Chesnut Cottage, Historic house in Columbia, South Carolina, USA

Chesnut Cottage is a 1+1⁄2-story Classical Revival frame house in Columbia, South Carolina, built between 1855 and 1860. It has a central dormer with an arched window and a projecting front portico with octagonal columns, ironwork and a wood balustrade.

Chesnut Cottage was built between 1855 and 1860 as the home of General James Chesnut, Jr. and Mary Boykin Chesnut. In the fall of 1864, President Jefferson Davis was entertained there and spoke from the front steps of the portico. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Mary Boykin Chesnut documented daily life in the South during the Civil War through her detailed diary while residing in this cottage.

The residence is located on Hampton Street in downtown Columbia and is easy to find in the area. Visitors should note that this is an occupied building, so access to view the exterior and any open areas may be limited to certain times.

On 3 October 1864, Jefferson Davis spoke from the front steps of the portico to a crowd gathered at the house. The visit came during the Civil War, when the Chesnuts' home was a gathering point in Columbia. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.