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Kershaw-Cornwallis House

SC PICTURE PROJECT 10 Comments

SC Picture Project / Kershaw County / Kershaw-Cornwallis House

The Kershaw-Cornwallis house was reconstructed in 1977 on the home’s original foundations in Historic Camden. Two hundred years earlier town founder Joseph Kershaw built the Georgian-style home for himself. Kershaw came to the area he named for Lord Camden in 1758 from Yorkshire, England. He became a successful merchant who made the town a central trading hub for the colony by 1768.

Kershaw-Cornwalls House

Ann Helms of Spartanburg, 2009 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

 

In 1780, during the Revolutionary War, Lord Charles Cornwallis marched to Camden with 2,500 British troops as part of the British War Office’s plan to take control of the southern colonies. After Major General Henry Clinton succeeded in overtaking Charleston in May of 1780, he sent Lord Cornwallis to secure Camden, which he did handily. Kershaw’s home was seized by Cornwallis and used as a supply post, and the British troops remained for 11 months. Lord Francis Rawdon continued occupation of the home the following year, using it for his headquarters.

Kershaw Cornwallis House

Brandon Coffey of Charleston, 2016 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

 

After the war, the home was used as a school for orphans before once again being occupied by the enemy when Union troops used it as their headquarters towards the end of the Civil War. The troops burned the home along with most of the town’s structures in 1865. An archaeological dig conducted in 1968 revealed the home’s original brick foundations, and it was rebuilt with historical accuracy in 1977.

Kershaw-Cornwallis House

SCIWAY © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

 

Today the home serves as the centerpiece of Historic Camden, a 107-acre living history site where the annual Revolutionary War Field Days reenactment is held. The site also features many smaller homes set up as miniature museums.

Kershaw Cornwallis House

Brandon Coffey of Charleston, 2016 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

 

The Kershaw-Cornwallis House is listed in the National Register as part of Historic Camden:

(Cornwallis House) The district concerned was central colonial Camden and its adjacent outlying areas. During British occupation, Camden consisted of two city blocks of period homes and military barracks surrounded by a palisade log fence and further protected by five redoubt and three other fortified features (a house, a jail, and a powder magazine) which were placed strategically from 100 to 1000 feet outside the town itself. Because of war and fire, all original buildings in the district have been destroyed, and much of it remains open. At the time of nomination, extensive archaeological restoration of the powder magazine site (not the building itself) and the foundation of the fortified house (used as British headquarters for Lord Cornwallis and Lord Rawdon and the home of the town’s founder, Joseph Kershaw) have been effected without destroying their historical integrity.

Camden’s significance in the Revolutionary War is directly related to the British War Office’s decision of late 1779 to establish total control over the southern colonies. Camden served as the main British supply post from spring 1780 to spring 1781 and also proved to be their garrison for two major Revolutionary War engagements, the Battles of Camden and Hobkirk Hill. The fall of Camden was a pivotal point in the eventual defeat of the British.

Plan Your Trip: Kershaw-Cornwallis House

Where is Kershaw-Cornwallis House located?
Address: 222 Broad Street, Camden, SC 29020
GPS Coordinates: 34.233519,-80.605650
What else should I see?
Historic Camden 0 mile
Quaker Cemetery 0.4 mile
Robert Mills Courthouse 0.7 mile
Camden Opera House 1.2 miles
Show me more like this!
  • Camden Historic Sites
  • See other South Carolina Historic Houses
  • See other South Carolina Military
  • See other South Carolina National Register
  • See other South Carolina Revolutionary War
    Kershaw-Cornwallis House Map

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nan Feagin says

      May 2, 2019 at 4:25 PM

      I was given a silver tray supposedly from the Cornwallis House and would like to find out if this is correct information. Please contact me at: 253-365-3023.

      Thank you, Nan Feagin

      Reply
      • SC Picture Project says

        May 3, 2019 at 6:39 PM

        Hello Nan, we are not directly affiliated with Historic Camden so you would have to reach out to them directly. Their phone number is 803-432-9841. Hope this helps!

        Reply
    2. April says

      January 7, 2019 at 11:58 AM

      it was great page I loved it because it had alot of details

      Reply
    3. Joel Kuffour says

      June 24, 2017 at 1:09 PM

      I just visited less than 30 minutes ago. It was amazing! I took pictures of almost everything. It looked very nice.

      Reply
    4. Joel Kuffour says

      June 24, 2017 at 12:59 PM

      This site was very informative, I got just what I needed, and nothing less. Thank you!

      Reply
      • SCIWAY says

        June 24, 2017 at 2:07 PM

        We are so glad to hear that! Glad you enjoyed your trip to the house too. It is a beautiful landmark!

        Reply
    5. Sharon L Lawrence Harper says

      December 8, 2015 at 5:13 PM

      What about the slaves who built this house and enriched the "owners?"

      Reply
    6. joseph james says

      May 7, 2015 at 8:51 PM

      I have been visiting Camden since 1980. I own a home there and never knew the vast amount of history. Will be there in two weeks in the summer and will visit all the historic sites. I think it is a great city and plan to retire in Camden.

      Reply
    7. Helen Mack says

      April 8, 2014 at 12:48 PM

      The Cornwallis House is pretty. I live about 30 miles from Camden – very historic.

      Reply
    8. Helen Mack says

      April 8, 2014 at 12:44 PM

      I love the web page. SCIway is beautiful. I was just browsing through my email and there it was. Please keep it up – South Carolina needs lot of positive things. Love it.

      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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