The Burt Stark Mansion
Abbeville Historic Sites
Abbeville Opera House
This handsome, three-story building, designed in the beaux-arts classic style, is one of a splendid pair of buildings on the Square in Abbeville and serves as City Hall. Ever since its dedication in 1908, it has also been home to the Abbeville Opera House. The magnificent old theater has been restored to its former glory and its scarlet and gold interior with balcony and three tiers of boxes once again hosts live theater year round. The building is open to the public except during rehearsals or performances. For play reservations, call 864-459-2157.
Burt Stark Masion
Located on North Main Street in Abbeville, this home was built by lawyer and planter David Smith in 1841. The fine Greek Revival two-story mansion is within walking distance of the Square. It is most famous for being the site of Jefferson Davis’s last war council during Armistead Burt’s residency. Davis, a close friend of the Burt’s, finally disbanded his war cabinet here in May 1865 before fleeing to Georgia. In 1900 J.S. Stark bought the house and restored it to its former antebellum glory. The last surviving member of the family, Mary Stark Davis, donated it and the furnishings to the Historic preservation Commission in 1971. It is now a national landmark and is open to the public for tours. For tour information, call 864-459-4297.
Trinity Episcopal Church
Located on Church Street, Trinity Episcopal Church was founded by Thomas Parker in 1842. George E. Walker of Columbia designed the current building in the Gothic Revival style, built of pink stuccoed brick with corner buttresses. Its soaring 125-foot spire dominates the city’s skyline at the end of Trinity Street. The church was consecrated in 1860, barely three weeks before the fateful meeting on nearby Secession Hill. In 1862 the large chancel stained glass window, made in England, was delivered by blockade runners to Charleston and carted up-country to Abbeville. The church is also noted for its working 1860 Baker Tracker Organ, the original handmade pews and numerous stained glass windows. The church is open to the public, and church services are held on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Erskine College Campus
Erskine College in Due West is home to several fine historic buildings, the most prominent of which is the Erskine building, built in 1892, and characterized by its dome and two towers. The oldest original building on the campus quadrangle is the Philomathean Literary Society Hall, constructed in 1860, in the Georgian Revival style and notable for the second-floor meeting room with an elaborate ceiling mural and tromp l’oeil podium painted by Italian artists in 1912. Nearby is the neoclassic Euphemian Literary Society Hall, built in 1913, home to Erskine’s oldest student organization. For more information on these facilities, call 864-379-8858.
