• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SC Picture Project

The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.

  • FIND A LANDMARK
    • BY CITY
    • BY COUNTY
    • BY CATEGORY
    • BYGONE LANDMARKS
  • ADD IMAGES
  • VOLUNTEER
  • SPONSORS
  • DONATE

Hanover House

SC PICTURE PROJECT Leave a Comment

SC Picture Project / Pickens County / Hanover House

Hanover House was built between 1714 and 1716 for French Huguenot Paul de St. Julien. It was named in honor of the ruling house of England in appreciation for the country’s acceptance of Huguenot refugees after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The house was originally the centerpiece of Hanover Plantation in Berkeley County, located on one of three 1,000-acre tracts of land granted by the Lords Proprietors in 1688. The French heritage of St. Julien is immortalized in one of the chimneys of the house with the words “Peu a Peu” meaning “Little by Little,” which is the beginning of the adage, “Little by little, the bird builds its nest.”

Hanover House

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

The design of the house, rare in the state of South Carolina, is significant for its gambrel roof and triple-flute chimneys dominating either end of this one and one-half story structure. The walls of the basement, which are two feet thick, have slots cut in the north foundation indicating that this home was once set up to be a fortress. The interior features fine detailing in rich walnut paneling, giving the house a stately appearance despite its small stature. The massive triple-flute chimneys heated the upper and lower levels of the home, down to the basement with its large warming kitchens.

Hanover House

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

The house remained in the St. Julien and Ravenel families until around 1940 when the creation of the Santee Cooper Hydroelectric Project threatened to destroy the house, along with countless others, with the creation of Lake Moultrie. With the help of a Works Progress Adminstration grant, funds were allocated for the house to be surveyed by the Historic American Buildings Survey, whose photos are showcased on this page, and deemed significant which aided in the saving of this historic place. The entire house was dismantled piece by piece, numbered and photographed and taken 250 miles away to be reassembled on the campus of Clemson University in Pickens County. The house was relocated once more in 1994 (shown below) to its permanent home in Clemson’s Botanical Gardens. It was furnished by the Spartanburg Committee of the National Society of Colonial Dames of America and is now available for tours.

Hanover House moving

Clemson University Library, 1994

Hanover House is listed on the National Register:

(St. Julien-Ravenel House) French Huguenot Paul de St. Julien built the house in 1714-1716 on one of three 1,000 acre tracts of land granted in 1688 by the Lords Proprietors to his grandfather, a Huguenot immigrant from Vitre, France. Paul named his plantation “Hanover” for the then ruling house of England, to show his appreciation for that country which had befriended so many Huguenot refugees after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The house, significant for its architecture, is a one and one half story post and beam French Huguenot house on a masonry foundation with a distinctive gambrel roof having an almost flat top section, pedimented dormers, and external end chimneys. Chimneys are pilasterd or shouldered to accommodate upstairs fireplaces. The shingles and siding are cypress and the shutters are batten type. Gun-slots in the north foundation indicated the house was prepared to serve as a small fortress. Hanover House was moved from its original siting in Berkeley County to Clemson University in the 1940s due to the building of a hydroelectric plant that would have inundated the house. Listed in the National Register June 5, 1970.

Hanover House – Historic Pictures


Hanover House

Library of Congress, 1938, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS SC,8-PINOP.V,12-

Hanover House Parlor

Clemson University Library, 1962

Hanover Plantation

Clemson University Library, 1939

Hanover House Bedroom

Clemson University Library, 1962

Hanover Plantation House

Library of Congress, 1938, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-J7-SC- 1431 [P&P]

More Pictures of Hanover House


Hanover House

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

Hanover House

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

Hanover House

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

Plan Your Trip: Hanover House

Where is Hanover House located?
Address: 150 Garden Trail, Clemson, SC 29631
GPS Coordinates: 34.675206,-82.817851
Website: https://www.clemson.edu/about/history/properties/hanover/
What else should I see?
South Carolina Botanical Garden 0.5 mile
Old Stone Church 1.2 miles
Clemson University 1.6 miles
Tillman Hall 1.9 miles
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Historic Houses
  • See other South Carolina Historical Photos
  • See other South Carolina National Register
    Hanover House Map

    Please Help Us Stay Online

    We’d like thank everyone who generously supports the South Carolina Picture Project. You provide us with the inspiration and financial support we need to keep doing what we do. Every reader’s contribution, larger or small, is valuable. If you have enjoyed this website or found it helpful, please pitch in. Each donation helps – and it only takes a minute. Thank you!

    Support the SC Picture Project!

    $3,110 of $12,500 raised
    $ 50.00
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Credit Card Info
    This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.

    Donation Total: $50.00

    You may also like

    You may also like

    The Oaks, BeaufortThe Oaks Central Roller Mills FrontCentral Roller Mills Default ThumbnailBorough House Plantation Alston HouseAlston House William Robertson HouseWilliam Robertson House

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    FIND A LANDMARK

    Why This Site Matters

    Help Keep This Site Online

    We depend on the support of today’s readers to document South Carolina’s landmarks for future readers. Please help us continue this important work by making a donation below.

    $3,110 of $12,500 raised
    $ 50.00
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Credit Card Info
    This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.

    Donation Total: $50.00

    Recent Posts

    • H.L. Hunley
    • Strand Theater
    • Camden Depot
    • Charleston City Marina
    • Secession Hill

    Footer

    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.

    CONTACT US

    We’d love to hear from you! Send us a quick email at share@scpictureproject.org.

    If you are looking for permission to use a photo, please reach out directly to the photographer listed in the image’s credit.

    JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

    The South Carolina Picture Project has two Facebook groups. One is dedicated to SC Historic Landmarks and Iconic Landscapes, and the other is dedicated to SC Nature and Wildlife.

    South Carolina Picture Project © 2022 · All Rights Reserved