You don’t normally see something with an Asian design in South Carolina, but this is located somewhere in the Palmetto State. Send your best guess to feedback@statehousereport.com. And don’t forget to include your name and the town in which you live.
Our previous Mystery Photo
Our Dec. 13 image, “What’s the story of this house?” shows Kershaw County’s Mulberry Plantation, the home of James and Mary Boykin Chesnut. The mystery proved to be more difficult than normal as only four people correctly guessed what it was: George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Vic Carpenter of Lugoff; Jay Altman of Columbia; and Don Clark of Hartsville. A big hat tip to each of you!
Graf said the house was “nationally significant in the area of American literature for its association with Mary Boykin Chesnut’s remarkable first-hand account of Southern society during the Civil War. Her war-time diary, acknowledged as the most important piece of Confederate literature, is also recognized for its contributions to our understanding of southern culture and society.”
Altman added, “Mary Boykin Chesnut was the author of ‘A Diary from Dixie,’ which recounted her experiences during the Civil War (or, depending on who you are talking to, the War Between the States or the War of Northern Aggression)”
Graf also shared that according to an article by Ned Harrison at Roanoke.com, “she was called the diarist, the grande dame, the confidante of the Civil War. She moved in the highest circles, and was personally acquainted with Varina Davis, wife of the president of the Confederacy. … She brought the war to life as did no other of the time. For her writings and her insight at the most critical time in the history of the United States, she is a heroine of the Confederacy.”
She was born to Southern aristocracy: Her father was Stephen Decatur Miller, a lawyer and later governor of South Carolina and one of its congressmen. The family were wealthy plantation owners.
Happy holidays, all!
- Send us a mystery: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!