Historic Beaufort mansion on market for $2.8M once had a cameo in Streisand film
One of Beaufort’s most prominent mansions is up for sale again. It’s the 172-year-old Lewis Reeve Sams House located at 601 Bay Street in The Point, a neighborhood that serves as a reminder of the area’s antebellum past and the location some of the most beautiful homes in the South.
But this 2 ½-story white “wedding cake” mansion stands out even in The Point because of its location, architecture, history and Hollywood connection, making it a popular stop for history buffs who regularly tour the neighborhood.
“This is like the gateway to The Point and this is the house that everybody sees,” says Allison Greco with EXP Realty.
Lewis Reeve Sams, a cotton planter who at one time owned half of Dataw Island, is credited for building it in 1852.
The house is an “enduring example of The Beaufort Style of Architecture, a refinement of Greek Revival,” the listing says. Elements of the so-called “Beaufort style” include a raised foundation usually made of tabby or brick, a southern orientation toward the Beaufort River, porticos and piazzas on the south façade, low pitched roofs to reduce the summertime heat,and a T-shape plan, according to the Historic Beaufort Foundation.
Situated on the highest point in the downtown area, it served as headquarters for Brigadier General Rufus Saxton, military governor of the Department of the South during the occupation of the Union Army, and as Hospital #14 for wounded union officers.
The house survived a fire that destroyed much of Beaufort in 1907.
George Waterhouse had purchased the home after the end of the Civil War and his widow still lived there in 1907. His son, also named George, owned a cotton gin downtown and when the fire began to spread, his employees formed a bucket brigade to douse water on the house and save it.
Some of the city’s most stately homes have been featured in Hollywood films and the historic Lewis Reeve Sams mansion had a cameo in the 1991 movie ‘‘The Prince of Tides” starring Barbra Streisand and Nick Nolte. The movie, which Streisand also directed, was based on the novel by Beaufort author Pat Conroy. It was the home of the stepfather of Tom Wingo, portrayed by Nolte. Wingo pauses, briefly, outside of the home before entering.
The asking price for the six-bed, seven-bath mansion with views of the Beaufort River and Woods Memorial Bridge is $2.8 million.
For 16 years, years, the house was known as The Bay Street Inn before it once again became a private residence.
Gwen and Scott Myers have owned the house since 2006. It has been on and off the market in recent years.
“The house is almost a person itself in its history and presence,” Gwen Myers said in 2016. “We feel like the caretakers rather than the owners.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2024 at 12:15 PM.
