The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-05-20
GEN. THOMAS PINCKNEY's HOME
,,s,ruc,jon Of n Hist oric Residence
In tho Low Country-Loss OF val
u,ble Rocks and Paintings

Destruction OF Historic Ncsldchcc
IN tho Low Country-Loss Of Val
uable Books and Paintings.
The Charleston News and Courier
Owes the following account OF the dc'
ss,rnr,;on by fire OF T. dorado the plan
tation home OF Gen. Ihomas I>lhckhey'
on the Suntcc Stvcr:
The home of General Pinckncy was
originally "Fairti ld,' but after his re-
turn from Europe. whittier he had re-
sided for some time rs minister TO Eng.
land and also TO Spain, he resigned
Fairfield to his eldest son, and purchaS-
cd another plantation, which nc named
Eldorauu in remembrance OF his Span
ish mission. from the golden buttrrcups
which covered the land. Gen. PiDck-
pey had married the daughter OF Mrs.
Rrbrcca Motto, ard he and Nils. Motto
together built on the newly purchased
rlantutiuu the residence. in which that
Industrious lady spent the remainder Of
her days and which was consumed or
Monday. The spacious mansion which
they planned and built with their own
carpenters, was very suggestive Of
French chateau, with its wide corri-
dorS. its lofty ceilings and its high
peaked roof OF glazed tiles.
Situated on Il sandy knoll, jutting out
into the rice fields, cmhowcred by live
oaks, with their wide stretching arms
and lofty magnoliaS, with their glitter
lug foliage, it was indeed typical
Southern home.
The house WAS surrounded on three
sides hy the native evergreen shrub.
berry, as vCruant in january As Jun2.
through which winding walks, laid out
by an English landscape ga dcncr,
gractfu ly ran, uvcrarchcd by luNuri-
ant foliage and sheltered alike from
wintry wind and summer sun. Neither
the Persian monarch, nor Louis XIV
at Versailles, nor the Turkish sultan,
ever inhaled more royal perfumes than
EldoraGO offered to the lovers OF nature.
as he sauutcrCd through its sylvan
gladcs
Up to tho time Of the war the house
contained Gen. rincknrys library, con.
SlSting OF about 1000 volumes. Tue
fate Of this library, carefully gathered
from Eng land. Spain and France, was
somewhat dramatic. EldorlGo was 5,
near the mouth OF the river as to b,
expos to t. visits OF vessels from tn,
hlockadlng squadron during the war OF
Secession. The hoasc was shc!lcd from
the ilHrt in 1868. and bears, or rather,
until Monday, bore tho scars Of war
upon IT'S face. The library was moved
to place OF supposed safety, higher up
the river. When the scabOard WAS
abandoned AT the evacuation Of Charles
ton, soldiers and sailors from the II ,ct
at the mouth OF the river plundcrcd
the rich mansions along its banks. Tho
women and children had already iieo
in terror TO the interior, and the cOun
try was deserted by It's white poputa
tion. tludlng the boxes containing
Gen. .pincknev's books at Hampton (tt,,
f \
broke them open in pursuit Of plundcr
Disappointed in their aim and lacking
the literary taste OF some naval officer
who had carefully packed some OF tn
planters libraries and had them ship
ped TO New York, the soldiers lri
them in disgust. The negroes, who h;u
followed the soldiers, to pick up ~
Jackais share, helped tn;,'"ae'vcs &C.,. sr,l
such volumes as - u'"CIcu INC eye II
rest tbs! sJrcwcd about the h0us,
tearing of backs Of some and splittin
others asundcr. The first planter VIII
returned to the region to gather u
some fragments OF his own property
found the books SO systcmaticull
strcwn around the house that he coult
have walked the whole circuit upDar
entity, without touching the ground
For weeks they had been exposed /,
sun and rain, SO that thrcc-fourths O
Intlll were destroyed. ne remnants,
which amounted to about loo books,
We're gathered by him. however, and
carried back TO EidoradO, and wore
burned on Monday. When be cndcav-
orcd to shame the negroes for the
wanton destruction OF the books, they
replied that they had no spite against
the owners, but as the white people
got all their sense out OF books, and
thus kept them in suhjcction, they de-
tcrmincd to destroy the mranS by which
they had maintained their superiority:
very strong Testimony OF ignorance to
the value OF education.
Besides those remnants Of General
lIncknry's library, there were destroy
cd on Monday some very old and beau
tiiul furniture and valuable family
portraits. and it is feared silver \
few letters from Cen. Washington to
Gen. Pinckncy were also burned, hut
most Of the collect ion Of his letters pre-
served at E!dOrado, happened to be in
CharIcston, as waS also, NEST fUrtun-
atcly, Cen. Plnckncy's Court Suit. 1t
Is feared, however, that many things,
priceless IN that they cannot bc re-
placed were destroyed in the historic
old house.
Edorado is the property of Captain
THOMAS Pinckncy, and was occupi, Il
at the time OF the fire by his nephew.
MIR. Hamilton Sea brook and his fami' v
1t Is understood that tn, V saved aim, ST
nothing from the flames