Enfield, NC after her retirement as one of the first licensed nurses in the state. While living here she worked as a private nurse, counting among her patients Carl Sandburg and Alexander Campbell King, Richard B. Grimball, now deceased, and his wife Adele bought the house in 1997. They changed the name to Little Bye, a fix hunting term meaning roughly “an unexpected little pleasure” and updated the house. The property has a view of Ravenswood Lake from the house-wide porch at the rear of the house.

The Lowndes House, ca. 1884

In 1847, Richard Henry Lowndes purchased a tract of land and the old parsonage from Charles Baring. On the southern end of this tract, Richard Henry’s son, Richard I’On Lowndes, built his home and named it “The Rock” because it sits on a portion of the great flat rock, for which the village is named. Still visible is the granite wall along the Greenville Highway, mostly mined from the quarry on the property. In 1948, the property was sold to Ruth Conrad of Aiken, SC. They opened a guesthouse, naming it The Holiday Inn, and changed the name of the house to Rockworth. In 1956, the Vagabond School of the Drama became owners of the house and five and a half acres. When Historic Flat Rock Inc. was approached for assistance to renovate the house, HFR donated financial assistance in the amount of $80,000 as well as engineering and planning for the renovation in exchange for a Preservation Agreement. In 2009, the master gardeners of Henderson County refurbished the landscape and gardens.

Many Pines, ca. 1859

Many Pines was built in 1859 by James R. Pringle of Charleston. The house is unique and retains its row of outbuildings extending from the main house. Pringle sold the property to William Ravenel in 1871, and then it went through a succession of owners before it was purchased in 1908 by Augustine T. Smythe, brother of Capt. Smyth of Connemara, the Carl Sandburg Home. Smythe gave the estate the name Many Pines after the rows of pine trees that line the driveways. The property went to his heirs upon his death and is still in the Smythe family. The Preservation Agreement on Many Pines is one of the most thorough documents of its kind, reflecting both the exterior and interior of the structures. It remains one of the most pure of the old Flat Rock estates.

The King House

Known as the King House, it is named for brothers Benjamin and Elisha King who owned the property in the mid nineteenth century. In a deed of sale to Peter Stradley (see Stradley-Jones house) in 1844,there is a mention of “premises” indicating a dwelling was indeed on the land at that time. Architectural research and local information indicates the house is made up of three separate buildings, either built on site or moved and joined together. Speculating the many possible uses the buildings served is an interesting and fun occupation. Closest to being correct perhaps is that they were three “mill houses”, used at an adjoining mill, and moved to this location when no longer needed. The house was purchased by Historic Flat Rock, Inc. in 2012, extensively restored and sold with a Preservation Agreement in place.

Elliott Place, ca. 1877

Elliott Place, often called the prettiest house in the village, was built c1877 by Col. William Elliott, near the site of his father’s former summer house. He was a US Senator from Beaufort, SC. In 1978, then owner William Hartman donated a Preservation Agreement to Historic Flat Rock, Inc, with a life estate in place for his wife, Virginia. When Mrs. Hartman died, the Agreement went into effect on the house, guest house and beautiful property, which reaches to Highland Lake. It is now the summer home of sisters, Emily Whipple and noted artist, Martha Whaley Adams Cornwell. Their mother, Emily Whaley, well-known Charleston

horticulturalist and author, spent her summers here. The property sits high on a hill off Greenville Highway with a commanding view of the lake at the end of a long, sloping lawn, and includes a guesthouse, tennis court and gardens.

Hemlocks, ca. 1908

The cottage, Hemlocks, was built in 1908, on a foundation of a much earlier dwelling. E. R. Pinckney and his wife Louise Cleveland purchased the property in 1925 for their summer cottage. Elizabeth (Elise) Rutledge Pinckney and her sister Sarah Rutledge Pinckney Ambler summered here with their parents. (They were named for their aunts Elizabeth and Sarah Rutledge of Rutledge Cottage.) The house sits along the old drovers’ road, the remains of the Buncombe Turnpike. In 2008 HFR engaged an archeologist to conduct a dig on the property with the hope of finding evidence that the site is the location of the Kuykendall Tavern, dating to the late 1700s. Results were positive and Hemlocks is now a numbered and registered North Carolina State Certified Archeological site. In Dec. 2008, HFR purchased the property, renovated it, and sold it with a Preservation Agreement in place.

Hopewood, ca. 1938

Hopewood, formerly known as Sherwood, is the centerpiece of the small Sherwood subdivision. It was built in 1938 by Reuben B. Robertson, President of Champion Fibre, who in 1931 sold the Champion lands used in the creation of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. He named the house Hopewood to honor his wife, Hope Thomson Robertson. The French influenced house sits to the front of formal gardens and meadows that include features dating to 1878 when then owner Joseph Cox selected the site for his summer house. The grounds and gardens lend a background for several historic tree specimens from that period.

Edney House, ca. 1924

The Edney House, c1924, was built by J. Fonsie Edney. He also built Commodore’s Cottage (see above). The house has been enhanced and is one of the most charming of its period in the village. The owner of Edney House, Mr. David Dethero, is a horticulturalist of note and his gardens add a great deal of charm to the property. A circular drive is lined with hydrangeas that dependably bloom each summer, and a portion of the large perennial garden can be enjoyed from an enclosed sunroom on the west side of the house. In addition to the donation of a Preservation Agreement on the Edney House, Mr. Dethero donated a substantial property in the Green River area to the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy. That property has now been sold with the Agreement intact, protecting it in perpetuity.

Dolce Far Niente, ca. 1836

Site of the Thomas Lowndes house c1836, Dolce Far Niente means “sweet nothing to do.” The property includes a contemporary house, Hemlocks, and Emmy’s Cottage. The property is a well known vista upon entering the village from the north with its original granite rock wall and gateposts, laid without mortar. The property has a long history going back to Henry McAlpin in 1833, Charles Baring in 1936 and then Thomas Lowndes the same year. The original tract of land (125 +/- acres) stretched from the present highway east to Highland Lake. The house, which no longer stands, was a grand summer house with wide piazzas and circular drive, lined with Hydrangeas. The house was taken down in 1960, and the property was purchased by Lawrence W. Baynard, who’s daughter Barbara Baynard Hubbell now owns the property with her husband. EMMY’S COTTAGE is included in this Agreement. The cottage was built in 1924 by Richard I’On Lowndes, Jr., who also built the Lowndes House at the Flat Rock Playhouse. The cottage ultimately became home to his sister Alice Lowndes Andrews and her husband William P. (Wick) Andrews. They lived here with their two children William P. (Wick) Jr. and his sister Betty Lee.

Dunroy, ca. 1862

David Williams, a rice planter from Camden, SC and a US Senator, purchased land and completed Dunroy c1862. Williams’ wife Kate was the sister of Mary Boykin Chesnut, author of”Diary from Dixie”. The house was sold to Mrs. James Williams, then to Mrs. James Rose Rutledge of Charleston, and then to her daughter Mrs. Julius Heyward. Rutledge Drive and Rutledge Mountain are names for the Rutledge family. In 1933, WWI Major General Campbell King, grandson of Judge Mitchell King (Argyle) and his wife bought the property. He was commanding officer for Gen. George C. Marshall and became Army Chief of Staff. Upon General King’s death in 1950, his son Dr. D.I.C. King and his children after him, inherited the property. In the l990’s most of the

Dunroy acreage was sold for a residential development, leaving the house, its outbuildings and a tract of land surrounding it, in tact. Dunroy is now home to the Thompson family, who have restored the house, outbuildings, gardens and property to their former glory.

The Dam House, ca. 1893

The Dam House was built in 1893 as a wedding present for Harriet Rhett and Dr. Joseph Maybank. It has a lovely view of Highland Lake and sits just above the dam. At the time the house was built, Highland Lake was owned by the Rhett family and the lake was known as Rhett’s Pond. A Preservation Agreement was donated to Historic Flat Rock, Inc. by then HFR, Inc. president Richard Stanland and his wife, Suzanne. The house has now returned to the Maybank family. The present owners, who use it as their summer home, returned the house to its original name, The Dam House.

Commodore’s Cottage, ca. 1910

Commodore’s Cottage, located on the south side of Rutledge Drive, was built in 1910 by J. Fonsie Edney. He sold the property to Commodore Valentine Sevier Nelson, US Navy, in two tracts. The first tract was purchased on April 22, 1924 and the second on April 5, 1927. The Commodore spent the rest of his life living here, and upon his death, his daughter Valentine Nelson Welch inherited the house and made it her summer home. On June 9, 1970, Valentine Nelson Welch sold the property to her niece, Katharine del Valle Jones for, as the deed says,“one dollar and love and affection.” When Katharine del Valle Jones and her husband John Wesley Jones retired from the Foreign Service, they moved permanently to Commodore’s Cottage. John Wesley Jones served as Ambassador to Libya and to Peru, and was Deputy Commandant at the National War College from 1969-1971 when he retired. He was the second president of Historic Flat Rock, Inc. Commodore’s Cottage was the home of his daughter Frances

Thornton Jones for many years until it was purchased by the present owners in 2017.

Brookland ca. 1836

Brookland is, by far, one of the most authentically preserved of the old Flat Rock estates, thanks to its present owners. The main dwelling and outbuildings of the time were built by Charles and Mary Edmondston of Charleston c1836. Even earlier, c1829, a small dwelling now used as the guest house was built by Frederick Rutledge making it one of the earliest dwellings in Flat Rock. c1841, the estate was purchased by Edmund Molyneux, the British Consul to Charleston, who was widely acknowledged to be a superb host, using a “neighborly stop” along the railroad line near the house for the convenience of his guests. With the onset of the Civil war, Molyneux was recalled to Britain, and the property was abandoned. In 1881, it was purchased by Theodore and Louise King Barker. They restored and improved the house after it had been abandoned for many years. Mrs. Barker had inherited the adjoining Kirkwood King farm from her father Judge Mitchell King, and when the Barkers combined both properties, it made them one of the largest landowners in Henderson County. 

Although the entire estate was in Flat Rock, it is now in the city of Hendersonville. In 1917, it was bought by Henry Ficken and his wife Julia Ball of Charleston. She was a descendant of Revolutionary War General William Moultrie. It was in 1977 that C. Eugene (Gene) and Debby Staton purchased the property, made in their permanent home, and began historic renovations.

Andrews House, ca. 1885 

Located on Greenville Highway within Flat Rock’s small commercial district, this charming cottage-style house was the residence of the Andrews family from Tryon. Mitch and his son James ran a livery service here into the 1950’s. They offered horse-drawn taxi service, riding lessons and leased horses to summer residents. Their barn was located just to the north of the house, where apartment buildings are now. The Andrews House was purchased by HFR, Inc., fully renovated, and resold with a Preservation Agreement.