This is my brother’s home. It was built around 1898, I believe, by one of my Aiken great-aunts and her husband, a Douglas who grew up at in the county. They moved to DC for his law practice, and the house was purchased by the Ketchin family who lived there until my brother and his wife purchased it the late 1970s or early 1980s. My home, built by my grandparents, is its neighbor to the south.
I think it was built around 1880 and took two years to build. That information was from an article in the local paper titled “100 years ago today” documenting its completion. Also remarkable to me that this old unsuspecting house on a hill, through that Douglas lineage mentioned, connects to James Webb of NASA and obviously whom the Webb space telescope is named.
I meant to mention in my earlier comment that my brother loves preserving “heritage” plants. I believe those old roses, whose name I can’t recall, are among the flora he recalls from his childhood in the neighborhood.
Annie I believe ur brother’s rose might b an Else Poulsen rose. We have one as well here in NC & it should certainly be classified as a heritage rose. Mine came from a great Southern gardener who shared one of her Else’s with me before she died. Based on what I believe to be accurate our rose is well over 50 years old & delights every Spring with her ice pink roses & loves to claim up the side garage wall. They are show stoppers 💖
This is my brother’s home. It was built around 1898, I believe, by one of my Aiken great-aunts and her husband, a Douglas who grew up at in the county. They moved to DC for his law practice, and the house was purchased by the Ketchin family who lived there until my brother and his wife purchased it the late 1970s or early 1980s. My home, built by my grandparents, is its neighbor to the south.
I think it was built around 1880 and took two years to build. That information was from an article in the local paper titled “100 years ago today” documenting its completion. Also remarkable to me that this old unsuspecting house on a hill, through that Douglas lineage mentioned, connects to James Webb of NASA and obviously whom the Webb space telescope is named.
Annie, thanks so much for the background info! This is one of my Winnsboro "favorites":-))))
Correction: two newspaper articles. One saying August 1887 construction beginning and another April 1888 saying work recently completed.
James Webb (from TallyHo, NC, near Oxford, NC) married Patsy Douglas, daughter of Augusta Aiken and Charles Douglas, who built the house in the photo.
I meant to mention in my earlier comment that my brother loves preserving “heritage” plants. I believe those old roses, whose name I can’t recall, are among the flora he recalls from his childhood in the neighborhood.
Annie I believe ur brother’s rose might b an Else Poulsen rose. We have one as well here in NC & it should certainly be classified as a heritage rose. Mine came from a great Southern gardener who shared one of her Else’s with me before she died. Based on what I believe to be accurate our rose is well over 50 years old & delights every Spring with her ice pink roses & loves to claim up the side garage wall. They are show stoppers 💖