McLeod Plantation

McLeod Plantation, North (Front) Elevation: Copyright: Library of Congress; Origformat: Digital Image
McLeod Plantation, North (Front) Elevation

Copyright: Library of Congress; Origformat: Digital Image

Name/Title

McLeod Plantation

Entry/Object ID

MCLEOD.01

Scope and Content

Constructed in 1858 by William McLeod, McLeod Plantation remained in the family until the 1990s when Historic Charleston Foundation acquired it. After several years under HCF's stewardship, it was sold to the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commision and is now a historic site open to the public. The plantation house is a three-story, wood-frame structure. The interior has a double pile floor plan with a central stair hall and two interior chimneys. Originally the house was oriented to the south with a one-story raised porch supported by square columns. In 1925, the principal facade was reoriented to be the rear or northern side of the house. This renovation, in the Southern Colonial Revival style, included an addition of a projecting portico with a fan light supported by four fluted Doric columns on a raised concrete porch base. A single-story kitchen was also added at that time. Five slave cabins still exist and are in good condition. They are 20' by 12' wooden structures that sit on raised masonry pier foundations with exterior end chimneys. The old slave bell used to call slaves in from the field still hangs from an oak near the main house. The slave cabins, as well as the dairy and kitchen buildings, are believed to date from the Lightwood/Parker period (early 19th century). Also in existence are the barn, a wooden structure possibly dating from late 19th century; the dairy, unique in that the eastern half is on piers while the western half has an enclosed root cellar; the gin house, a 2-story masonry and wood structure used to process cotton, maintained into the 1930s; the kitchen, in which a central chimney divides kitchen in half, may have been used for laundry. Items related to the McLeod Plantation span several collections. For example, there are house objects cataloged in the Object catalog, images from other photograph collections in the Photo catalog, and architectural drawings. See the Related tab and/or search the catalog, e.g., McLeod Plantation (James Island, S.C.). Four boxes contain documentation of Historic Charleston Foundation's acquisition, ownership, preservation, and sale of McLeod Plantation to Charleston County Parks and Recreation Department. See Container List for details. Numerous research materials and photographs transferred to McLeod Plantation Site and are available to researchers.

Collection

Historic Charleston Foundation Property Records

Acquisition

Accession

MCLEOD.

Source or Donor

McLeod Plantation

Acquisition Method

Collected by Staff

Lexicon

Search Terms

National Register of Historic Places, Adaptive reuse, Loutrel Briggs garden, Covenant Property, McLeod Plantation (James Island, S.C.), Plantations--South Carolina--James Island

Legacy Lexicon

Object Name

Documents

Archive Details

Archive Size/Extent

Four 5" document boxes

Archive Notes

Associated Material: Documentation of the McLeod Cemetery, Avery Research Center. McLeod Family Papers and Loutrel Briggs drawings, SC Historical Society. Finding Aids: McLeod Finding Aid Level of Description: Fonds Location of Originals: Architectural drawings and plats (not yet cataloged), Blueprint-Map Cabinet 4, Drawer 4

Archive Items Details

Title

Legal

Description

Contains Title to Real Estate with deed restrictions; title insurance documentation; correspondence.

Container

Covenant 1

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 1

Title

Baseline Photographs

Description

Contains DVD with baseline photographs and associated room key. Prints located in the Easement/Covenant photos file cabinet, plantations drawer.

Date(s) of Creation

Feb 2011

Container

Covenant 2

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 1

Title

HCF Sale to CCPRC

Description

Contains documentation of HCF's sale of the property to Charleston County Parks and Recreation Department. Includes correspondence, HCF Request for Proposals, CCPRC proposal.

Container

Covenant 3

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 1

Title

Annual Inspections

Description

Annual inspection reports and related correspondence. Note: Not yet in Archives. See Easement Manager.

Container

Management 1

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 1

Title

Requests for Alterations

Description

Requests for Alterations and related documentation. Note: Not yet in Archives. See Easement Manager.

Container

Management 2

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 1

Title

Appraisal

Description

Contains property appraisal used to justify sale price.

Date(s) of Creation

2009

Container

Covenant 4

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 1

Title

Stabilization

Description

Contains correspondence; "Stabilization Assessment" (Keyes, Feb. 2011); "Stabilization Plan (Keyes, July 2011)p; and "Stabilization Plan" (as-built drawings) (Keyes, Sept. 2012).* See as-built drawings at MCLEOD.016a-h (drawing D).

Container

Management 3

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 1

Title

Reports

Description

Contains "Cross-Section Microscopy Report" (Buck, 1996); "Structural Survey and Assessment" (Fountain, Denton, Dooley, Murphy, 2009).

Container

Management 5

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 2

Title

Master Plan Report

Description

McLeod Plantation Master Plan Report. Contents: Executive Summary -- Historical Background and Context -- Chronology of Development and Use -- Existing Conditions/Site -- Existing Conditions/Buildings -- Analysis and Evaluation of Significance -- Condition Assessment -- Treatment and Word Recommendations -- Record of Treatment -- Master Plan -- Management Plan -- Bibliography -- Appendices (archeological assessment, ecological assessment, web survey findings, paint analysis, structural report, stabilization project meeting minutes). See also 100% Construction Documents - Site (MCLEOD.017) and 100% Construction Documents - Architectural (MCLEOD.018).

Date(s) of Creation

Dec 2012

Container

Management 4

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 1

Title

Claire's Exxon Property

Description

Documentation related to the Bureau of Underground Storaged Tank Management's (SC DHEC) need for access to McLeod Plantation property to install groundwater monitoring wells.

Date(s) of Creation

1999

Container

Management 7

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 2

Title

Sale to Hawthorne Properties: HCF Purchase of the 9.7 Acre Tract

Description

File contains zoning applications; purchase and sale agreement; correspondence.

Date(s) of Creation

1994 - 1996

Container

History/Misc: HCF's Purchase/Sale of Lots 2

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 3

Title

Sale of Lots to Hawthorne Properties: Background and Budget Documentation

Description

Excerpt from the 1/31/1995 Minutes of HCF's Board of Trustees providing a summary of the purchase and sale of the 9.7 acre tract in order to relieve some of HCF's debt related to the acquisition of McLeod Plantation. Also includes budget-related documentation.

Container

History/Misc: HCF's Purchase/Sale of Lots 1

Notes

Date: 1995, 1997 Container: McLeod Box 3

Title

Sale of Lots to Hawthorne Properties: Closing Documents

Description

Closing documents related to the sale of lots to Hawthorne Properties.

Date(s) of Creation

1995

Container

History/Misc: HCF's Purchase/Sale of Lots 3

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 3

Title

Sale of Lots to Hawthorne Properties: Partial Release Forms

Description

Correspondence and Partial Release forms related to the sale of 13 lots to Hawthorne Properties.

Date(s) of Creation

1995

Container

History/Misc: HCF's Purchase/Sale of Lots 4

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 3

Title

Sale of Lots to Hawthorne Properties: Design Requests & Approvals

Description

Correspondence related to the design requests by lot owners and HCF's approval.

Date(s) of Creation

1995 - 1995

Container

History/Misc: HCF's Purchase/Sale of Lots 5

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 3

Title

Management Pre-CCPRC Ownership

Description

Documentation of HCF's repairs and maintenance of the property before the sale to CCPRC..

Date(s) of Creation

1993 - 2007

Container

Management 6

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 2

Title

Last Will & Testament of William E. McLeod

Description

Last Will and Testament of William E. McLeod bequeathing the property to HCF. File also contains Codicil, Deeds of Distribution.

Container

xHistory/Misc: HCF's Purchase of McLeod 1

Notes

Date: 1985, 1992 Container: McLeod Box 2

Title

Acquisition Research

Description

Documentation of HCF's research prior to its acquisition of the property. Includes documentation related to obtaining an easement, requests for financial assistance, appraisal issues (see folder 2), land use, and planning.

Container

xHistory/Misc: HCF's Purchase of McLeod 3

Notes

Date: 1985-1991 (bulk), 1996 Container: McLeod Box 2

Title

1990 Appraisal

Description

Appraisal by Charles F. Middleton in June, 1990, the subject of discussion referred to in documents in folder 3.

Date(s) of Creation

1990

Container

xHistory/Misc: HCF's Purchase of McLeod 2

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 2

Title

1991 Appraisal

Description

Evaluation Analysis of 49.35 Acres, James Island, McLeod Plantation, by C.O. Thompson (Attaway Thompson Jeffers & Associates), 1991. Includes original photogaphs.

Date(s) of Creation

1991

Container

xHistory/Misc: HCF's Purchase of McLeod 4

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 2

Title

Negotiation with Heirs

Description

Correspondence related to the efforts by HCF to buy out the interests of the other beneficiaries of William E. McLoed.

Date(s) of Creation

1990 - 1993

Container

xHistory/Misc: HCF's Purchase of McLeod 5

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 2

Title

Closing with Heirs

Description

Correspondence related to the approval of all beneficiaries of HCF buying their shares.

Date(s) of Creation

1992 - 1994

Container

xHistory/Misc: HCF's Purchase of McLeod 6

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 2

Title

Purchase of McLeod by HCF

Description

Documents (photocopies) related to the purchase of McLeod Plantation by HCF: Limited Warrantee Deed; Quit-Claim Deeds from Roper Hospital, College of Charleston Foundation, Porter Academy, NationsBank; Agreement of Purchase and Sale; Seller's Closing Statement .

Date(s) of Creation

1993

Container

xHistory/Misc: HCF's Purchase of McLeod 7

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 2

Title

Vegetative Buffer

Description

Property owners on Country Club Drive were concerned about what would happen once the 9.7 acre parcel that HCF purchased and sold was developed so HCF placed a vegetative buffer on adjacent property. File contains "Declaration of Restrictions - Vegetative Buffer" (9/7/1995). The issue of a vegetative buffer arose again after the purchase of McLeod by the American College of the Building Arts. Documentation related to the issue has been added to this file including correspondence, Declaration of Vegetative Buffer and amendments.

Container

Covenant 5

Notes

Date: 1995, 2005-2008 Container: McLeod Box 1

Title

Erection of the Portico

Description

Originally the main house was oriented to the south with a one-story raised porch supported by square columns. In 1925, the principal facade was reoriented to be the rear or northern side of the house. This renovation included an addition of a projecting portico with a fan light supported by four fluted Doric columns on a raised concrete porch base. File contains "Specifications of the Materials and Labor to be Used and Employed in the Erection of the Portico to Residence" (D.B. Hyer, Architect).

Date(s) of Creation

1925

Container

Management 8

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 2

Title

Sale of Lots to Hawthorne Properties: Hawthorne Properties

Description

File contains "A Proposal to Acquire and Develop 9.7 Acres Adjacent to McLeod Plantation" and "Announcing...Charleston's Newest and Most Elegant Address." Extraneous documents have been removed.

Date(s) of Creation

1994 - 1995

Container

History/Misc: HCF's Purchase/Sale of Lots 6

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 3

Title

Land Use Planning

Description

Documentation of HCF's planning for the use of the property for which the firm of Jaeger/Pyburn was selected. Includes correspondence, Request for Proposal, Area Project Committee meeting agendas and minutes, "Alternative Development Scenarios for McCleod Plantation" (Robert Charles Lesser & Co.,* June 1991), and "Conservation and Development Plan" (Jaeger/Pyburn, New South Associates, Robert Charles Lesser & Co., Sept. 1991). See also final Jaeger/Pyburn reports MCLEOD.04.1 and MCLEOD.04.2 in Box 4.

Date(s) of Creation

1990 - 1996

Container

History/Misc: qHCF's Ownership 1

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 3

Title

Prospective Buyers

Description

Letters and other documentation of individuals expressing interest in purchasing the McLeod property.

Date(s) of Creation

1991 - 2009

Container

History/Misc: qHCF's Ownership 2

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 3

Title

Prospective Buyers - College of Charleston

Description

Documentation of the proposed sale of McLeod to the College of Charleston after ACBA brief ownership and the return of the property to HCF. Includes CD with materials used by the College in its "due diligence" process. The College's offer was later withdrawn. Due diligence documents include 1990 appraisal prepared for CofC; Charleston Museum report on agriculture (Martha Zierden, 2007); Environmental Phase I report (SCS Engineers, 2009); geotechnical report (WPC Engineering, 2009); ground penetrating radar report (Brockington, 2008); Stabilization Assessments (Glenn Keyes, 2009).

Date(s) of Creation

2009 - 2010

Container

History/Misc: qHCF's Ownership 3

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 3

Title

ACBA Purchase / HCF Stewardship

Description

Documentation of the sale of McLeod Plantation to the American College of the Building Arts including correspondence, meeting minutes, Purchase & Sale Agreement, Conservation Easement and related legal documents. Also contains documentation of HCF's management of the property including Annual Inspection reports and related correspondence and Requests for Alteration.

Date(s) of Creation

2004 - 2010

Container

History/Misc: zACBA Ownership 2

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 3

Title

ACBA Land Use Planning

Description

File contains Land Management Plan for McLeod Plantation, draft Visitation Plan, draft Historic Interpretation Plan, draft Projections for Archaeology; report "Archaeological Survey and Testing of Select Locations, McLeod Plantation ... 2007 Archaeological Field School, College of Charleston/The Charleston Museum" (Martha Zierden, et al., 2008).

Date(s) of Creation

2006 - 2008

Container

History/Misc: zACBA Ownership 3

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 4

Title

ACBA/HCF Meetings

Description

File contains meeting agendas and minutes.

Date(s) of Creation

2006 - 2009

Container

History/Misc: zACBA Ownership 4

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 4

Title

Friends of McLeod Opposition

Description

Documentation of the lawsuit "Friends of McLeod vs. Historic Charleston Foundation" filed in opposition to the sale of McLeod Plantation to the American College of the Building Arts. Contains correspondence and legal documents, including affidavits, court orders, and "Condemnation Notice."

Date(s) of Creation

2004 - 2010

Container

History/Misc: zACBA Ownership 6

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 4

Title

Negotiations with ACBA

Description

Documentation of HCF's negotiations with the "School of the Building Arts" to purchase McLeod Plantation. File contains general information about the School of the Building Arts (SOBA); SOBA Proposal to HCF (May 5, 2004); correspondence (2003-2004), HCF McLeod/Executive Committee meeting minutes; and Agreement and Memorandum between HCF and SOBA (11/30 2004).

Date(s) of Creation

2003 - 2004

Container

History/Misc: zACBA Ownership 1

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 3

Title

ACBA Brochure and Convocation Materials

Description

File contains ACBA brochure, invitation to the August19, 2005 convocation and convocation program.

Date(s) of Creation

2005

Container

History/Misc: zACBA Ownership 5

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 4

Title

Historical Research

Description

Contains historical and genealogical research: "McLeod Plantation: William Wallace McLeod, William Wallace McLeod II, William Ellis McLeod" (Erika Gay, 1997); McLeod Plantation history from The Vernacular Architecture of Charleston and the Lowcountry; "Historical Summary for McLeod Plantation" (Fillmore G. Wilson, 1993); McLeod history and review of archaeological site resources (excerpt from Sea Island Historical Society "Proposed Restoration & Interpretation," Oct. 1999); "McLeod Plantation and the Politics of Place" (chapter from graduate student thesis "Communication, Development, and Cultural Preservation: The Case of Gullah History and Culture on James Island, SC," by Brian Andrew Graves, 2010); student intern report "The McLeod Plantation, James, Island SC" (Elizabeth Clarke, Avery Research Center ,1995); "McLeod Plantation" (excerpt from CofC student report R. Maria Mansfield, 1986); miscellaneous histories and notes (unattributed, undated); history of James Island from The Vernacular Architecture of Charleston and the Lowcountry; "Sketch of James Island" (Robert Elliott Mellichamp, July/august 1988, excerpt from unidentified source).

Container

zHistory/Misc: Property History 1

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 4

Title

Historical Research

Description

Contains history of McLeod Plantation and review of plantation property (built, landscape, and archaeological resources (excerpt from "Proposed Acquisition, Stabilization & Restoration of McLeod Plantation" by Town of James Island (May 2020); intern report "The McLeod Plantation, James, Island SC" (Elizabeth Clarke, Avery Research Center ,1995); "McLeod Plantation" (excerpt from CofC student report, R. Maria Mansfield, 1986); miscellaneous histories and notes (unattributed, undated); history of James Island from The Vernacular Architecture of Charleston and the Lowcountry; "Sketch of James Island" (Robert Elliott Mellichamp, July/august 1988, excerpt from unidentified source).

Container

zHistory/Misc: Property History 2

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 4

Title

Jaeger/Pyburn Reports

Description

Two reports by Jaeger/Pyburn, both of which include historical sketches, maps, and other images: "Conservation and Development Plan" (MCLEOD.4.1) and "Technical Memorandum: Inventory & Market Analysis" (MCLEOD.4.2). See also Land Use Planning folder in Box 3.

Date(s) of Creation

1991

Container

zHistory/Misc: Property History 3

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 4

Title

Inventory of Folders Before Transfer to McLeod

Description

Inventory of McLeod files created by HCF intern, Rucha Kamath, in 2018. Includes initial draft (annotated) and final version showing retained files, most of which were transferred to McLeod Plantation Historic Site in 2021. See original Excel spreadsheet on Media link.

Date(s) of Creation

2018

Container

zzHistory/Misc: Property History

Notes

Container: McLeod Box 4

Location

Location

Container

McLeod 1-3

Shelf

Archives C-13

Room

Margaretta P. Childs Archives

Building

Missroon House

Category

Permanent

Date

February 7, 2023

Location

Shelf

ARH Shelves, ARH Shelves

Room

Margaretta P. Childs Archives

Building

Missroon House

Category

Permanent

Location

Container

Folder 1

Drawer

Drawer 4

Room

Margaretta P. Childs Archives

Building

Missroon House

Category

Permanent

Location

Container

Folder 3

Drawer

Drawer 4

Room

Margaretta P. Childs Archives

Building

Missroon House

Category

Permanent

Location

Shelf

Plantations Shelves, Plantations Shelves

Room

Margaretta P. Childs Archives

Building

Missroon House

Category

Permanent

Relationships

Related Entries

Notes

2007.008.31, 2020.007.10, MCLEOD.02, MCLEOD.03, MCLEOD.04.1-2, MCLEOD.05, MCLEOD.06, MCLEOD.07, MCLEOD.08, MCLEOD.09, MCLEOD.10.01, MCLEOD.11.01, MCLEOD.12, MCLEOD.13, MCLEOD.14, MCLEOD.15a-b, MCLEOD.16, MCLEOD.17, MCLEOD.18a-g Related Units of Description: (1) Easement Manager files (Maintenance, Events/tours, Press, Friends of McLeod (organization), National Register Nomination, Easement drafts, Main House Structure, Stabilization and Repair Plan for Buildings, Student Projects, Archaeology, ACBA correspondence, CofC correspondence, Buffer, Events Policy, Collection notes [incomplete, see Brandy], Management correspondence (ACBA), General correspondence, History) (2) Executive Assistant files (3) HABS aerial photographs (last section in notebook) (4) Slides (notebook)

Provenance

Notes

Custodial History: The items in much of this collection were originally compiled by HCF employees over the years. Current archival arrangement was created in the Fall 2007 by a USC Public History student, Melissa Anne Clamp. As new documentation/items have been obtained, they have been incorporated into the collection.

General Notes

Note

Notes: Some documents on Media tab were among those files that were transferred to McLeod Plantation Historic Site. Other miscellaneous items have been transferred to the SC Historical Society. See Media tab. McLeod history from now defunct ACBA website: At its peak, William McLeod ran one of South Carolina's largest Sea Island cotton plantations-more than 900 acres yielding 100 bales a year. But during the Civil War, Confederate forces fortified James Island to protect southern approaches to Charleston harbor. As the hostilities intensified, McLeod moved his family to Greenwood, SC, and joined the Charleston Light Dragoon. He was killed in battle in 1864. Not long after, his wife also died, leaving behind a teenage son and two young daughters. In the early stages of the war, McLeod Plantation served as headquarters for General Grist's Brigade and as a Confederate unit headquarters, commissary, and field hospital until James Island fell to the Union army in 1865. Federal troops moved in and continued to use the plantation as a field hospital and officers' quarters. Black soldiers from the 55th Massachusetts-sister company to the 54th Massachusetts, immortalized in the movie Glory, camped at McLeod. A surgeon there in 1895 told of operating on soldiers from the 55th Regiment in the plantation house drawing room. Casualties were buried in the slave graveyard along the Wappoo. After the war, McLeod served as headquarters for the Charleston County Freedman's Bureau, and some 20,000 former slaves camped on the plantation grounds to claim their rations and "forty acres and a mule." After the freedman's bureau was dismantled, McLeod's son dared to return to the homestead in 1879, but it took several years for him to reestablish ownership and evict the freedmen squatters who had overtaken the house and property. In 1885, William Ellis "Willie" McLeod, grandson of William Wallace McLeod, was born in the sitting room of the plantation house and became owner of the property in 1918. Willie McLeod turned the property into a truck farming operation, producing potatoes, asparagus, and dairy cattle. He rented the old slave quarters to black tenants, and in later years, leased the field to itinerant farmers and began selling off parcels. He died in 1990, in the same sitting room where he had been born 105 years earlier, leaving his one-third interest in the remaining 39 acres of the plantation to Historic Charleston Foundation. His deceased sisters had willed their thirds to a dozen various nonprofit organizations. (Source: ACBA website) Field 01: https://www.google.com/maps/place/0%C2%B000%2700.0%22N+0%C2%B000%2700.0%22E

Created By

admin@catalogit.app

Create Date

July 1, 2008

Updated By

admin@catalogit.app

Update Date

February 17, 2023