Walnut Grove Plantation
A preserved eighteenth-century plantation and historic house museum in Roebuck, South Carolina.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Walnut Grove Plantation is a historic plantation property and house museum in Roebuck, Spartanburg County, South Carolina. The principal residence was built in 1765 for Charles and Mary Moore on land granted during the reign of King George III. Charles Moore worked as a schoolteacher and operated the approximately 3,000-acre property as a farm. The site became the center of a large Moore family household; Charles and Mary had ten children, and descendants remained connected with the surrounding area. The plantation is particularly associated with Margaret Catharine Moore, commonly known as Kate Barry. The eldest Moore daughter is traditionally credited with planting the grove of black walnut trees that gave the property its name. During the American Revolutionary War, Barry served as a scout for General Daniel Morgan and is associated with intelligence-gathering around the Battle of Cowpens. Her story forms an important part of the site's Revolutionary-era interpretation, although the plantation's broader history also encompasses domestic life, farming, education, and the material culture of an eighteenth- and nineteenth-century rural estate. Walnut Grove is preserved as a collection of historic structures rather than only as a single house. The main manor is accompanied by outbuildings and interpretive spaces that include a schoolhouse, a wheat house, and other surviving or reconstructed plantation structures. Public tours explain the architecture, household economy, agricultural setting, and the experiences of the people connected with the property. The site is presented as a historic attraction in the Spartanburg area and is operated in association with the Spartanburg County Historical Association. One of the property's best-known legends concerns a stain on the floor of an upstairs bedroom. For many years, visitors were told that it represented the blood of John Steadman, a patriot reportedly killed by Tory forces led by William “Bloody” Bill Cunningham. The story became a popular element of the visitor experience. Later twenty-first-century research determined that the stain was not human blood, and tour guides were subsequently prohibited from presenting it as evidence of Steadman's killing. This change illustrates the site's effort to distinguish documented history from inherited folklore while retaining the legend as part of its interpretive past. The plantation underwent a reported $1.5 million renovation and reopened in October 2025. The work focused on preserving and renewing the main house and associated visitor facilities while maintaining the property's historic character. Today, Walnut Grove Plantation functions as a heritage destination, educational venue, and preserved historic landscape rather than as an agricultural producer or consumer-goods brand.
History
Walnut Grove Plantation was established in the South Carolina backcountry in the eighteenth century. Charles and Mary Moore received the land through a grant issued during the reign of King George III, and the principal house was built in 1765. Charles Moore is described as a schoolteacher who also managed the property's agricultural operations. The plantation covered roughly 3,000 acres and supported a farm-based household and community. The Moore family had ten children. Their eldest daughter, Margaret Catharine Moore, became known as Kate Barry and is closely associated with the site's Revolutionary War history. Barry is credited with planting the black walnut grove from which the property took its name. Tradition also identifies her as a scout for General Daniel Morgan during the Battle of Cowpens, linking Walnut Grove to the military and intelligence networks of the American Revolution in the Carolina backcountry. The plantation developed as a complex of buildings serving domestic, agricultural, educational, and storage purposes. In addition to the manor house, the historic property includes a schoolhouse, a wheat house, and other structures. These buildings help explain how a rural estate functioned and provide context for the Moore family's social and economic life. The site also preserves associations with later descendants who continued to live in the surrounding region. Over time, Walnut Grove became a historic site open to public interpretation. Tours expanded beyond the main residence to include the surrounding buildings and landscape. Its storytelling incorporated both documented events and local traditions. The most prominent legend concerned a floor stain in an upstairs bedroom, long described to visitors as the blood of John Steadman, a patriot said to have been killed by Tory forces commanded by William Cunningham, known as “Bloody” Bill Cunningham. Subsequent research found that the stain was not human blood. As a result, guides were instructed not to present the stain as proof of Steadman's murder, reflecting a shift toward more evidence-based interpretation. The property has been documented through historic-preservation work, including Historic American Buildings Survey records covering the main house and several associated buildings. In the twenty-first century, Walnut Grove continued operating as a heritage and educational attraction in Spartanburg County. A reported $1.5 million renovation culminated in a reopening in October 2025. The preserved manor and outbuildings now support tours and interpretation centered on the Moore family, rural colonial and Revolutionary-era South Carolina, the property's architecture, and the distinction between historical evidence and popular legend.
- 2025
Renovated site reopens
[1]After a reported $1.5 million renovation, Walnut Grove Plantation reopened in October 2025.
- 1765
Main house constructed
[1]The Walnut Grove manor was built for Charles and Mary Moore on land granted during the reign of King George III.
Kate Barry becomes associated with Walnut Grove's Revolutionary history
[1]Margaret Catharine Moore, known as Kate Barry, was associated with General Daniel Morgan as a scout during the Battle of Cowpens and was traditionally credited with planting the black walnut grove.
Historic American Buildings Survey documentation
[1]The main house and several associated structures were documented through Historic American Buildings Survey records.
Products and positioning
A preserved South Carolina historic site combining an eighteenth-century plantation house, associated outbuildings, Revolutionary War interpretation, and public heritage education.
Historic house · 1765
Manor house
The principal residence built in 1765 for Charles and Mary Moore. It is preserved and interpreted through public tours that address the Moore family, domestic life, architecture, and the plantation's place in the history of the South Carolina backcountry.
Historic outbuilding
Schoolhouse
A historic educational building associated with the plantation complex. Its inclusion in tours illustrates the role of schooling and community institutions in the rural setting surrounding Walnut Grove.
Agricultural outbuilding
Wheat house
An agricultural structure associated with storage and farm operations at Walnut Grove. It forms part of the broader group of outbuildings used to interpret the plantation's agricultural economy.
Brand decisions
2025
Complete major preservation renovationStrategyBackground
The historic property required substantial investment to preserve its buildings and maintain its role as a public heritage attraction.
Action taken
A reported $1.5 million renovation was completed, followed by a reopening in October 2025.
Aftermath
The manor and associated structures continued to support public tours and historical interpretation.
Renovation cost. $1.5 million (2025)
- Remove unsupported blood-stain claim from tour interpretationOther
Background
A bedroom-floor stain had long been presented as the blood of patriot John Steadman, but later research found that it was not human blood.
Action taken
Tour guides were prohibited from attributing the stain to Steadman's murder.
Aftermath
The change reduced reliance on an unverified physical claim while distinguishing the site's documented history from its folklore.
Recent events
- 2025
Walnut Grove Plantation reopens after major renovation[1]
Other
Walnut Grove Plantation reportedly reopened in October 2025 after a $1.5 million renovation intended to preserve and improve the historic property and visitor experience.
Tour interpretation changes after testing of bedroom stain[1]
Other
Research determined that a long-publicized stain in an upstairs bedroom was not human blood. Guides were consequently prohibited from identifying it as the blood of patriot John Steadman.
Sources2 sources
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