If only these walls could talk! They’d sure have plenty to say. They would tell about when General William Moultrie held a parley here with Lord Cornwallis during the Revolutionary War. They’d also talk about the scores of ships that pulled up to nearby docks, bringing visitors from near and far. And they’d talk about the two little children who dug for hidden treasures just outside the walls.
Shannon and David Wood, the current owners of the Hibben House, know the stories. That’s because Shannon grew up next door and remembers Julie McIver, the owner of 111 Hibben St. back then, reciting them to her. After all, McIver’s family had lived in the house for nearly a century, so she knew those stories by heart. But the house resembled a museum then and was filled with antiques. That was only natural, since McIver’s mother, Petrona Royall McIver, was a local historian.
When the Woods family purchased the house 10 years ago, they had young daughters and wanted the home to be more comfortable for their family’s lifestyle. So, their version of the house’s interior is tailored for casual living. The walls are painted light colors and adorned with local art, some of it Shannon’s own work.
“I like the walls to be bright. That makes the art pop. And I like the lived-in feel. It’s important to me to not be too formal or stuffy,” Shannon explained. The blend of ancient oak floors, wainscoting and pocket doors with modern light fixtures, granite countertops and contemporary furnishings (along with some antiques) is more to her family’s liking. “I love the eclectic mix.”
The house was built circa 1755 by Jacob Motte as part of his plantation named – you guessed it – Mount Pleasant. It’s believed to be the oldest structure in town. James Hibben purchased the house and the surrounding 67 acres from Motte’s estate in 1803 and divided the tract into 35 lots for residential development, 10 of which he gave to his 10 children to build their homes. Five streets were also laid out – Beach, Bennett, Whilden, Boundary and Venning – and the village of Mount Pleasant was born.
When Motte built the house, it was only half the size it is now. The two symmetrical wings or bump outs, as Shannon calls them, were added by a more recent owner, an Englishman, to give the house a much larger living space – now almost 3,900 square feet. He also added a heavily windowed sunroom providing ample light and a breathtaking view of the harbor. And he installed air conditioning. Shannon remembered, “Miss Julie (McIver) never felt the need to put in air conditioning. The open windows and doors were enough to capture the harbor breeze and keep it comfortable inside.” She also recalled that, “for years, a cannonball held the door open. Miss Julie’s father had found it in the sandbank. It’s gone now, so I guess the Englishman took it with him.”
Since transportation was primarily by boat centuries ago, the large porch and entrance facing the harbor was originally the front of the house. In 1890, the other side, facing Hibben Street, became the front. That’s when the columns were added.
Shannon’s parents bought the house in 2012, thinking one of their four grown children might eventually want to buy it from them. Shannon and David took them up on the offer. They have transformed the half-acre property into an urban retreat, complete with a putting green and garden overlooking the harbor. Shannon explained, “This is where we put most of our money. It was just a dirt yard before.” But David, who enjoys gardening, has kept the century-old camellias that McIver planted and tended.
Shannon owns a framed copy of a letter between Washington and Cornwallis that she obtained from the Charleston Library Society in which Cornwallis offered land in Jamaica to Washington if he surrendered (obviously, he refused). And on her modern coffee table, she displays a glass box showcasing various artifacts – shards of pottery and the like – that she and her brother found in the yard when they were children. “Miss Julie (McIver) would let us dig. We were always digging up stuff. If I wasn’t an artist, I’d be an archaeologist!” Shannon mused.
The house has had only a handful of owners over its nearly 270 years. “We are thrilled to have this house!” exclaimed Shannon. And for her, it’s coming full circle – from having grown up next door, then living with her husband at Pirates Cove and I’On and now back here. “I feel like it was meant to be. I think Miss Julie (McIver) is our guardian angel – she wanted us to be here. And I feel as though I have a responsibility to preserve the house for Miss Julie’s sake and share its rich history with future generations.”
By Mary Coy
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