Hanover House in Clemson, SC

Clemson, SC may first bring to mind Clemson University but it is also home to a great deal of history.

One such historical place is the Hanover House, built over 300 years ago! Now, interesting enough, this structure didn’t call Pickens County “home” until the 1940s. Originally built in 1716 in Berkeley County for French Hugeunot Paul de St. Julien. The French details can be clearly seen in the house’s design. The siding was hewn from black cypress timbers and large chimneys (one of which, Paul de St. Julien inscribed “Peu a Peu” from the French proverb “Little by little the bird builds its nest”).

The home stayed within the family for nearly 150 years but due to progress threatening the destruction of the home in the 1940’s the structure was then moved 250 miles to the campus of Clemson University, which was home to the state’s architecture school. Hanover House was relocated to the South Carolina Botanical Garden in 1994 (113 Hanover Circle, Clemson, SC 29634) and at present, overlooks an heirloom vegetable garden.

The house is open on weekends for public tours so take the time to stop by and enjoy a bit of history!