The Legacy of Laurelwood

Hard Hat Tour

2013-04-26T19:07:00.001-07:00

We had a great time last weekend at Laurelwood! We are so grateful that we were invited to attend a "hard hat" tour and to have the opportunity to gather with some family & friends and make new friends.

Mike Bedenbaugh Director of the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation

It was an absolutely gorgeous day as people from all over gathered at the steps to the "Big House" as Mike Bedenbaugh, the director of the Palmetto Trust, welcomed us and invited us in to see restoration and renovations "in process".

The Seays have arrived!

The descendants of the builder of the house, the Seay family traveled quite a distance to participate in the event. It is always a delight to see them. I love the fact that our families have been united by this great home!

Jeremy, Jenny, Mike and Myra

I am so grateful to the new owners who have allowed the Seays and the Campbells to come together and celebrate the renovation and preservation of this spectacular property. I'm forever grateful!!!

Hand hewn beams

The heart pine wooden beams are exposed & you can see the incredible workmanship that has stood the test of time!

Tons of plaster has been removed. Lots of work going on here!!!

I love telling my kids about the memories I have of this place. Lots of great memories here!

Headed to the cabin

We walked down the road to see the renovations on the former slave cabin that is on the property. I could hardly believe the restoration. It looks fantastic!

My husband checking out the cabin

When I was a little girl, my Daddy would take me and my brother down to this cabin and we would set up tin cans outside and practice shooting the rifle.

I was so glad to see my cousin Nancy at Laurelwood. She actually lived in this cabin from the time she was a baby until she was six or seven years old. She has wonderful memories of living with her family in this cabin as a child.

Nancy Louise & Me (Myra Grace)

We enjoyed visiting and reminiscing about great family memories.

2 of our kids inside the cabin

The children really enjoyed the chance to be able to walk around inside the cabin.

Cabin

I loved the color of the wood here. I was so proud of all that had been accomplished. The preservation of SC history is so important.
Hope you enjoyed a little peek of what's been happening at Laurelwood!

Preservation & Restoration is a Must

2013-04-16T12:25:00.002-07:00

While driving this morning, I was listening to a radio program out of Rock Hill. I'm not sure what station it was on but what caught my attention was that the program was about preservation & restoration of endangered properties in SC. The gentleman speaking was Lois Roman of the organization Citizens for Historic Preservation. He spoke about encouraging the public to get involved in saving endangered properties and the historical importance of preserving history. I thought about just how close Laurelwood came to being lost forever. We believe that it was within 6 months of collapsing when the new owners were able to get the foundation secure. I am forever grateful to the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation for stepping in when they did in an effort to save Laurelwood. I am exceedingly grateful to the new owners who had a vision and a dream to restore Laurelwood. With much sacrifice and blood, sweat and tears on their part we are seeing this dream realized! Thank you just doesn't seem to be enough to say to them.

Anyway, back to the radio program....Lois Roman was talking about the importance of knowing the history of a property. Learning about the people who lived there and stories tied to the property give the property a personality! I thought this was so great and this idea was one of the reasons that I wanted to start this blog. I wanted to preserve the stories of Laurelwood and the memory of the people that lived there.

The Seay's

The Campbells

Many people have lived under the roof of the Big House or on the property of what is called Laurelwood Plantation. Finding out about these people and the lives they lived there will continue to shape the personality of the house. Also the new owners will add their own personality to the property, continuing to give life to Laurelwood.

I am excited to have the opportunity to be at Laurelwood once again this coming weekend. The Seays and the Campbells will meet up again along with other friends and family at the second "Laurelwood Gathering".

Preservation and Restoration is a must if we are to continue teaching children about history and if we are to continue learning from the past. Please make an effort to be involved in some way with the preservation and restoration of historical properties.

The Loveliness of Laurelwood

2012-01-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

The loveliness of Laurelwood is emerging once again. Breathtakingly beautiful!!!

Painting & window restoration

Her beauty that has been hidden for a time is being uncovered layer by layer. The process of restoring such a rare treasure takes a unique approach and must be handled delicately with great craft and skill. In other words, the process of restoration does not happen overnight!

Original wood and windows were salvaged

Restoration is defined as 1. The return of something that was removed, or the restoring of something to it’s former condition 2. Something, especially a building, that has been brought back to an earlier and usually better condition. (Taken from the Encarta World English Dictionary)

I believe that when the restoration of Laurelwood is complete the grand lady will be stronger, more vibrant and beautiful than ever.

New porch, smooth and level

I shudder when I think of what could have happened to Laurelwood had not the Palmetto Trust intervened and sought preservation. I shudder when I think what may have happened had the new owners not purchased the property when they did. The report from the workers who secured the foundation was that Laurelwood had been most likely 6 months away from collapsing!

Securing the foundation

I am so grateful that the new owners acted with urgency and prevented this much loved piece of South Carolina history and my families history from being lost forever.

I have been given a precious gift by the new owners of Laurelwood. They have allowed me to watch the restoration take place. Most importantly they are allowing those of us who have family ties and connections to Laurelwood to have an annual gathering every year. I have been given the privilege of planning the event! This year will be the 2^nd annual gathering at the Big House. I hope to have details soon so be sure to check back.

Windows lovingly restored

The preservation of historic properties are of the utmost importance so that we may protect our heritage. Please consider going to the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation and see how you can get involved in saving a piece of the Palmetto state. There may be another place out there that like Laurelwood is only months away from being lost forever. Let’s not lose our Palmetto heritage. Let us instead seek to restore until it’s better than before. Uncover the hidden beauty of South Carolina.
Don't forget to check out the Friends of Laurelwood Facebook page to see the progress!

2011-12-06T17:36:00.000-08:00

Coming Spring 2012

2^nd Annual Laurelwood Gathering

Check back soon for more details

Mystery Photos

2011-10-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

Here are a few mystery photos. These photographs belonged to Lillie Campbell Dunn and are now in the possession of her granddaughters. If you have any information about these photographs or possibly can identify the persons please leave a comment or send a personal email to me at sodizzymomof5@yahoo.com.

Mystery Photo #1

Mystery Photo #2

Keeping the Legacy Alive

2011-10-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

What an exciting day of sharing information about family history. My Saturday started early with the Fort Jackson Landowners Descendants Reunion. Reggie Seay, a great, great, great, great (not sure how many greats) grandson of James Seay who we believe was the builder of Laurelwood, did a wonderful presentation of the history of Laurelwood. His presentation included some amazing video which showed the original hand hewn beams that Laurelwood was constructed with are still structurally sound and intact. They don't build houses like this anymore. Laurelwood was built to last!

Reggie Seay doing a presentation on Laurelwood

Reggie has also done some extensive research about his family. I am looking forward to learning more about James Seay and possibly finding the sites of other plantation homes he may have built. It has been a blessing to get to know the descendants of James & Sarah Seay. I think it's pretty amazing how an old southern plantation is still at work bringing families together, uniting the past with the present.

Photo by Cliff Tucker

Also on display at the Ft. Jackson Landowners Reuinion was a series of paintings of brother and sister Jasper & Lillie Campbell painted by family member Florence Keels wife of the late Thomas "Buddy" Bailey Keels the grandson of Mary Julia (Campbell)Bailey who was also sister to Jasper Hampton Campbell. Florence wrote to me after she saw my blog back in July of 2010. We have been corresponding since then and she has shared with me so much great information about our relatives. Florence feels about Laurelwood the way I do. It's a special place that holds lots of memories of love and laughter. It's hard to explain if you've never felt a certain way about a place but there is something different about this piece of property that when you step onto the grounds you just know you are on an extraordinary piece of the planet!

Paintings done from old photographs by Florence Keels photo by Cliff Tucker

I have to admit one of the highlights of the day was meeting Florence in person. I already felt as if I knew her because we have been corresponding through email. But it was a delight to actually meet her in person. She and her son drove down to SC especially for the Landowners Reunion.
To top off an already great day, we were invited out to the country home of my cousin Becky Dunn (Lillie Campbell Dunn's) granddaughter. Becky and I also connected through Florence and my blog. We didn't even know each other existed until last year. Becky invited us out to her home for an evening meal. When I stepped out of the car at her house I thought I had "died and gone to heaven"! Gorgeous house, barn, horses, flowers, garden all out in the country.
And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Florence presented Becky and me with one of the portraits she had painted. Becky received the one of her Grandmother Lillie Campbell and I received the one of my Grandfather Jasper Hampton Campbell. Here we are in the photo below with Florence in the middle. I was beyond thrilled to be the recipient of the painting of my Grandfather.

Florence in the middle presented her paintings to Becky and me.

We had a delightful evening together. Becky's sister Bobbie and her husband Randy were there also. Florence and her son Michael (who is an outstanding piano player) were there. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. We walked out to an old barn that's over a hundred years old and I just had to show you a picture because it is so beautiful. Note, this property is not at laurelwood but just wanted to show it because it is incredible.

Florence and her son Michael in front of 100+ year old barn

Close-up of wooden barn with pine beams

Look at the construction of this barn! Solid as a rock!!! Does anybody else get as excited as I do with history and seeing these rare treasures? I love it! Would you just look at those pine beams and how they fit together to construct this barn. I think it's quite fascinating.

All in all, it was a wonderful day of learning about our history and developing relationships and keeping the legacy of Laurelwood alive.

2011 Ft. Jackson Landowners' Descendants Reunion

2011-09-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

The Campbell family once owned a great deal of land in Richland county. Some of the land that they owned is now Fort Jackson. Every year there is a reunion of families that are descendents of those that owned land that is now Fort Jackson. The reunion this year will take place in Columbia. Click the link below for more information. This is a great time to get together and meet new family members or friends and share and exchange information about family and family history.

2011 Ft. Jackson Landowners' Descendants Reunion

Where:

4440 Ft. Jackson Blvd, Columbia, SC

When:

October 15, 2011 Start 9:00 AM

Winning Photo

2011-05-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

I was two when my cousin Margaret Ann took this photograph on the porch at the Big House. Margaret Ann was very talented and creative with any thing she put her hands on whether it was a camera, a paint brush or a pen. This photo won the Blue Ribbon at the SC State Fair that year! This picture hung in the front room of the big house alongside a picture of my brother Steve until 1994 when the house was sold. I also found out that Margaret Ann was the painter of the painting that I used to admire mentioned in another blog post.
A lot of years have passed and here is me at age 48 standing in the very same spot as the above photo.

A glimpse from the '90's.

2011-05-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

We always enjoyed rocking in the rocking chairs on the front porch of the Big House.

My husband was rocking our daughter here in this picture that was taken around 1991-92. I think he was supposed to be rocking her to get her to take a nap, but I think he must have rocked himself to sleep!!!
I think this must have been around spring of 1992 in the picture below. My Daddy was living alone at the big house then. The azalea bushes had begun to get way out of control by this time. I imagine now that I know how vicious and fierce the bamboo was that it was all Daddy could do to keep that at bay and keep the grass cut. I was thrilled to find this picture below of my favorite china cabinet. I blogged about it several posts back and it is way more beautiful than I even remembered. Wow would you look at my BIG hair! That is me in the back and my oldest child was a toddler. This picture was taken in the front room to the right of the front door. I spent many hours as a little girl sitting in front of this china cabinet imagining table settings and dinner parties that I would host with beautiful dishes. The other recessed cabinet in the wall in the photo below held other special dishes and keepsakes including a collection of mustache cups. Here I am with my Daddy and my daughter. Another photo from the early 1990's. This also was taken in the front room of the house.

Laurelwood Plantation Pound Cake

2011-05-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

My aunts were great cooks. When it was a birthday, they would ask what our favorite cake was and we would tell them and they would make it for us. I vaguely remember a cake called a Ribbon cake, I think that was my brother Doug's favorite. My brother Steve liked a German Chocolate cake. Me, well I just liked a plain pound cake!!! I still do!!!

Lemon Pound Cake with Mint, Berries and Cream
Photo from Southern Living Magazine

I have had so many requests for the recipe for my pound cake that I brought to the Laurelwood Family Gathering in April that I decided to post the recipe here and give my pound cake recipe a new name. Here is the recipe! Make it and share it with someone.

Laurelwood Plantation Pound Cake

By Myra Campbell Phillips

Ingredients:

6 eggs ¼ tsp. salt

1 cup butter ¼ tsp. baking soda

3 cups sugar 1 tsp. orange extract

1 8oz sour cream 1 tsp. lemon extract

3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. vanilla extract (must be real)

Leave butter out to soften and once it is soft cream butter with a mixer, then gradually add in the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time. In separate bowl, sift the flour, salt, and soda. Add flour to the mixing bowl of batter alternating with the sour cream, and ending with the flour. Add the extracts (I am a bit heavy handed with the extract because I like a lot of flavor, so it may be a tad more than a teaspoon of each.) Pour batter into a greased tube pan that has been greased with butter and lightly floured. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

2011-04-30T20:59:00.000-07:00

I took a stroll down the avenue today and to my delight and surprise my favorite roses of Laurelwood were blooming. I have a memory of these roses taking over one corner of the avenue fence and being the most beautiful creamy palest of pink roses climbing gracefully along the fence of the avenue. They were breathtakingly beautiful at one time and the picture is etched in my memory. The blooms below were a bit spent but I still love their creamy pink color. It's just a hint of what's to come as Laurelwood wakes up from it's slumber.

Roses on the avenue

Laurelwood Plantation Family Gathering

2011-04-16T14:42:00.000-07:00

The sweet tea was flowing generously once again at Laurelwood yesterday as family, friends and the new owners gathered together to rejoice in the re-birth of this magnificent family home.

Folks from various parts of the state as well as the country came together yesterday at the Big House. We shared history, memories, stories and hopefully passed on our love for the place to the new owners who were so kind and generous to allow us this chance to come together. At one point, there were at least 50 or more people on the grounds at one time yesterday! WIS TV came out at the end of the day. You can see the story here. I must say however, that I was disappointed with the anchor's description of this grand home as "the dingy old digs" and "magnificent ruin". That was a very disrespectful way to describe this grand lady, even if she is in a state of disrepair. I would also like to say that WISTV shared in-accurate information concerning the vacancy of this home, I am sure they were misinformed. They said that Laurelwood had been vacant for 20 years. That information is inaccurate. My father still lived in the house in 1994. Then after it was sold from the Campbell family a lady from Sumter purchased the home and rented the property. Only in the last 3-5 years has the property been vacant. I am a big fan of WIS and have watched their news since I was a little girl, hey, I was even on Mr Knowzit. So I am not trying to give WIS a bad rap, I was just disappointed in this particular story. Not bad for being disappointed only once in 48 years. I am thankful to the media for their coverage but felt that their stories could have offered so much more. For instance, the Seays and the Campbells meeting. What a GREAT story! I am glad to say that the State Newspaper did mention a bit of that story. You can read their story here. (They also were inaccurate in the time frame that they mentioned about my father living at Laurelwood. He returned there in 1969 and lived there until 1994 that is 25 years not 15) The media could have talked about the fact that the civil war soldiers watered their horses in the well at the front of the house, and that the house was spared from being destroyed by Sherman's army because a minister lived there at the time. Or that one of the son's of Jasper Hampton Campbell, my uncle Calvin,was a great military hero and POW who fought in WWII as a bomber pilot and who's acts of extreme heroism in the face of danger saved many lives. Or that my great grandfather Thomas Belton Campbell served in the Civil War. Or that my Great,Great,Great,Great Grandfather was Captain James Campbell who built one of the Forts at the Congarees which was one of the first settlements in the midlands. There is so much history here that needs to be shared! Anyway, enough of my ranting and back to the gathering. It was a great day!

This home is a valuable wellspring of historical information for the state of South Carolina. The original owner and builder James H. Seay was a wealthy rice planter who built many other plantation homes.(My next quest is to find out where those homes are and if they still exist). I was beyond THRILLED that his descendants were able to come and take part in the celebration yesterday and I am so eager to learn more about the Seay family and their history. I already claimed them as part of my Laurelwood Family but I bet if we dig deep enough we will find out that we are blood related.

My 5 children in the picture below loved the opportunity to be at The Big House yesterday. Of course they have grown up hearing me talk about it and my oldest child spent a good bit of the first 2 years of her life visiting here when my Daddy was living here. She called him Grandaddy Wild Thing!

My children, the Great Grandchildren of Jasper Hampton and Minnie Ammons Campbell

Below, the Seay family arrives at Laurelwood. I just LOVED, LOVED, LOVED meeting them! They had to travel quite the distance to come but were planning to do some visiting of another great Carolina city, Charleston. Hopefully they were able to experience some of the living history and re-enactments of the first shots of the Civil War.

The Seay's arrive at Laurelwood

The new owners seemed delighted to learn as much information as they could about the property. I imagine they were probably a bit overwhelmed with all the activity going on yesterday but they were certainly generous to allow us the opportunity to be there. They even suggested that we might make this an annual event!!! How wonderful that would be!!!

Reggie Seay and the new owners.

Everybody enjoyed visiting and sharing information. We couldn't have asked for a better day. The Laurelwood breeze was blowing through and it was very pleasant!

My grandfather, Jasper Hampton Campbell had a sister named Lilly Rebekah Campbell. ( I was so thrilled to know that the spelling of Rebekah is exactly how my daughter Rebekah's name is spelled & I didn't even know at the time that there was a Rebekah in our family) Her grandchildren were able to come and shared so much WONDERFUL information I could hardly contain myself on the drive home, reading about it all. I hope to share a lot more about the Campbell history in the days to come. The community of lower richland and columbia needs to be reminded of how influential and prominent the Campbell family was. My grandfather and his brother Andrew were major landowners. The State paper many years ago reported that my great uncle Andrew Campbell at one time owned more acres of land than any other citizen of Richland county. He was also one of the commissioners for Richland county for 16 years. They ran a mercantile business in Leesburg and Eastover. The Campbells were highly respected throughout Richland county. Below is Becky on the left a grandaughter to Lillie Rebekah Campbell and on the right is one of James Seay's great, great,.. (not sure how many greats) Grandchildren. Our families meeting together yesterday was a MONUMENTAL event!!!!!!!

The Campbell's and the Seay's meet

I met relatives I did not even know that I had!!!! Here is me and one of my newly found cousins below!!! I am pictured with Kathryn who is the Great Grandaughter of Mary Julia Campbell & Rev. Samuel Bailey. Mary Julia Campbell was another sister of my Grandfather Jasper Hampton Campbell. I love my new family!!! Many thanks goes out to Florence Keels for her wealth of information and great historical detective work that is allowing us to connect with family and put missing pieces together!

Cousins!!!

Historian Joe McGill and me

Historian Joe McGill stayed the night at Laurelwood last night. He travels around sleeping in former slave quarters, making people aware of the importance of preservation. He was not able to sleep in the remaining slave quarters structure last night but did sleep on the porch of the "Big House".

People enjoyed walking about, sharing memories and anticipating what a great future this home has.

Jenny and I already feel like family. We are already looking forward to next year! The Seays and the Campbells came together to pass on a legacy to a new family that will revive and bring Laurelwood back to life so the history will continue and new memories can be made.

Jenny(great grandaughter of James H. Seay) and me

This grand lady has only been sleeping and now she awakens.

Roses coming back to life by the side porch.

The future is bright for this grand home and the new owners.

2011-04-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

Two weeks from today is the Laurelwood Family Gathering. I am really looking forward to seeing relatives of the Campbell family and meeting and getting to know those who are coming from my "Laurelwood Family". It is pretty amazing that a home can connect so many people's lives together. I am anxious to meet the members of the Seay family. Their ancestor James Seay was the original builder of the home who constructed Laurelwood possibly around 1830 and may have called it the Sandhills Plantation according to Mike Bedenbaugh of the Palmetto Trust. Some recent documents that I have seen however make me wonder if the plantation may have been called Shady Grove at one time. I would love it if someone has some more information about that thought and could share with me. But, concerning the get together, I am also anxious to meet the relatives that are coming that I have never met before but have been in contact with through this blog. I also can hardly wait to meet the new owners who will be reviving and restoring Laurelwood. I know that they are going to love this home as much as I do.
I received a great photo a few weeks ago of my Uncle Calvin along with another cousin of ours, Nancy. My Uncle Calvin is my father's brother and the last child who is living of Jasper Hampton and Minnie Campbell. He was in town recently and I hope he will be able to make it back for the gathering. It has been 23 years since I have seen him and I would love the chance to get to talk with him again.

I plan to take a lot of photos during the get together and do a blog post about it following the event so make sure you stop back by the blog in a few weeks. Of course, you are welcome anytime but how about leave me a comment and let me know you dropped by.

Campbell Family Tree and interesting Tid-bits

2011-03-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

The Jasper Hampton Campbell family can be traced back to Captain James Campbell who was born in Campbelltown Scotland about 1720.

Campbeltown Scotland Photo courtesy of Undiscovered Scotland

He came to Charles Town(Charleston) first and then was contracted to build the second fort at the Congarees located somewhere near Granby and Cayce by the river. This information comes from the research of Genealogist Beiman Otis Prince. There was a Fort 1 and Fort 2 at the Congarees and were the first establishments in the Columbia area. I find this so interesting, especially so since I live in the area not far from where my great, great, great, great Grandfather walked this land.

Ancestry tree courtesy of Florence Keels

Another interesting tidbit to note is that Leesburg Road ( primary road in Richland county) got it's name from the Leesburg Plantation which was also owned by my Grandfather Jasper Hampton Campbell. Leesburg Road led to the plantation which was primarily a cotton plantation. Laurelwood was the Campbell's summer home because it was cooler there with the breeze coming from the river. The Leesburg Plantation burned to the ground due to a fire from the wood stove chimney. When I was little it was a favorite story of mine to hear about the day the house burned down. My Daddy recalls a man riding up on horseback early in the morning yelling to my Grandafther "Mr. Campbell! Your house is on fire!!!"The family all got out and watched the house burn to the ground as there was not enough water or time to save it. The family then made their permanent home at Laurelwood.

2011-03-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

Creating this blog has been a great experience for me. My desire to keep Laurelwood and the history and memories alive has led to some wonderful connections. Recently I was contacted by a second cousin who lives thousands of miles away who sent me these photos. Below are my aunts and some cousins and 2nd cousins. Esther, who was kind enough to share these with me is seated in the chair below. This photo was taken in 1979. Esther was 5 years old.

Photo courtesy of Esther Hoffman

Here is my Aunt Margaret on the front porch of the Big House. I think that is a camellia bush blooming behind her. They used to take such pride in the yards and gardens. There was always something blooming.

Photo courtesy of Esther Hoffman

This photo below is my Daddy. He returned home to the Big House in 1969 or 1970 and lived there until 1994. He helped care for my aunts until one by one they died. My Aunt Margaret was the last of the aunts to pass away. When she died as the sole owner, my Daddy continued to live in the house until the rest of the family decided that it should be sold. My Daddy was the last Campbell to occupy the Big House.

Photo courtesy of Esther Hoffman

The below photo of my Daddy really tugs at my heart. I miss him a lot. Thank you Esther for sharing these great photos with me. They are a precious gift!

My Daddy courtesy of Esther Hofman

2011-02-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

I like to think of the people who have ties to Laurelwood as my Laurelwood Family. Beginning with the Seay's, then the Campbell's, and now as we are welcoming new owners into the Laurelwood Family there is a connection of history, memories and new beginnings that entwine our lives together. If you are reading this and you are part of the Laurelwood Family let me invite you to a family gathering. This will be a time to join together to remember, reflect and to anticipate the revival of a historic home. This will also be a chance to meet the newest addition of the Laurelwood Family, the new owners!!! I am thrilled about this couple who are very passionate about learning the family history and restoring the home, gardens and property to it's former glory as they make Laurelwood their home. This is a time to celebrate the re-birth of a family home!!!

Laurelwood Family Gathering

Friday, April 15th, 2011

at 2 O'clock in the afternoon

Laurelwood Plantation

Please provide a light refreshment to share and bring any photos, documents, etc that you would like to display. You can contact me by email at sodizzymomof5@yahoo.com if you need more info, etc.

Let the Avenue lead you home once again.....

The Avenue

The slave cabin

2011-02-26T22:12:00.000-08:00

Laurelwood at one time was a working plantation that had slaves. There may have been up to 17 slave cabins that were located behind the house. Here is what remains of one of those structures.

From some of my research I am glad to say that my family ancestors who were slave owners were good and kind and loving to those who shared a life with them on the plantation. Even after slavery ended the workers stayed on and were treated as part of the family. Well into the 1960's there were descendants of the earlier slaves who lived on the property of Laurelwood and helped as groundskeeper and helped my aunts out with other work around the house. I have been trying to locate some of those descendants. If you are reading this and would have any information that would help me, please feel free to leave me a comment.

A few old photos.

2011-02-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

I am fascinated with the old photos of family that have been sent to me by family members that I have become newly acquainted with. I am sure that there is a lot more out there that have information about the history of Laurelwood and the Campbell and Seay families. Here is my great grandmother Nancy Jane who was married to Thomas Belton Campbell. Their son was Jasper Hampton Campbell (my Grandfather) who purchased Laurelwood in 1908. Laurelwood was actually the Campbell's Summer home . The main plantation was the Leesburg Plantation. The summers were spent at Laurelwood because it was cooler closer to the river. When the Leesburg plantation burned to the ground the family moved over to Laurelwood permanently. I am not sure what year that took place. The Leesburg Plantation was located somewhere in the vicinity where Leesburg road ends at highway 601.

Nancy Jane McCaskill Campbell
Photo courtesy of Becky Allen

Here is a great old photo of my great grandmother Nancy Jane Campbell and my great Aunt Lillie Campbell. The dresses are beautiful!

Lillie and Nancy Jane Campbell
Photo courtesy of Becky Allen

2011-01-29T11:25:00.000-08:00

I love this glimpse into SC history and it makes it even more special to know that this article was written by family. Below is an excerpt from a book written by Thomas D. Bailey who was the son of Mary Julia Campbell and Rev. Samuel Bailey. Thomas would have been the nephew of my grandfather Jasper Hampton Campbell who he mentions in the article below. I love the description of what life was like on a southern plantation in the lower richland area.

From the book "An Odyssey in Education" by Thomas David Bailey information provided by Florence Keels

Historian scheduled to spend the night in slave cabin!

2011-01-25T15:34:00.000-08:00

"Ol' Mac's" Cabin

Great news! Historian and National Trust officer Joe McGill is planning to spend the night at Laurelwood Plantation in one of the existing slave quarters. Mr. McGill has traveled around SC and spent the night in other slave cabins on old plantations and properties to raise awareness about preservation. He is planning to stay in the structure that we called Ol'Mac's cabin.
According to my aunts, Ol Mac was a descendent of slaves or laborers that worked on the plantation. As best as I can remember, he was given this cabin to live in while he served as a caretaker/groundskeeper of the property. I think he may have still been around in the '60's. I remember my Daddy taking us down to Ol'Mac's cabin where we would set up old tin cans and practice shooting the rifle.
I will have more information SOON about Mr. McGill's sleepover but I was just so excited about it that I couldn't wait to share. In conjunction with this event will be a gathering at Laurelwood of family members from the the Seay and Campbell families. Keep checking back as I will post details as soon as I have them.

2011-01-24T16:42:00.000-08:00

I get so excited when someone shares photos with me of family members, especially these older photos. Aren't they incredible!!! Below is a photo of Mary Julia Campbell who was a sister to Jasper Hampton Campbell. She lived at Laurelwood from 1932 until she died in 1954.

Photo courtesy of Florence Keels

Mary Julia married Rev. Samuel D. Bailey, pictured below.

Photo courtesy of Florence Keels

I was provided this information along with the photos from Mrs. Florence Keels who married the grandson of Mary Julia Campbell, the late Thomas Bailey Keels. You may recognize Mary Julia's grandson as "Bunky" Keels who was famous as an entertainer/musician who played with The Blue Boys and Jim Reeves. In the photo below he is playing the saxophone.

Photo credit Jim Reeves Fan Club

He also is on Chubby Checker's recording of the Twist!!!!!
I am so thankful for the opportunity to connect with Florence Keels and look forward to one day meeting her face to face.

2011-01-23T16:07:00.000-08:00

I found some old photos recently of the Big House and some of the times that I spent there that I wanted to share from way back when.......

Would you look at my outfit!!!!!! That's me in the front with the long hair and my brother Doug and my cousin (on my mother's side) in between. We were standing in front of the house. I was 13! Yes! Way back when.......

Here I am as a baby with my mother holding me. We were on the front steps of the Big House (Laurelwood). This was taken in 1963.

In 1989 me and Aunt Margaret were at the kitchen table. We had been discussing silverware patterns. She had pulled out some of the family silverware and we were going over the many different styles that there were, formal, informal, casual etc. I attribute many of my southern graces from my aunts.

Another photo of me and Aunt Margaret in the formal living room. I used to love the painting that is behind us. I want to say that it was painted by a family member but I don't know for sure. I just remember that I used to like to look at it. I wonder what happened to it.

Here is a rare photo of me and my Daddy also taken in the formal living room. I am the youngest of five so there weren't a lot of photos of me. In fact this might just be the only photo I have of me and my Daddy. I would love to see some more family photos, so if you are reading this blog and you have any photos of the Big House (Laurelwood) and family I would love to share them. Also, if you have any stories or memories please contact me.

2010-11-28T18:40:00.000-08:00

It was a gorgeous, crisp late Fall day today, so after our family Sunday dinner, we decided to take a ride and see if I could remember where the old graveyard was that some of the Campbell family are buried at. I had not been to this graveyard since I was a child and I wasn't even sure if I could find it since it is located in an unmarked woodsy area. I was thrilled that we found it with only making 1 wrong turn.

Here is the grave of my great grandfather, Thomas Belton Campbell. He was a soldier in the Civil War. His sword used to be on display at The Big House.
Please excuse my poor photography, I am a work in progress, therefore I am always learning and improving. Below are the graves of my grandparents, Jasper and Minnie.

There were 3 graves together that were infant children of my grandparents.
Here are a few random shots to show the setting of this small family graveyard that's definitely off the beaten path.Look at the old wrought iron railing. The tombstones were unique with interesting inscriptions.
The place is very overgrown. I would not have ventured out of the car during the summer for fear of snakes.

2010-10-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

I love this photo. This was my father, Douglas Quentin Campbell when he was a small boy.

Everyone called him Quentin. He was the fifth child of Jasper and Minnie. He was also the last member of the Campbell family to live in the Big House. The property was owned by the Campbell family for almost a century.

Family Treasures

2010-10-22T06:04:00.000-07:00

The Big House was once filled with antiques. As a little girl I would sit in front of a china cabinet much like this one

and gaze at the lovely dishes and tea cups that were stored inside. There were many different china patterns of plates and cups and silver and glassware that my aunts had lovingly displayed and stored in the china cabinet. I guess this is where I got my love for dishes. I collect plates (much to my husband's dismay) and am especially drawn to the patterns with old country roses

or the blue and white staffordshire.

There was also a fantastic collection of antique mustache cups. I plan to do a separate post about them soon so make sure you check back! There was an abundance of pretty things to look at including items of significant historical value. Precious items and keepsakes that were meant to be passed down from generation to generation. It is so sad when I think about how most of these items were auctioned off on a cold winter day.