Preserving Bluffton’s ‘hidden treasures’: Lecture series features town’s antebellum buildings

In the Civil War, Bluffton was largely abandoned by residents as the Union occupied Hilton Head Island and Beaufort, and most of Bluffton’s antebellum buildings went up in flames in June 4, 1863, when Union troops marched in and fired the town; but 10 pre-Civil War structures -- eight homes and two churches -- survived the war and to this day remain an important part of Bluffton’s historic district.

Of those buildings, two are in need of restoration, and they will be the topic of a lecture by local preservationist Carolyn Coppola as the Bluffton Lecture and Dinner Series returns with its fourth and final installment of the 2017-2018 season at 6 p.m., March 19 at Historic Campbell Chapel AME Church at 25 Boundary Street in Bluffton.

Following the lecture the church will serve supper in the church hall, said organizer Joan Heyward. The cost of the supper is $30.

Titled “Our Hidden Treasures: The Allen-Lockwood House and The Squire Pope Carriage House” the lecture will examine the physical condition and and prospects for rehabilitation of those two buildings which stand across Calhoun Street from each other near the Church of the Cross.

The first of the two unrestored structures is Squire Pope’s Carriage House/Summer Kitchen at 111 Calhoun St. It was built in 1850 and the two parts joined together in 1865. It has been purchased by the Town of Bluffton in conjunction with the Beaufort County Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program. The property has been cleared and the structure has been fenced in while the town develops a rehabilitation plan, Heyward said.

The other one is the Allen-Lockwood House at 94 Calhoun St. It was built in 1850. According to Heyward, it is owned by Outreach Ministries LLC, an arm of the Church of the Cross. No restoration plans for the home have as yet been submitted to the town, she said.

The site of the lecture, Historic Campbell Chapel, is itself an antebellum building. It was built in 1853 and repaired after being damaged in the burning of Bluffton.

For additional information and to make reservations call Joan Heyward at 843-707-7610 or email jheyward@hargray.com by Thursday March 15th.

This story was originally published March 6, 2018 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Preserving Bluffton’s ‘hidden treasures’: Lecture series features town’s antebellum buildings."