Price's Post Office
Encyclopedia
Price's Post Office or the Price House is a house built ca. 1800 in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. Its name in the USGS Geographic Names Information System
is Prices Post Office. It is located at the intersection of Oak View Farm Road (South Carolina State Highway 42-200), Old Switzer Road (South Carolina State Highway 42-199), and Price House Road (South Carolina State Highway 42-86). It was named to the National Register of Historic Places
on October 28, 1969.
stagecoach
line to Cross Anchor, South Carolina
. He operated a "publick house"
or tavern and stagecoach stop.
When his wife, Anne, died in 1821, she left a forty-two page inventory of the estate. In addition to the house furnishings, the inventory included 25 slaves and agricultural machinery. Going beyond "frontier-level," the furnishings included a curtained four poster bed
, an 8-day clock, a desk, and a bookcase, and volumes of the Spectator
, the Tatler
and other publications. The farm equipment included grindstones, a loom, a spinning wheel, a cotton picking machine, and riding chaise.
It is a now historic house museum operated by the Spartanburg County Historical Association. It is open on Sunday afternoons throughout the year, on Saturdays in the summer, and by reservations.
roof. At that time, a gambrel roof was unusual in upstate South Carolina. The 18 in (46 cm) thick brickwork on the house is Flemish bond with darkened headers.
The rooms are paneled with wood on the walls and ceilings. The first floor has a parlor, called the Pine Room because of its wood paneling, and a large dining room for both the family and stagecoach riders. These two rooms are separated by a central hallway that extends through each story. The second floor has two large and one small bedrooms. The top floor under the eaves has one bedroom for male travelers and one for female travelers.
An extension was built to the rear around 1820. The extension was probably built as quarters for the servants. It is constructed of English bond
, and is now a kitchen.
Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...
is Prices Post Office. It is located at the intersection of Oak View Farm Road (South Carolina State Highway 42-200), Old Switzer Road (South Carolina State Highway 42-199), and Price House Road (South Carolina State Highway 42-86). It was named to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on October 28, 1969.
History
Thomas Price moved to the Spartanburg District around 1793. He was a landowner and entrepreneur. He operated a general store and post office next to his house. The post office was operated from about 1811 to 1820. He farmed about 2000 acre (809.4 ha). The house was on the SpartanburgSpartanburg, South Carolina
thgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of...
stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
line to Cross Anchor, South Carolina
Cross Anchor, South Carolina
Cross Anchor is a census designated place in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population in the 2010 United States Census is 126.- Geography :...
. He operated a "publick house"
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
or tavern and stagecoach stop.
When his wife, Anne, died in 1821, she left a forty-two page inventory of the estate. In addition to the house furnishings, the inventory included 25 slaves and agricultural machinery. Going beyond "frontier-level," the furnishings included a curtained four poster bed
Four poster bed
A four-poster bed is a bed with four vertical columns, one in each corner, that support a tester, or upper panel. There are a number of antique four-poster beds extant dating to the 16th century and earlier; many of these early beds are highly ornate and are made from oak...
, an 8-day clock, a desk, and a bookcase, and volumes of the Spectator
The Spectator (1711)
The Spectator was a daily publication of 1711–12, founded by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele in England after they met at Charterhouse School. Eustace Budgell, a cousin of Addison's, also contributed to the publication. Each 'paper', or 'number', was approximately 2,500 words long, and the...
, the Tatler
Tatler
Tatler has been the name of several British journals and magazines, each of which has viewed itself as the successor of the original literary and society journal founded by Richard Steele in 1709. The current incarnation, founded in 1901, is a glossy magazine published by Condé Nast Publications...
and other publications. The farm equipment included grindstones, a loom, a spinning wheel, a cotton picking machine, and riding chaise.
It is a now historic house museum operated by the Spartanburg County Historical Association. It is open on Sunday afternoons throughout the year, on Saturdays in the summer, and by reservations.
Architecture
The house is a -story, brick house with a gambrelGambrel
A gambrel is a usually-symmetrical two-sided roof with two slopes on each side. The upper slope is positioned at a shallow angle, while the lower slope is steep. This design provides the advantages of a sloped roof while maximizing headroom on the building's upper level...
roof. At that time, a gambrel roof was unusual in upstate South Carolina. The 18 in (46 cm) thick brickwork on the house is Flemish bond with darkened headers.
The rooms are paneled with wood on the walls and ceilings. The first floor has a parlor, called the Pine Room because of its wood paneling, and a large dining room for both the family and stagecoach riders. These two rooms are separated by a central hallway that extends through each story. The second floor has two large and one small bedrooms. The top floor under the eaves has one bedroom for male travelers and one for female travelers.
An extension was built to the rear around 1820. The extension was probably built as quarters for the servants. It is constructed of English bond
Brickwork
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar to build up brick structures such as walls. Brickwork is also used to finish corners, door, and window openings, etc...
, and is now a kitchen.