Many Stories Live Here
Our mission at Wavering Place is to respectfully preserve our rich and complicated American history and the environs that reflect that story by replenishing the land with love and joy. Proceeds from all events allow us to continue our efforts in doing so.
Wavering Place Today
Wavering Place, built circa-1855 on land purchased by Joel Adams I in 1768, stands as a reminder of the antebellum empire created by him and his descendants. Upon an estimated 25,000 acres spread across Richland County, Adams and his sons oversaw large-scale logging, agricultural, livestock, and transportation endeavors, all made profitable by the labor of hundreds of enslaved individuals. Since Adams’ death in 1830, this tract has been owned by a series of his direct descendants, including grandchildren from three different family lines: the heirs of his son, Dr. William Weston Adams (as Green Tree); Frances Tucker Hopkins and her descendants (as Magnolia); and Col. James Pickett Adams and his descendants (as Wavering Place).
In 2013, brothers Robert Adams VI and Weston Adams III, descendants of Col. Adams’ brother, Robert Adams II, purchased the property from their uncle, Dr. Julian Calhoun Adams, and have continued the restoration that he began. The noted formal native plant gardens at Wavering Place were designed and hand created by “Uncle Julian” after he purchased the interest of over 50 Adams descendants in 1986. Upon the passing of Robert Adams VI in 2019, the ownership converted to Weston Adams III and his wife Lisa Boykin Adams. Preservation is ensured through the rental of the grounds. The revenue generated by events is put toward efforts to preserve the architectural and historical aspects of Wavering Place so that others may know and appreciate ALL of the hands and history that made this significant South Carolina landmark what it is today.
READ MORE- A DETAILED FAMILY HISTORY
The Enslaved at Wavering Place
Like other plantations in the the American South, the history of Wavering Place is rich and complicated. We believe it is essential that in addition to telling the story of the Adams family who settled here in 1768, we acknowledge that the enslaved artisans, craftsmen, and workers who built and tended Wavering Place are equally a significant piece of its history. This research is ongoing and we remain open to all who may have a connection here. To date, we have collaborated with Historic Columbia via a generous grant from the Richland County Conservation Commission with the intention to provide a more complete story. In the process, we found that we have only scratched the surface of a family and community that is woven in more ways than one.
Please contact us if you have any information in this regard, as records of slave ancestry are very difficult to locate.