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Walnut Grove Plantation

SC PICTURE PROJECT 16 Comments

SC Picture Project / Spartanburg County / Walnut Grove Plantation

Walnut Grove Plantation in the Spartanburg County town of Roebuck allows visitors to experience the pre-Revolutionary War life of a Scots-Irish family in the South Carolina backcountry. The “backcountry” of South Carolina – now called the upstate – was primarily settled by Presbyterian immigrants from Ireland and Scotland in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Walnut Grove Plantation

David Ellis of Strongsville, OH, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

One such immigrant was Charles Moore, who came to this region from Ulster in the 1750s and settled on land granted to him by King George III. Moore built this farmhouse between 1763 and 1765, and with the help of about a dozen slaves, successfully grew corn, wheat, tobacco, and livestock on his 3,000 acres of land.

Walnut Grove Plantation

T. de Laure of the Netherlands, 2008 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The homestead stayed in the family for several generations until Moore’s descendant, Thomas Moore Craig, deeded eight acres of the property to the Spartanburg County Foundation in a trust sponsored by the Historical Association. Since then, further land donations have increased the site’s acreage to about 60.

Walnut Grove Plantation

Mike Burton of Simpsonville, 2004 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The small building pictured below is known as the Rocky Spring Academy. This school was established at Walnut Grove was established by Moore, one of two classical schools in the county, operating from 1770-1850.

Rocky Springs Academy

Ann Helms of Spartanburg, 2010 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

In 1967 the former plantation was opened to the public as a living museum, serving to teach visitors how these immigrants – and their slaves – developed this region of the Palmetto State. The Moore family cemetery is located a short distance from the main house.

Walnut Grove Plantation Cemetery

Ralph Hobson of Greenville, 2017 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Walnut Grove Plantation is listed in the National Register, which adds the following:

The Walnut Grove house, outbuildings, and furnishings provide a fully documented picture of life, and an example of social history, in upcountry South Carolina prior to 1830. The house itself is considered one of the finest remaining upcountry plantation houses of the period. Built about 1765 by Charles Moore, a Scotch-Irish immigrant who had moved from the Middle Atlantic colonies into Piedmont South Carolina, the Walnut Grove Plantation house reflects the Scotch-Irish flow of immigration down into the Carolina upcountry, as opposed to the upward flow from the Carolina coast.

Its plan and construction are in part indigenous to the Piedmont, in part influenced by rural Pennsylvania Dutch architecture. Of simple Georgian style, the two-story structure is of unchinked logs covered with clapboards. Late Queen Anne mantels, fielded paneling, and double-shouldered chimneys are among its distinctive features. Separate outbuildings include a kitchen, built about 1777, and an academy building that doubled as a weaving room. The Rocky Spring Academy at Walnut Grove was established by Moore, one of two classical schools in the county, operating from 1770-1850. Other separate log buildings reconstructed as part of the plantation complex include a well and spring house, a work shop, a smoke house, and a blacksmith shop and forge. About 500 yards west of the main house is the Moore family cemetery.

Walnit Grove Plantation

Ann Helms of Spartanburg, 2008 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Plan Your Trip: Walnut Grove Plantation

Where is Walnut Grove Plantation located?
Address: 1200 Otts Shoals Road, Roebuck, SC 29376
GPS Coordinates: 34.82582,-81.95981
Website: http://www.spartanburghistory.org/walnut-grove-plantation/
What else should I see?
Smith's Tavern 4.1 miles
Nicholls-Crook House 7.5 miles
Nicholls-Crook Plantation 7.5 miles
Anderson's Mill 8 miles
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Historic Houses
  • See other South Carolina National Register
  • See other South Carolina Plantations
    Walnut Grove Plantation Map

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kendra Cooper says

      October 14, 2021 at 11:04 PM

      Through Ancestry, I recently learned that Margaret Catherine Moore is my 1st cousin 8x removed. Also I would like to know if they owned any slaves named Jennie? I have a Jennie Berry in my family tree who was my great-great-grandmother.

      Reply
    2. Cassie says

      June 5, 2021 at 6:10 AM

      Through AncestryDNA, I have just found out that Margaret Catherine Moore is my 6th great-grandmother. I hope to come to South Carolina one day and see her home.

      Reply
    3. Venna Randall says

      September 28, 2020 at 1:23 PM

      Hello. My name is Venna Randall and I am a distant relation of the Mrs. Martha Catherine Moore Berry whose family used to own this plantation. I would like to know if you have any records of either herself or her husband Captain Andrew Berry. I ask as I am a history student doing research on them for a class project. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Karla L Phelps says

        April 22, 2021 at 9:26 PM

        Yes, I am a distant relative to Margaret Catherine Moore Barry and Charles Moore. They are related to my 7X great-grandmother, Mary Margaret Moore Denton. I am looking for info.

        Reply
    4. Anne Zucca says

      November 23, 2019 at 8:40 PM

      Is there a book about the plantation? I have looked unsuccessfully online. I am in California so cannot go to the house. I did tour it many years ago. I would appreciate any advise you can give me. Thank you.

      Reply
    5. Terri Moore Manning says

      October 11, 2019 at 3:02 PM

      Can you tell me if the Craig family at Walnut Grove is related to the Craig Farmstead in Gastonia, NC?

      Reply
    6. Chelsea Scott says

      May 28, 2018 at 10:38 AM

      Hello,

      My name is Chelsea, I’m a great great granddaughter of the slave family that lived here. I will get in touch soon. I live in Chicago. I’d like to know more about my grandmother. Her name was Rachel Thorp. She was a mulatto.

      Reply
    7. Willie Burton says

      May 12, 2018 at 11:05 PM

      The Walnut Plantation was owned by Dr. Andrew Thompson. After he died in 1804 his children battled for his estate. On April 24 1805 his will was probated in Spartanburg, SC. The slaves were awarded to Esther Thompson-Burton. In the information avialiable about the slaves owned?

      Reply
      • SCIWAY says

        May 13, 2018 at 12:18 AM

        Hello, excellent question, we have found that these two articles are especially helpful when trying to track down records of enslaved people. They offer some more insight, hope this helps!

        http://www.goupstate.com/article/NC/20100221/News/605147145/SJ/

        https://www.theroot.com/how-do-i-find-slaves-living-on-a-plantation-during-the-1790859094

        Reply
    8. Sharon Tallmadge says

      February 27, 2017 at 3:36 PM

      Hello,
      I am researching the Patterson name – a black/French/Irish/Indian family whose ancestors seemed to trace back to the Patterson Plantation of Pacolet Township, Spartanburg, SC (1870 Census).
      I am not having much luck so far. I will continue in my search for this family. If you have any information regarding the family and any slaves on this plantation (size?), please contact me.
      I appreciate any information you may have. Thank you so much.

      Sincerely,

      Sharon Tallmadge
      for
      Amsterdam Free Library
      Amsterdam NY.

      Reply
      • SCIWAY says

        February 28, 2017 at 7:15 AM

        Maybe this page will help with your search. Good luck! http://south-carolina-plantations.com/spartanburg/walnut-grove.html

        Reply
    9. Hunter W. Rice says

      June 28, 2015 at 12:05 PM

      I am interested in following up with Rachel Longstaff who contacted you on 12/26/14. Charles and Mary Moore were also my sixth great-grandparents. I have some family information from old applications to DAR.

      Reply
    10. Rachel Longstaff says

      December 26, 2014 at 10:57 PM

      Charles and Mary Moore, who settled the plantation, were 6th great-grandparents of mine. I am interested to know if there is any information about the family, such as names of the children, any genealogical information on Charles or Mary. Is there an archives, or a museum, for example?

      Reply
      • SCIWAY says

        December 29, 2014 at 9:26 AM

        Hi, Rachel. The website for Walnut Grove Plantation is listed above the map. Hopefully, someone there will be able to answer your question. Best of luck!

        Reply
    11. Maureen Morritt says

      September 22, 2014 at 1:46 PM

      I want to visit Sat. Oct 4 for FestiFall and can’t find info on activities for the day anywhere. Please advise asap so we can plan our trip. We arrive in Charlotte, NC early morning Wednesday, Oct 1.

      Reply
      • SCIWAY says

        September 22, 2014 at 3:33 PM

        Hi, Maureen. Here is a link that we hope will help you in planning your visit: http://www.spartanburghistory.org/calendar/2014/10/3/gmy2lf064gt5mu2lmsoxjh97fb09xw Best of luck!

        Reply

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