The Nelson House stood at on the southeast corner of Main and Academy streets for well over 100 years. On Sunday, September 2, 1928, when the house was 111 years old, the News & Courier published a lengthy article about it and the family that built it and lived there. Here is that story:
The Nelson House
"When Oliver Goldsmith exclaimed, 'I love everything that's old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine,' it seems strange that he did not include old houses which are so closely associated with each of his subjects.
"In this modern age, when nothing must stand in the way of progress, there are many old houses falling under the condemnation of so-called advancement of the human race. It would seem that these old houses could offer a lesson that probably will be needed at some time in the future.
"When Americans built their homes a century ago, they had time to construct them in a way that they were like the proverbial one in the scriptures which was built upon the rocks and therefore could withstand the winds and the rains.
"In the heart of the business section of Kingstree, one of the oldest towns in South Carolina, stands the old Nelson House. Progress has pressed it close on every side, but the owners of this ancient dwelling have seen to it that it has not side-stepped for this onset. That has not yet become necessary. There are many who hope it may never become necessary.
"This house was built in 1817 by Samuel Fluitt. He designed it and supervised its construction. It is probably the oldest dwelling now standing in Kingstree.
Samuel Fluitt
"With an air of dignity that is almost human it sits among its live oaks and old-fashioned flower garden that is as old as the house itself, for in those days no home was complete without its gardens.
"Originally there were three stories and a large cellar. The cellar today is waterproof, being brick-lined and floored with brick. And every brick that went into the foundations and the chimneys, and they are many, were made by hand of Williamsburg clay. In those days there stood near the edge of the town a brick press that was operated by one mule hitched to a treadmill. The mule tramped around and around grinding the clay to powder. When this was accomplished, the dust was mixed with water and poured into moulds. From these the brick were placed out in the sunshine to dry and "set." It was an unfortunate day when rain chanced to overtake this setting process. That meant it was all to be done again. The sun was the only kiln used back a hundred years ago.
"It was no small task to gather the lumber that went into a house at that time. While the woods were filled with an abundance of straight, sound pine, saw mills were yet unknown in this section. But slaves were plentiful, and Samuel Fluitt took them to the woods where they dug deep ditches. They next cut down a tree. The bole of the tree was placed over this ditch, or sometimes it was jacked up in the woods. Two workmen set to work to tear out the weatherboarding and other parts by hand. One worked above the tree, and the other in the ditch beneath. It must have been a stupendous task to saw by hand enough timber for an entire building, for in those days houses were built with room to spare, and guests were welcome.
"This old house, and others like it, was hand-built. Not a nail, even, went into its construction. Only lightwood pins were used where the joints could not be morticed. Today the passerby will notice the rows of rusty nails that hold its more recently applied weatherboarding in place, a striking contrast between construction of a century ago and present-day methods.
"In those days lumber that went into the making of a home was well-seasoned before it was put to use. Often it was cut and dried several years before it was considered 'ripe' for use. And only the best part of a tree was worthy of a place in the building of a home. The Nelson house is built of pitch pine. An inspection of the framework shows it to be sound after a century's wear and tear. The sills underneath are 10" by 12". The floor beams are as large as present day sills. So are the rafters. Evidently in those days when a man built a home, he intended it to last not only throughout his lifetime but for generations to come.
"When the Nelson house was built, large families were the rule. There are many stories to be gleaned of the happy gatherings in such old houses as this. It was in this one particularly that more than one dance was held at which the beaux and belles of this low country held court. It was in this house that men who attained distinction in the records of South Carolina history were entertained.
"The upper left room is still called the 'Solicitor's Room' because of the fact that Solicitor McIver, who later died on the Supreme Court bench of South Carolina, was a frequent guest there. Opposite is the 'Judge's Room.' Years ago Judge Holly claimed it as his own during his stays in Kingstree.
"The porch that now extends across the front of the house once ran around the side next to the court house square. It was from this veranda that M.C. Butler, who later went to the United States Senate, and Carpenter made their campaign speeches during that never-to-be-forgotten period just preceding the election of Hampton.
"To the back of the old house an incline runs down to the railroad tracks. It was here underneath the live oaks that many notable gatherings were held during the old muster days that figured so significantly in the history of this section.
"The Nelson House has changed hands only twice. It was willed by Samuel Fluitt to his daughter, Martha E. Fluitt, who married Isaac Nelson. A granddaughter of this couple, Mrs. Ellen Koger, still lives in Kingstree. From her many stories of the early history of Kingstree may be gleaned.
"Mrs. Koger relates her mother's account of the building of the railroad to Kingstree. Her mother in 1854 went out from the Nelson House to be educated, as was considered necessary for young ladies of that day and time. She was sent to an aunt in Mississippi to be placed in a school there. The railroad in 1854 had not yet reached Kingstree. It was necessary to carry her in a carriage to Mayesville where she could take the train for her journey west. She remained there three years. When she returned home she found the Northwestern railroad had crept up from Charleston as far as this point. The terminal was a freight car, which was the only station to be had then, that stood near where the Standard Oil tanks stand today.
"Now when the many through trains rumble past on the Atlantic Coast Line, many of them without so much as stopping at the modern station now close to the old Nelson House, one realizes how rapid is the course of progress once it becomes an established fact.
"When the Yankees came through here, they set fire to a dwelling near this house. The wind carried the flames twice to the roof the Nelson House. Although the shingles were thinly drawn cypress, and although the body of the house was of pitch pine, there were willing hands to quench the flames.
"The house changed hands the second time when John T. Nelson came into possession of it. He still owns it. In 1886, he found it necessary to re-cover it. The shingles were hand drawn and tapered down to such a thin edge where they overlapped that they had weathered away. Still there was not a leak in the building so well did men build a century ago.
"Mr. Nelson found the third story of no use and pulled it down, lowering the immense chimneys accordingly. A number of the original shutters were found to be in need of repair and because there was no way of having the reproduced truthfully, they were replaced with more modern blinds.
"Between the large chimneys is a little conservatory. Underneath this is an old soap cellar where in the early days the family supply of this commodity was stored. It is intact today.
"The window sills are rounded trunks of trees cut to proper lengths.
"In several of the rooms are mantel pieces worthy of preservation. Built of hard wood, they are hand carved in designs appropriate to that period of architecture.
Mrs. Tena Nelson, proprietor of The Colonial Inn, which she ran from the Nelson House.
"In the attic may be found numberless daguerrotypes of persons now forgotten to any of this present generation. They lie there pathetic in their abandoned uselessness.
"Small boys who now have reached man's estate in the affairs of the country recall honey dripping down the sides of the old house, but, like the fox, decided it was not sweet and had to be content with that.
"The builder of this oldest dwelling in Kingstree lies in the Williamsburg Cemetery. There is a story that after he died in a western state his body was brought back here for burial. A custom prevailed at that time to place the coffin on the ground within a brick vault. The top of this vault was covered only with marble slabs. Samuel Fluitt was laid to away in such a manner. But the curious eventually so bothered his resting place by removing the slabs to look upon his face that the family was forced to inter the body.
"The old brick vault today surrounds his remains. It is moss-covered and over it creep wild vines. A large live oak tree stands sentinel beside it. He spent over two years in the building of a home that has withstood the ravishes of over a century. Progress cannot shunt it and its quaint garden aside. The owners have seen to that. It remains to be seen how long a house of such historic interest can exist."
____________________________________________
The Nelson House stood another 30 years or so after this article was written. When the house was renovated in 1886, it seems likely that George Purvis Nelson, John T. Nelson's father, was in charge of those changes. At that time George Purvis Nelson was still very much alive and likely would have been the one to make decisions on those renovations as he was described in the local newspaper as a "wheel horse." Tena Nelson opened the house as a boarding house, known as The Colonial Inn, after the death of her husband John Purvis Nelson in 1908. John Purvis was George Purvis Nelson's nephew. G.P. Nelson adopted him when he was young. It should also be noted that in 1936-37 when the federal government was looking for a location to build a new post office, the site of the Nelson House was one of the lots under consideration before the lot on Mill Street was chosen. John T. Nelson lived in the old Porter house on Mill Street. It was later known to most Kingstree residents as the Marie L. Nelson House. It still stands directly across from the Post Office.
