Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-05-08
THE JOHN c. CALHOUN HOME.
A Northern Gentleman Writes Interestingly OF
tho Home OF tho Ex.vice President

patch, has this to say of John G.
Calhoun and Clemson College:
Having visited most of the homes
of American public men who exist
in tradition, l felt the list incomplete
till l had come nearer to John G..
Calhoun.
So l took tho night train at
Washington City on the Southern
railway and awokc at Charlotte, n.
c., and then continued on till noon,
getting off at Central station, five
miles from Calhoun's home at the
northwestern end Of South Carolina.
Central is just half way between
Charlotte and Atlanta.
At Central | hired buggy and
driver and rode to Calhoun's house,
called formerly Fort Hill. 1t is now
Clemson College.
There | dismountcd at the place
where Calhoun lived from 1924,
when first elected Vice President,
before John Quincy Adams was
elected President, little later, as
Adams was chosen by the States in
Congress, the second of the Prcsi-
dents to be elected without popular
choice. Calhoun had the electoral
majority that year, and was re
elected for the first term Of Andrew
Jackson, and fully expected that
Jackson would retire at the end of
one term and leave him caliph, or
successor.
From 1924 to his death in 1850
Fort Hill was Calhoun's legal resi-
dence and part of the time his real
residence. 1t is about the only
place in South Carolina where any
residence of Calhoun can now be
identified, his former homes at
Abbevillc, Bath, etc, being now
gone or uncertain. Fort Hill is like
Marshaltield for Webster, Ashland
for Clay, Lindenwald for Van Buren,
or the Hermitage for Jackson, the
place OF Calhoun's interval or private
life.
The road to Cahoun's wound over
the railroad track and the clay and
sand hill tops through the plowed
ground for cotton without fences,
some four or five old huts or houses
and two or three wooden churches
OH the way, the woods of thin pine
or pretty oaks. One old horse mill
gin and compress was passr! before
we reached Clemson, amidst which,
like an old white relic, is Calhoun's
home. Much of this time he ,vn, i.
Washington, Charleston or Columbia.
The architectural quality Of two
"pochcs" gave the impression Of
additions to mere plain "housc" or
country cottage, with outside chin
neys that were carried up in two
diminishing trcplaccs to plain
shaft, drawn back from touching
the gable. No dormcrs were in this
blank roof, but only gable openings.
The portico came almost or quite to
the ground, with a strip of grass
lawn before, and then two or three
steps down to "walk," or path.
Still farther down was modern
latticcd round summer house, cover
ing an old stone spring, which had
no overflow.
Despite it's eight columns and
relieved vertical chimncys, the
dwelling looked low, the skyincs
outstrctching the columnar intention.
1t was my view that at the present
day, with such materials, could
duplicate the house for 81, 800, at the
most $4,000.
What gave it the statesman or
proprietary effect were the tall old
trees on the promontory lawn, four
or five branching oaks, rising several
times the height of the house, some
old ccdars, locusts, fnrs and pines,
beech tree near the spring and close
to it an enormous tree all naked at
the top, but near the ground full Of
holly, like evergreen.
In the rear of the house some fifty
PAGES from it, was little one story
Office with window in the side and
door under a wooden classical
portto, the whole, say, ~ feet by Is.
This was the solitary mans library
and study. | understood that his
books had been transferred TO the
college.
RELIC ROOM or CALHOUN HOUSE.
knocking at the knockcrlcss door
with my knucklcs, it was opened by
an amlablc young lady, who said that
her aunt or mother, Mrs. Calhoun,
would show me the "rclic room"
and opened door from vcstibulc
leading to the short one roomcd left
wing 1t had a ceiling OF white