Photographer Ann Helms says that while she was taking pictures of this house located outside of St. Matthews, “a nice couple pulled up and told me the property and home once belonged to the Rumph family sometime during the mid to late 1800s. Some online research revealed the Rumph name goes back to the 1700s in the Orangeburg-Calhoun area. I do not know which generation of Rumphs lived in this house or when it was built however.”
Ann Helms of Spartanburg, 2013 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent
The Rumph Home was relocated to the grounds of the Calhoun County Museum around 2016 to be restored. Vandals had destroyed the rear portion of the home by completely removing the shed addition to use its wood. The house is now protected.
It is called the Rumph house because of the name of the last family that lived here. It was not built by the Rumph Family.
I recently traveled to the St. Matthews area, and looked to see if this house was still standing. Since there was road work a few years ago that re-routed where SC Highway 6 connects to Old State Road (US 176), I have been unable to locate the house. I am guessing that it was either moved or torn down. Does anyone know for certain? Thank you.
Hey Ann! Your question got us thinking and we reached out to a few people to confirm what had happened to the house. Apparently, it is the now-restored home that stands on the grounds of the Calhoun County Museum that you sent in a photograph of a while back. We were delighted to learn this and updated the pages to reflect that it is in fact the same place. Thank you for asking this so we could figure out some missing pieces.
This house looks like my great uncle Paul and Gladys Rumph’s house that I visited several years ago. The house is located in St. Matthews, SC.
I’m related to the black Rumphs from Branchville, SC, near Orangeburg. I also have family living in Orangeburg. We still have land in Branchville, and there are still family living there. The family church is the Mac Branch Baptist Church. My father was born and raised in Branchville, SC. My grandfather’s name was Cecil Rumph.
I’m trying to trace my great-great-grandmother, Jane, a slave who I believe lived and/or worked on a Rumph Plantation in Houston County, Georgia. These Rumphs were descendants of the South Carolina Rumphs. I would like to know more about her: her parents’ names, husband, children, etc. Can anyone help me?
Hey DJ, my email is hmerling at gmail.com.
Heather, if you get this, Otis’ dad and my Grandfather were siblings. I have been researching their parents and it sounds like you may be able to help me out. Could you?
Sarah, I was able to get a reprint of the Rumph book, a reprint from the Congressional Library, through Amazon. Thanks for that tip!
Good evening, I’m the granddaughter of John Rumph Sr from North, SC. His father was George “Tap” Rumph. His parents were Jeremiah Rumph & Phyllis Hart Ishmael-Rumph. Revising the comments I believe we may be from the same greatly rooted tree. I look forward to learning more about our families. In particular the enslaved family members.
Thank you in advance.
That is my great grandmother’s house. I am the granddaughter of Otis Rumph, that was his mother’s home.
I’m related to the black Rumphs from North SC. My grandfather was John (JD) Daniel Rumph. His father was George Rumph. There was a black Jacob Rumph. The Rumphs are decendents of a slave name James Crumel. Who happens to be related to the owners of Crumel funeral home.
I have a friend who is related to the Rumph family. The Rumphs settled closer to Orangeburg than Hwy. 6 and 176. The original land is now between I-26 and Hwy. 121 and across Hwy. 121. The Rumph Cemetery is off an access road from Burke Rd. which crosses I-26 and goes to Hwy. 121. There are no longer white Rumphs living in the Orangeburg/Calhoun counties, but there are some black Rumphs still around here. I certainly have no proof, but I would think that this house is an old, old house provided for those living and working on a farm. Jacob Rumph, who was owner of the Rumph land, died in 1812. This house does not look to be old enough to belong to any of his family. The Rumphs were rather wealthy and probably would not have had houses such as this. I guess what I really intended to say is that the Rumphs who lived there were probably not of the original family. It is a wonderful picture. I wish old houses could be preserved other than in photos, but grateful for them!
I looked up the Rumph family and found that Catherine Rumph was married in a house that belonged to Mr. John Hearne’s near Orangeburg. This may be that house. I typed Rumph family in SC into Google and clicked on the archives.org website. It has a whole book on the family that can be read online. Very interesting, and hope it is of help to anyone looking for more information on this house.