Milton Maxcy House - Beaufort Historic District - Beaufort, SC
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 32° 25.968 W 080° 40.496
17S E 530559 N 3588456
This house, long known as "Secession House," was the scene of many informal discussions and formal meetings during the 1850's by the Rhetts and their allies advocating secession and Southern independence." - SOCV
Waymark Code: WMZNG7
Location: South Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 12/08/2018
Views: 0
County of Church: Beaufort County
Location of church: Craven St. & Church St., N. side, Beaufort
Built: 1815
Marker Erected by: Beaufort County Council
Architectural Style: Greek Revival
Greek Revival: Ten buildings were recorded in the survey as representing the Greek Revival style.
Greek Revival buildings in Beaufort typically have monumental porticos or porches across their facades,
several having temple-front designs, and exhibit Greek Revival stylistic elements such as
trabeated entrances, shouldered window and/or door surrounds, smooth wall surfaces and Greek
decorative motifs. Six examples are located in the Point neighborhood, two are located in the Bluff,
one is located in Downtown and one is in the Northwest Quadrant. The residential examples of the
style recorded by the survey are large-scale mansions and they include: ... the Milton Maxcy House ("Secession
House," 113 Craven Street, circa 1815, remodelled circa 1845, site #1110);...
"Craven St., 1113 - single dwelling: Milton Maxcy House - 1815 ca. - 2-story frame dwelling - block 90 - site 1110.01
"Once introduced, Greek Revival forms often provided a useful and fashionable screen for earlier and
less up to date buildings. Examples are found on Bay Street, but two structures located on Craven
Street are more representative. The Milton Maxcy House (1113 Bay Street, site #1110.01), also known as
"Secession House," was built circa 1813 but was given a new south porch by Edmund Rhett circa 1850
as part of a larger rebuilding program. ...
"The uninterrupted two-story porch and side entrance motif is an interesting stylistic variation that
is similar to several examples in Charleston of single houses set on corner lots where the piazza
faces the southern exposure and the entrance is set within a side elevation. A variation of this detail
can be found on several houses in Beaufort where porches are accessed by a staircase at either
end of the porch. An example of this latter detail is found at the Milton Maxcy House ("Secession
House," 113 Craven Street, site #1110) which is also a Federal style house that was extensively
renovated in the Greek Revival style. Here the porch is accessed by a set of marble steps set to the
east of the porch that curve upward from the street to its raised first floor level." ~ NRHP Nomination Form, PDF pages 29, 44, 85, 152