Documentation of the Maner / Garnett House Webb Wildlife Management Area, Hampton County, South Carolina

This report presented the results of the architectural documentation and archaeological testing of the Maner/Garnett House in Hampton County, South Carolina. The primary objective of this study was to document and provide information on the history of the house site and those associated with its occupation. The project consisted of extensive background research including oral interviews, photo documentation, preparation of measured plans and archaeological shovel testing. The fieldwork and preparation of the technical report was conducted in July 1996, by New South Associates as a sub-consultant to Gulf South Research Corporation.

The Maner/Garnett House was identified and assessed as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places during a cultural resources survey conducted by Panamerican Consultants Inc. in 1994, due to its association with local capitalist, John King Garnett Sr. The site consists of a two-story frame residence, a modern camphouse and the remains of a number of outbuildings destroyed by fire in 1994. Research revealed the house site has an extensive history as the Maner family homeplace dating back to the early nineteenth century. Constructed after the Civil War, the existing Maner/Garnett house was the residence of William Francis Maner and his family. John King Garnett became associated with the property when he married into the family at the turn of the century and only lived at the site for a short period of time. The house underwent a major renovation in the 1920s doubling its size. Abandoned in the 1980s, the Maner/Garnett house has recently been acquired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Besides the architectural documentation, a Phase I archaeological survey and site inspection was conducted to identify potential cultural remains, features, and the former existence of associated structures and/or middens around the immediate perimeters of the main building. No additional archaeological sites or features within the immediate vicinity of the main building or areas of possible impact were identified. However, the archaeological integrity of the subject property is considered to be high and additional archaeological investigations could help in identifying vital information regarding the lives of those associated with the Maner/Garnett House.