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Hampton Terrace Hotel

SC PICTURE PROJECT 3 Comments

SC Picture Project / Aiken County / Hampton Terrace Hotel

Though a stately home still graces this hilltop in North Augusta, little could compare to the first building that sat here – the expansive Hampton Terrace Hotel. The city of North Augusta was established during the turn-of-the-century by businessman James U. Jackson, and together with his friend Budd Clay “B.C.” Wall, the two men planned and designed a community that would compete with the prosperous neighboring cities of Aiken and Augusta.

Hampton Terrace Historic

Library of Congress, 1905, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-D4-10766 A

One of Jackson’s first plans to lure wealthy visitors from Aiken’s Winter Colony district was to develop the quintessential luxury hotel. In 1903 Jackson realized his vision when he built the Hampton Terrace Hotel overlooking the burgeoning resort town.

Hampton Terrace Hotel Historic

Library of Congress, 1905, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-D401-18348

The five-story hotel offered guests 300 rooms, and when its popularity exceeded the hotel’s ability to accommodate its patrons, a guesthouse called Sesame Lodge was constructed to house the overflow. Sesame Lodge also afforded guests a more intimate bed-and-breakfast experience, a peaceful reprieve from the hustle and bustle of popular Hampton Terrace.

Hampton Terrace

Larry Gleason of Aiken, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The resort included accommodations that would appeal to the wealthy sportsmen Jackson hoped to attract. An 18-hole golf course was available, as were riding stables and even a 1,500-acre game preserve. The Hampton Terrace Hotel also built the Seven Gables hunting lodge to accommodate guests enjoying the game preserve, though it was sold to New Yorker John Herbert soon after it opened. A private rail line brought guests to and from other railways, making travel more convenient and the hotel more accessible. The Hampton Terrace Inn indeed appealed to the country’s most affluent and powerful, including John D. Rockefeller and President-elect William Howard Taft, who was the guest of honor at a banquet here in 1909.

Hampton Terrace Marker

Larry Gleason of Aiken, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Sadly, the Hampton Terrace Hotel burned on New Year’s Eve, 1916, and was not rebuilt. The Sesame Lodge continued to operate until 1926, when a fire at the home of B.C. Wall led the Walls to stay at the inn. The Walls ultimately made the guest house their permanent residence.

Hampton Terrace Hotel Marker

Larry Gleason of Aiken, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Following the loss of the Hampton Terrace Hotel, North Augusta no longer ranked among destinations for the elite. Today the owners of a private home enjoy the view once admired by many our nation’s creme de la creme.

Reflections on the Hampton Terrace Inn


Contributor Larry Gleason shares one interesting fact: “The water tank for the hotel still exists and has a low profile and is over and back in some trees.”

Add your own reflections here.

Plan Your Trip: Hampton Terrace Hotel

Where is Hampton Terrace Hotel located?
Address: Carolina Avenue, North Augusta, SC 29841
GPS Coordinates: 33.502129,-81.969382
What else should I see?
Hampton Terrace Hotel 0 mile
B.C. Wall House 0.2 mile
Rosemary Hall 0.4 mile
North Augusta 0.4 mile
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Historical Photos
  • See other South Carolina Hotels & Inns
  • North Augusta Historic Sites
    Hampton Terrace Hotel Map

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. HARRIETT BELL says

      December 13, 2018 at 6:37 PM

      I heard that the hose connections didn’t fit the fire department hoses, so fire was fought with a bucket brigade.

      Reply
    2. Wallace DesChamps says

      April 13, 2016 at 1:04 AM

      Thanks for this article! What a place that was! I wish places like this were still around. It’s a shame that the “site’ wasn’t preserved for something grand instead of being parceled out for home lots. It seems the berms the two wings were on are still there, based on what I can tell from Google Earth. Thanks for sharing this!

      Reply
    3. Drew says

      October 10, 2015 at 12:03 PM

      Great article! Would have never known such a historic place was there!

      Reply

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    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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