David Lauderdale: ‘Wall Street gold’ built Lady’s Island mansion gutted by fire; tales of showgirls followed
Even before the white-columned mansion was occupied, it already was stirring the Lowcountry's imagination.
"Arthur Barnwell Spends Wall Street Gold on
And in the style of the times, the headline went on:
"Builds Beaufort County Retreat. Invests More than
He made a fortune with his seat on the
Even today, whispers linger that he returned to this native land because he may have shot someone in
But those walls that now seem so cruelly destroyed had much more to tell.
"For years the
"His wife, from whom he was long separated, was said to be living in
"Rumors spread of
Cloide and
"
"The parties would last for weeks," said
The "coastal colonial" home, designed by architect
Most of the ground floor was one large living room, or ballroom, with views of the
"From the front, the huge white building ... looks like a summer hotel with its wide porches facing the south,"
But Martin wrote that the "pride and treasure of
"It had pink chandeliers," she said.
And, the Brannings discovered, it had ghosts.
"I'm not a believer in ghosts,"
Hoffius and Cuthbert wrote that
The land subsequently had several other owners. It at one time was used as a cattle ranch,
Branning and partners bought the 615-acre tract to develop it. They would receive a landmark settlement from the federal government after Branning sued for noise damage done by military planes flying over the property at less than 500 feet above the ground.
Today, the storied property includes the
The mansion was currently owned by
"It was an amazing property that you could tell had been well-built and well-loved. We had been renovating that house constantly for the last eight years,"
"It was shocking and so fast," she said. "You think about how many storms it's been through, and then this."
___
(c)2018 The Island Packet (Hilton Head, S.C.)
Visit The Island Packet (Hilton Head, S.C.) at www.islandpacket.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
New Medicare cards with big change en route to millions of Floridians
Trump declares federal disaster in Iowa
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News