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Fort Hill

SC PICTURE PROJECT 2 Comments

SC Picture Project / Pickens County / Fort Hill

Fort Hill once served as the plantation of Vice President John C. Calhoun. Today, the house stands on the campus of Clemson University.

Fort Hill Clemson

William H. Myers, III of Seneca, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The areas of the Fort Hill open for public viewing includes Calhoun’s mansion, his office, a reconstructed kitchen, a partially restored spring, and a beautiful lawn.

Fort Hill

Andy Hunter of North Augusta, 2013 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Fort Hill Marker

James (Jim) Jenkins of Chesterfield, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Fort Hill in Clemson

Gary A. DuBose of Seneca © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Contributor Andy Hunter reflects on Fort Hill:

“I was on Clemson campus to attend a friend’s son’s graduation. As an alumnus, and because the campus offers so many different photo opportunities, I usually make time to see what new angles I can find with structures that I am very familiar with. I still smile when I think of how they used the Calhoun Mansion as a dormitory in the film “Midnight Man” starring Burt Lancaster. It was filmed on campus (and in surrounding locales) in the early 70’s just before I arrived at Clemson as a student.”

Fort Hill has been designated a National Historic Landmark. It is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places, which describes it as follows:

Fort Hill (John C. Calhoun Mansion & Library), the plantation home of John C. Calhoun during the last 25 years of his life, is today well-maintained in the center of Clemson University campus. When he moved to the house in 1825, Calhoun was Vice President of the United States, at the height of his career, having gained national recognition as one of the “War Hawks” in the Twelfth Congress and as Secretary of War under James Monroe. He long aspired to the presidency, without success, but he did serve another cabinet position, as Secretary of State under John Tyler in 1845. In 1850 Calhoun died and Thomas G. Clemson, his son-in-law, eventually inherited the estate. Clemson lived in the mansion for many years and he willed the estate to the state of South Carolina for the establishment of an agricultural and mechanical college, with a provision to provide for the preservation of the Calhoun mansion. The Greek Revival mansion and office are all that remain from the former 1,100-acre plantation with many outbuildings. The one-room library or office is located about fifty feet south of the mansion.

See a picture of the Calhoun House in Abbeville.

Plan Your Trip: Fort Hill

Where is Fort Hill located?
Address: Intersection of Fort Hill Street and Calhoun Drive, Clemson, SC 29634
GPS Coordinates: 34.677917,-82.838889
Website: http://south-carolina-plantations.com/pickens/fort-hill.html
What else should I see?
Tillman Hall 0.3 mile
Clemson University 0.8 mile
St. Andrew Catholic Church 0.9 mile
South Carolina Botanical Garden 1.6 miles
Show me more like this!
  • Clemson Historic Sites
  • See other South Carolina Historic Houses
  • See other South Carolina Plantations
    Fort Hill Map

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    Related posts:

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Carol Nordquist says

      August 28, 2013 at 12:05 PM

      I would like to point out the typo under the first picture of Fort Hill. Notice that mansion is misspelled — it reads mantion.

      Reply
      • SCIWAY says

        August 28, 2013 at 3:19 PM

        Thank you, noted!

        Reply

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