| HIST |
His brother Richard is his twin. Richard died and Matthew took his brothers name and became Matthew Richard Singleton. Matthew Richard built “Kensington” in Richland County, South Carolina Charleston architect Edward C. Jones and his partner, Francis D. Lee, designed Kensington Mansion. It has 29 rooms and 12,000 square feet of floor space. The raised basement contains a massive cistern that held 10,000 gallons of water for household use. The original kitchen stands beside the main house. Kensington is located at the junction of US Hwy 601 and SC 764 near Eastover. Phone number is 803-353-0456
Kensington collection will move to Seneca
Kensington Mansion, an Italianate home built in 1854 and now owned by International Paper, was originally owned by Matthew Richard Singleton, a prominent Sumter County resident. The property had fallen into disrepair when it was purchased by International Paper -- then Union Camp -- in 1981. It was restored and opened for occasional tours in 1984.
PHOTO PROVIDED
Posted Tuesday, February 2, 2016 6:00 am
BY IVY MOORE
IVY@THEITEM.COM
Scarborough-Hamer Foundation announced Monday that its collection of 19th- and early 20th-century decorative arts, which for 19 years comprised the furnishings of Kensington Mansion at Eastover, will be transferred to the City of Seneca.
The mansion, owned by International Paper, was badly damaged in the ice storm of February 2014, and repairs have not been completed. International Paper asked the foundation in March 2015 to move the collection to prevent damage; it was moved shortly after that and has been in storage since.
Rickie Good, former curator at Sumter County Museum, is executive director of Scarborough-Hamer Foundation. She explained the "core" of the collection was assembled by Robert Lee Scarborough in order "to assist in the interpretation of the social, political and economic history of lower Richland and Sumter counties. The Scarborough-Hamer Foundation was established in 1997 to manage and ensure the wellbeing of the collection."
Members of the foundation often served as costumed docents in the antebellum mansion, especially during the popular Christmas tours.
In the collection are "many of the furnishing styles popular during the Victorian period, including Eastlake, Federal, Eclectic, Rococo Revival, Renaissance Revival and American Empire," Good said. In addition, there are glass, porcelain, housewares, linens, art and books.
Dr. Mary Baskin Waters, chairwoman of the foundation's board of trustees, said she was gratified that the collection is being kept together.
It "will be a majestic addition to the City of Seneca's current museums, The Lunney House and the Bertha Lee Strickland Cultural Museum," she said.
Greg Dietterick, city administrator, said Seneca is both "excited and honored to receive the collection."
Good added, "While both board and staff regret that the foundation is no longer able to partner with the owners of Kensington Mansion, we are very pleased that the collection has found a home with the City of Seneca. The proposal submitted by the city will ensure that the collection remains together and will continue to be exhibited to the public."
In thanking supporters in the Midlands, Waters added, "It is unfortunate that we were unable to keep the bulk of the collection in Richland County. However, we are very excited that our photographic and archival collections will be transferred to the South Caroliniana Library at the University of South Carolina. With these transfers to Seneca and to the South Caroliniana Library, the board of trustees has ensured that the unity and integrity of these collections will be maintained for future generations."
The foundation has also transferred artifacts from the collection to Historic Columbia and to the South Carolina State Museum.
Good said that because the Scarborough-Hamer Foundation was "created to manage the collection and interpret the history of that area," it will likely "begin winding down (its) affairs in preparation of dissolving.
"We are just happy that the collection has a new home."
ABOUT KENSINGTON MANSION
Built in 1854, the mansion was the centerpiece of the Singleton family's Headquarters Plantation. Matthew Richard Singleton (1817-54), who had spent time in Europe, asked architects Edward Jones and Francis Lee to design a home in the Italianate Revival style. It stood as a symbol of the incredible wealth of the Singleton family, although most of the fortune was gone by the end of the Civil War.
During the early 20th century, Kensington's ownership changed hands several times. After it was acquired and restored by International Paper in 1984 at a cost of $1 million, it was opened for infrequent tours. With the partnership of the Scarborough-Hamer Foundation, it became a popular tourist destination.
Its future is unknown at this time. [1, 5, 6] |
1817 - 1854 (36 years)
