203 Witsell Street

Welcome to our home..... 203 Witsell St, Walterboro, SC 29488This beautiful home is the site of the first home in Walterboro, SC. It was built in1788 by Jacob Walter, a wealthy rice planter and plantation owner from the lowcountry. His home stood on this site until it was destroyed by the ''great cyclone of 1879.'' The current residence was rebuilt on the site, in grand fashion and has been the home to many of South Carolina's finest citizens including Governor Jefferies in the 1920s. 203 Witsell is complete with an original cook house/ ''slave cabin'' and is on 7 beautiful acres in town. We have 9 grand live oak trees (all registered with the ''Live Oak Society.'') The property is secluded and imminently PRIVATE. We have 7 cultured acres with dozens of varieties of mature trees

including massive live oaks, magnolias and a pecan grove. HOWEVER, we right in the middle of historic downtown Walterboro. We can walk to the downtown, IGA, our doctors' office, many restaurants, shopping, bowling, movie theater, fast food ...... etc, etc. The Governor Jefferies House was fabulously restored and updated in the early 21st century and it hosted the South Carolina State Historical Society in their annual Tour of Homes in 2013. Most of the house is on ONE story (there are 2 rooms on the "ground floor" accessible from the outside, each with a ½ bath). There are 7 fireplaces, and beautiful wainscoting throughout. The house is wonderfully "livable" in the 21 st century. In our 13 years here, 1) We added 5 acres to bring the total land of the estate to about 7 acres (returning it to it's original plat,) 2) We have up graded (replaced) both AC units, 3) Completely rebuilt the huge master bath with heated floors, large open walk in shower and hot tub (2019) 4) We added a tankless water heater (2019), 5) We completely insulated the attic and the floors, 6) We replaced and reinsulated all of the duct work under the house (2019), 7) We installed a new metal roof (2019), 8) We added a Moxy generator, which will run the entire house in case of power outage (2020), 9) We completely rebuilt the pool pump, filter system (2020), 10) We repaired the driveway with plantation mix (2020), 11) We put in new brick patios in the front incorporating brick from original out buildings on the property (2019), 12) We had several old chimneys repaired/ removed 13) We replaced the garage and added a green house, 14) We replaced flooring in 3 rooms, 15) We installed all new high efficiency windows (replacing the old unusable units.) 16) We added all (3) new state of the art ceiling fans on the front porch We have worked hard to maintain and improve our home and I do not believe that there is ANYTHING that "needs to be done." A little more bragging bout our home and hometown......... The "Governor Jeffries House" (as this classic home is known) sits on nearly seven (7) beautiful acres overlooking the "Hickory Valley" and a freshwater pond and spring fed stream with a gazebo from long ago. The property has numerous Spanish moss draped grand live oak trees including 11 that are registered with "The Live Oak Society" (the Louisiana Garden Club Federation.) It is bordered on one side by an old pecan orchard and on one side by a pristine forest and swamp. There is also a beautiful 150-year- old camellia garden with countless varieties of camellias. A spectacular infinity pool is the centerpiece of these magnificent grounds and great place for ultimate relaxation and entertaining. This home is in the "Hickory Valley Historic District" and an easy walk to downtown, with many restaurants and shops, including Washington street (where there are MANY antique shops, boutiques and stores as well as the South Carolina Artisans Center.) Walterboro's Wildlife ("Great Swamp") Sanctuary is in town and offers miles of protected boardwalks and trails, birds and even alligators, minutes from your front door. Walterboro is a short drive from the most beautiful beaches on the east coast, Charleston, Beaufort and Savannah. It sits directly on I 95 (halfway between New York City and Miami Beach) AND is in the heart of the ACE river basin (the largest federal wildlife refuge in the USA) with countless local, state and national parks and recreation areas. It IS indeed a subtropical Garden of Eden and great for hiking, biking and canoeing/ kayaking in the unspoiled black water rivers and marshes of the coastal plain. There are over 200 plantations in Colleton County. Many are from the pre-revolutionary war era with countless points of interest from the revolutionary and civil wars. FIRST AND FOREMOST, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE! We love the people. Our fair city is full of friendly, caring and GOOD people. We have a healthy mixture of ethnicity, prosperity & religious back grounds. We have families from guided southern aristocracy living next door to descendants of slaves living next door to transplanted YANKEES. We live together, work together, shop together and worship together. Many of the people of Walterboro are from families who have been here for generations, yet as a whole..... are open and accepting of others. Our first impression of the people here was very positive and has grown even more positive as we get to know our neighbors better. Walterboro is "the Front Porch of the Low Country." It is the undiscovered jewel of the south, a historic town of about 20,000 with two historic districts and dozens of ancient homes and extraordinary places. Our town is the Colleton County seat (with a beautiful, Robert Mills Court House, circa 1820). We have an active arts community (we are the home of the South Carolina Artisans Center ) and historic society (Colleton County Historic & Preservation Society) and a campus of the University of South Carolina. We are an hourish from downtown Charleston (Conde Nast's #1 tourist destination in the US for the last 4 years), Savannah, Summerville, Bluffton, Hilton Head, Beaufort, and even Columbia, so if you want a fancy restaurant or high end shopping ... it's still easily available ........ WITHOUT traffic, crowds and TOURISTS (HA).....while you sleep in your own bed at night Natural beauty with grand, moss draped, 300-year-old oak trees, palms and palmettos in grand garden landscapes, amongst ancient public and private buildings. Natural beauty with grand, moss draped, 300-year-old oak trees, palms and palmettos in grand garden landscapes, amongst ancient public and private buildings We have the second largest municipal park in the USA (the Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary which is second in size only to Central Park in NYC). Walterboro just opened the new "Walterboro Wildlife Discovery Center." There are MILES and MILES of paved and elevated board walks thru a spectacular lowland hardwood swamp/ forest. This property adjoins the wildlife sanctuary.