South Carolina Department of Archives and History
National Register Properties in South Carolina

Balwearie, Fairfield County (S.C. Sec. Rd. 22, Lebanon vicinity)
S1081772000201 S1081772000202 S1081772000203 S1081772000204
Facade Left Elevation Rear Elevation Main Entrance

Balwearie is significant as an example of early nineteenth-century brick construction. Family tradition holds that the house was constructed ca. 1822, but alterations resulting from an 1886 storm make it difficult to document this date based on stylistic characteristics. Balwearie is believed to have been named after the Douglass family castle in Scotland. The first known owner of the house was James Douglass, a wealthy planter. Following his death, the property was purchased in 1868 by his nephew, prominent physician Dr. Thomas Goulding Douglass. Balwearie is a one and one-half story, brick and frame residence with a gabled roof and cross-gabled front porch. The front gable is supported by six paneled wooden posts and has a turned balustrade. The gable ends feature boxed cornices with returns and central, paired, louvered windows with plain surrounds. The first story is of masonry construction; half-story is sheathed in weatherboard. Two interior chimneys pierce the roof ridge. A rear porch was converted into a kitchen in 1975. Listed in the National Register December 6, 1984.

View the complete text of the nomination form for this National Register property. In addition, the Historic Resources of Fairfield County includes historical background information for this and other related National Register properties.

Most National Register properties are privately owned and are not open to the public. The privacy of owners should be respected. Not all properties retain the same integrity as when originally documented and listed in the National Register due to changes and modifications over time.

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