Clemson in Pickens County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Trustee House
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 6, 2021
1. Trustee House Marker
The Trustee House, built in 1894 as faculty housing, was initially the home of chemistry department Chairman and three-time Acting President Mark B. Hardin. It was constructed by a predominantly African-American convict labor crew using bricks made from nearby clay soil. After Hardin's death in 1916, the building provided meeting space and overnight accommodations for the Board of Trustees, which accounts for its name, and accommodations for visiting dignitaries. During a 1918 flu epidemic, it was used as a temporary hospital. It was enlarged to its current size in 1956 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings in 1990.
1894
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Erected by Clemson University.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1894.
Location. 34° 40.715′ N, 82° 50.274′ W. Marker is in Clemson, South Carolina, in Pickens County. It is on Fort Hill Street west of Calhoun Drive, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in South Carolina’s and pstate, in the Foothills, in the Golden Corner. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fort Hill (within shouting distance of this marker); Hardin Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); First Woman Graduate (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Fort Hill (about 300 feet away); Site of the First Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Clemson Agricultural College (about 300 feet away); Fort Hill Plantation Office (about
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 6, 2021
2. Trustee House Marker
Additional keywords. Forced labor; penal labor
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 6, 2021
3. Trustee House
Unknown via Clemson University Libraries / Fair use, circa 1914
4. Clemson College Scene
This photograph, taken from the Main Building, shows the Trustee House (left) and Barracks No. 2 and 3 (right).
via NPS, unknown
5. Clemson University Historic District II
National Register of Historic Places Digital Archive on NPGallery website entry
Click for more information.
Click for more information.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 5, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,251 times since then and 60 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 8, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 5. submitted on January 5, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.
