The Rose Hill Mansion

A brief history of Rose Hill Mansion

• Rose Hill Plantation, once part of Devil's Elbow Barony, was granted to Sir John Colleton by King Charles II in 1718.

• Construction on the mansion was started in the late 1850s by planter and physician Dr. John Kirk and his wife, Caroline.

• The work was halted by the Civil War. The Kirks sought refuge in Grahamville. Although the house was occupied after the war, the economy made it impossible to complete the interior.

• In 1946, John and Betsy Gould Sturgeon purchased the house and hired architect Willis Irvin to direct its completion.

• In 1980, the Rose Hill Plantation Development Co. (the Welton family) purchased the land for development as a planned residential community. In 1983, the Rose Hill Plantation house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The house was opened to the public for tours, and an extensive rehabilitation was completed in 1986.

• In 1987, a fire damaged the house. The copper roof melted and caved in, and the second floor and attic were gutted.

• After the fire, the copper roof was replaced and the porch's posts were redesigned to the Kirks' original wood and Gothic look. Inside, only the central domed hall and spiral staircase had been restored and painted. The rest of the house remained charred and unfinished.