About the Lithograph:
It was an era in the Lowcountry when Charleston was surrounded by large and small plantations engaged in rice cultivation and the growth of cotton. The Lowcountry was a place of quiet, gently flowing rivers moving back and forth with the tide. Except for the voices of people working or talking, or the clatter of horses or the general splash of water by boats sailing along, it was an atmosphere of serenity. The marshes were pristine, and century old oaks were spread around the country side, draped with the beauty of Spanish moss. Successful planters put their earnings into beautiful homes, installing the luxuries of the Old Country. Gracing the landscape were ladies in large hoop dresses and gentleman in their coated outfits. This way of life, which seemed certain and prosperous existed until the War Between the States caused many of these plantations to become unprosperous or to fall into disrepair because of the death of their inhabitants or the loss of their fortunes. Union soldiers brought desolation to many of these fine homes. Fortunately for Red House, it became the headquarters fro some New York Regiments during the War Between the States and did not fall to the invaders' torch.
Red House Plantation appears to have been part of what once was Cherry Hill Plantation. The original house was built somewhere between 1810 and 1850 by one Edward Bailey. The forerunner to this mansion appears to have been the William Seabrook Mansion built in 1810. Despite surviving the calamity of the war and the march of years, the mansion seems to have withstood adverse forces until WWII when it burned to the ground leaving only its brick chimneys.