Re: Pickens-Salley House, University of South Carolina
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In reply to:
Pickens-Salley House, University of South Carolina
Linda (Noland) Layman 5/09/10
Good story Linda,
About Edgewood: The Pickens-Salley house on the campus of University of South Carolina Aiken.
The Pickens-Salley house is a fine example of early nineteenth century backcountry plantation architecture. Originally near Edgefield, South Carolina, it was built in 1828 for Francis W. Pickens who called the home Edgewood. F.W. Pickens (born 1807– died 1869) state representative and senator, congressman, U.S. Minister to Russia, and governor 1860–62 during the secession crisis and the first two years of the Civil War. His wife, Lucy Petway Holcombe Pickens was an ardent Confederate and novelist.
Over the years, Edgewood has served as the stage for many important periods in Southern history. The home is named in honor of two women - Lucy Holcombe Pickens and Eulalie Chafee Salley - who once were the ladies of the house. Both women were unique for their time in history.
Marguerite Eulalie Chafee Salley, born Dec. 11, 1883, daughter of George Kinloch Chafee and Marguerite Gamble in Aiken, South Carolina. Eulalie married Julian Booth Salley, Dec. 20, 1906. He was a Civil Engineer and Attorney, and practiced law in Aiken for nearly fifty years.
Eulalie Salley was a pioneer feminist of the early 20th century, president of the South Carolina Equal Suffrage League, and one of the first female real estate agents. She was very involved in the woman suffrage movement in the South and South Carolina in particular. Story is described in the 1973 book, "Eulalie," by Emily Bull Cooper, and reprinted by the University of South Carolina Aiken. http://www.usca.edu/eulalie/http://www.usca.edu/eulalie/
Eulalie Salley visited the plantation and took an interest in the Edgewood home. Eulalie and her husband, Julian B. Salley, purchased the house from the Tillman Estate. In 1929, Eulalie Salley, architect Willis Irvin, and contractor Byron E. Hair supervised its dismantling, moved it board by board to the Kalmia Hill area of Aiken, and restoration. The Salley family lived in the house until Eulalie died March 8, 1975.
The house was purchased by Ronnie Bolton in 1987, and donated it to the University of South Carolina - Aiken Campus in 1989. It was moved to the campus in three sections and reconstructed. The idea was to make it useful for the University and community functions as well as preserve its historical integrity.
More information is available at Edgewood-Stage of Southern History. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMxbITS-n8ohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMxbITS-n8o