Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site
Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site preserves the former plantation home of South Carolina governor William H. Gist and interprets the site's plantation, slavery, secession, and conservation history.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site is a publicly administered historic property in Union County, South Carolina. Its central feature is the former home of William H. Gist, who served as South Carolina's governor from 1858 to 1860 and was an important advocate of secession before the American Civil War. The site combines architectural preservation, landscape interpretation, and public history in a rural setting associated with the state's Upcountry plantation economy. The plantation originated with land acquired by Francis Fincher Gist, a Charleston merchant and state representative, by the early nineteenth century. A Georgian-style brick residence was built on the property sometime between approximately 1811 and 1830, either by Francis Fincher Gist or by his son William Henry Gist. The estate eventually became known as Rose Hill because of the varieties of roses planted in its formal gardens. In the late 1850s and early 1860s, William Gist remodeled the house. He added two-level porches at the front and rear and covered the brick exterior with stucco, giving the residence a more fashionable Greek Revival appearance. The completed three-story house contained living spaces on the first two floors and a combination of living and storage areas above. Its interior included a spiral staircase and a ballroom with two fireplaces; the ballroom could be divided into sleeping chambers for visitors. Rose Hill was also a working plantation of roughly 2,000 acres. Enslaved people cultivated cotton, corn, and oats there. Available historical records indicate that the enslaved population grew from about 20 people in 1820 to 82 in 1840 and approximately 178 in 1860. The site therefore reflects both the material wealth represented by the mansion and the forced labor system that sustained the plantation. The locations of the original slave quarters are not known. After emancipation, the land continued to be farmed by tenant farmers and sharecroppers. During Gist's governorship, Rose Hill functioned as the governor's residence. From the property, Gist communicated with governors in several other Southern states and promoted coordinated action if Abraham Lincoln won the presidency. His efforts helped encourage the South Carolina secession movement and the convention that produced the state's Ordinance of Secession, making Rose Hill relevant to the political developments that preceded the Civil War. Following Gist's death in 1874, the mansion and surrounding land remained in the Gist family, although both were leased to tenants. The United States Forest Service acquired the larger property in 1938, incorporating it into Sumter National Forest. In 1942, antique collector and Federal Land Bank representative Clyde T. Franks purchased the house and 44 acres from the Forest Service. Franks restored the residence and gardens, furnished the interior with period objects, and opened the house to the public in 1943. The property entered state ownership in 1960 when Franks sold it to the South Carolina State Park Service. Today the site presents the mansion, formal grounds, a brick kitchen dating from the 1850s, visitor amenities, a small gift shop, and a 1.25-mile nature trail that crosses state and Forest Service land and reaches the Tyger River. The Gist family cemetery lies about a mile south of the mansion. As a state historic site, Rose Hill's public role is not the sale of a conventional consumer product but the preservation and interpretation of a complex place: an architecturally distinctive Upcountry residence, a former slaveholding plantation, a governor's home, and a setting connected to South Carolina's secession crisis.
History
Rose Hill's history begins with the Gist family's acquisition of land in South Carolina's Upcountry during the early nineteenth century. Francis Fincher Gist, a Charleston merchant and state representative, had acquired property in the region by 1811. A brick Georgian-style house was constructed between approximately 1811 and 1830. Historical accounts attribute the building either to Francis Fincher Gist or to his son William Henry Gist. The property's later name, Rose Hill, referred to the extensive varieties of roses planted in its formal gardens. William H. Gist developed the estate into a substantial plantation and political residence. The house was remodeled in the late 1850s and early 1860s, when its exterior was stuccoed and two-tiered porches were added to create a Greek Revival appearance. The three-story building contained family and guest rooms, a spiral staircase, and a ballroom with two fireplaces. The ballroom could be adapted into two sleeping chambers when needed. The residence was considered unusually refined for an Upcountry house of its era. The plantation covered approximately 2,000 acres and produced cotton, corn, and oats through enslaved labor. Records document an enslaved population of about 20 in 1820, 82 in 1840, and 178 in 1860. These figures illustrate the expansion of the plantation economy while also identifying the people whose coerced labor made the estate's agricultural production and household operations possible. The physical location of the slave quarters has not been identified. Following the end of slavery, tenant farmers and sharecroppers continued agricultural work on the property. Gist served as governor of South Carolina from 1858 through 1860, and Rose Hill served as the governor's residence during his term. From the house, he corresponded with the governors of Louisiana, North Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida about the possibility that South Carolina would lead a secession movement if Abraham Lincoln became president. His political activity contributed to the climate that produced South Carolina's secession convention and Ordinance of Secession, events that preceded the Civil War. Gist died in 1874. The property remained with his family for decades, though the house and land were leased to tenants. In 1938, the United States Forest Service purchased Rose Hill and incorporated it into Sumter National Forest. Clyde T. Franks acquired the house and 44 acres from the Forest Service in 1942. Franks, an antique collector from Laurens and a Federal Land Bank representative, restored the house and gardens, furnished the rooms with period objects, and opened the property to visitors in 1943. In 1960, Franks transferred ownership to the South Carolina State Park Service. Under state stewardship, Rose Hill became a public historic site with visitor facilities including restrooms, a picnic shelter, and a small gift shop. The property also retains an 1850s brick kitchen, the only other antebellum building identified on the grounds. A 1.25-mile nature trail extends through the historic-site and Forest Service properties toward the Tyger River, while the Gist family cemetery is located roughly one mile south of the mansion. The site now interprets architecture, plantation agriculture, slavery, political history, conservation, and the changing public uses of historic properties.
- 1960
Transfer to South Carolina State Park Service
[1]Franks sold the property to the South Carolina State Park Service, placing it under state historic-site stewardship.
- 1943
House opens to the public
[1]After restoration and furnishing with period objects, Franks opened Rose Hill to visitors.
- 1942
Clyde T. Franks acquires the property
[1]Franks purchased the house and 44 acres from the Forest Service and began restoring the residence and gardens.
- 1938
Forest Service acquisition
[1]The United States Forest Service purchased Rose Hill and incorporated it into Sumter National Forest.
- 1874
Death of William H. Gist
[1]Gist died, after which the house and land remained in the family but were leased to tenants.
- 1860
Gist promotes coordinated secession
[1]During the secession crisis, Gist wrote to governors in other Southern states about South Carolina taking the lead if Abraham Lincoln were elected president.
- 1858
Rose Hill becomes the governor's residence
[1]William H. Gist began his term as South Carolina governor, and the plantation house served as the governor's residence.
- 1830
Early brick house completed
[1]A Georgian-style brick residence was built on the property sometime in the period from approximately 1811 to 1830.
- 1811
Gist family acquires Upcountry land
[1]Francis Fincher Gist had acquired land in the Upstate South Carolina region by this time, establishing the property associated with the later Rose Hill plantation.
Products and positioning
A South Carolina state historic site focused on preserving and interpreting a politically significant plantation house, its Greek Revival architecture, the Gist family, enslaved labor, the secession crisis, and the surrounding historic landscape.
Historic house
Rose Hill mansion
The principal attraction is the former Gist residence, an early brick house remodeled in the late 1850s and early 1860s with stucco, two-level porches, and Greek Revival detailing. The interior includes a spiral staircase and a ballroom with two fireplaces that could be converted into guest sleeping rooms.
Cultural landscape
Historic grounds and formal gardens
The grounds preserve the setting associated with the plantation residence and its rose gardens. Landscape interpretation helps connect the house to the agricultural estate, family history, and changing uses of the property after the Civil War.
Historic outbuilding · 1850
Brick kitchen
A brick kitchen constructed in the 1850s survives as the only other identified antebellum structure on the property. It provides evidence of the domestic and service infrastructure associated with the mansion.
Outdoor recreation
Nature trail
The site's approximately 1.25-mile nature trail crosses both park and Forest Service land and extends toward the Tyger River, adding an outdoor-recreation dimension to the historic-house experience.
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