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

Roper House Complex, Pickens County (S.C. Sec. Rd. 25, Pickens vicinity)

RoperHouse01 RoperHouse02 RoperHouse03
Right Oblique Left Oblique Right Rear Elevation
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Left Rear Elevation Smoke House Girl's Dormitory

(Camp Oolenoy) This house is significant as an example of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) design and for its association with CCC activity within the Table Rock State Park area. The house, built in 1856 by the Roper family, was enlarged and remodeled with Craftsman influences in ca. 1937, with the help of workmen from the CCC camps at Table Rock. Three outbuildings, namely a smokehouse, garage, and chicken coop, contribute to the Roper House complex. Some of the ca. 1937 stone landscaping features were done by the CCC, under the supervision of Doc M. Newton, the stone masonry foreman at the park. The owner of the house, Manning Thomas Roper, was a carpenter and the assistant foreman of all the building construction at the park. Roper provided the land for both CCC camps and also provided the right-of-way for the original park entrance. When the last CCC camp at Table Rock was disbanded, Roper was made caretaker of the park. He was soon named the game warden for the Table Rock area and sold hunting and fishing licenses. Roper later became the first superintendent of Table Rock State Park and served until his death in 1944. In 1952, the Roper House became part of the Camp Oolenoy complex. Listed in the National Register June 16, 1989.

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

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