William Dunlap Simpson House, historic house in South Carolina, United States
The William Dunlap Simpson House is a three-story residential building in the Greek Revival style located in Laurens, South Carolina. This wood-framed structure features twelve rooms, five chimneys, two tall fluted columns at the front, and a gabled roof that showcase the classical details of the era.
The house was built in 1839 by Christopher Garlington, a local builder, in the Greek Revival style and originally served as a town residence for a wealthy planter. After the Civil War, William Dunlap Simpson acquired the property, a respected lawyer and politician who later became governor of South Carolina and chief justice of the state supreme court.
The house carries the name of Governor William Dunlap Simpson, who lived here after the Civil War and shaped its local importance. This connection to a prominent state figure has made it a gathering point for understanding the region's past and the people who shaped it.
The house is located in the Laurens Historic District on West Main Street and is part of an area with several historic buildings that can be explored on foot. Access is generally straightforward, and the location serves as a good starting point for exploring other nearby historic sites throughout the town.
The original property was surrounded by gardens, orchards, and vineyards that no longer exist, reflecting the former scale and wealth of its owners. These vanished features reveal how land use and domestic life in the region transformed over the decades.
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