Frogmore Plantation, St. Helena Island South Carolina

History of Frogmore Plantation

The Frogmore Plantation Complex on St. Helena Island is associated with Laura Towne and Ellen Murray, the founders of Penn School, and with prominent St. Helena businessman James Ross Macdonald. The plantation was originally owned by Lieutenant Governor William Bull, who willed it to his son in 1750. The property passed into the hands of John and Elizabeth Stapleton in 1790; the house and barn were built circa 1810, probably during their ownership. In the antebellum era, the boat that carried mail to St. Helena Island from Beaufort landed here, and mail addressed to "Frogmore" was sure to reach the island. The present-day name of Frogmore, for the crossroads at the Corner, derives from this usage. When the United States Post Office established a formal post office there, it followed local usage and named it "Frogmore, South Carolina." Thomas Coffin, owner of Coffin's Point, owned Frogmore at his death in 1865. Three years later, the house was purchased by Laura Towne and Ellen Murray. Miss Towne and Miss Murray were two of the first Northern missionaries and teachers who arrived on St. Helena in March 1862 and founded Penn School. They enlarged the house and remained here until their deaths, Miss Towne in 1900 and Miss Murray in 1908. The house and plantation were subsequently purchased by James Ross Macdonald, a prominent businessman on St. Helena.

Frogmore Plantation Property Description

The Frogmore Plantation Complex consists of the main house, another residence built c. 1940, a cottage, a pump house, a carport/shed, a barn, and a windmill/water tower.

The main house conforms to the general description of a Central Passage Four-Over-Four House.

The house was built in the early nineteenth century as a one-and-a-half-story structure. It was enlarged to two and one-half stories in the late nineteenth century. In the early twentieth century, the porch was enlarged from one to two stories.

The barn, built in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, is a significant example of tabby construction. It is rectangular in shape, with a shed roof extension on one side. The gable roof is of standing seam metal. The entrance door is located at the gable end. An opening to the loft area is located in the gable wall surface. A dormer provides additional light to the loft area.

The windmill/water tower (c. 1920) is evidence of improving agricultural technology. The circular reservoir for water is constructed of metal and rests on a wooden base. It is elevated on a metal frame. Surmounting the water reservoir is a wind mill. The windmill blades are in disrepair. This powered a pump used to draw water from the deep well for storage in the reservoir.