Orange Grove, human settlement in South Carolina, United States of America
Orange Grove is a historic house on St. Helena Island in South Carolina built in Greek Revival style with large white columns. The current building dates to 1928 and sits on grounds that also contain ruins from earlier structures dating to the early 1800s, a cemetery, and the remains of a tabby-built kitchen building.
The site's origins go back to the early 1800s when plantations and homes occupied the land. The current main house was built in 1928 by Henry Bowles, a US congressman from Massachusetts, after the original building was torn down and the 1927 opening of the bridge to Lady Island made the island more accessible to northern visitors.
The name Orange Grove comes from the fruit orchards that once grew on this land. The site shows how wealthy families used their homes and estates on St. Helena Island and how the island shifted from a working center to a retreat destination for visitors from the North.
The property sits on St. Helena Island and can be reached by road that connects the island to the mainland. Since the historic buildings and ruins are privately owned, visits are not regularly available and should be arranged in advance.
The tabby kitchen building on the grounds is made from a remarkable mix of lime, sand, and oyster shells, a traditional building material widespread in the Lowcountry region. This old material shows practical construction methods that early island residents developed.
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