Bluffton in Beaufort County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Cyrus Garvin
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Cyrus Garvin House
Photographed by Glen Umberger, May 18, 2022
1. Cyrus Garvin Marker side of the marker
Cyrus Garvin. Little is known of Cyrus Garvin's early life. He was likely born into slavery, possibly on a plantation of the Baynard family. Garvin is notable for having amassed considerable status and property after emancipation. In 1868 he was acting as an agent on Ephraim Baynard's Montpelier plantation. By 1870 he was farming 75 acres and that number had risen to 100 ten years later. In 1878 he acted as an agent for St. Matthews Baptist Church, helping them to acquire land in Bluffton.
Cyrus Garvin House. Cyrus Garvin built the house located here c. 1870 and it is believed to be the oldest extant dwelling built by Freedpeople in Bluffton. The extended hall-and-parlor design was a vernacular form common to the low country. By 1880 Garvin lived here with his wife Ellen, their son Isaac, and Isaac's wife Janie and son Paul. Janie, who died in 1954, was the last person to inhabit the house, though the Garvins remained owners until 1961. The Beaufort Co. Land Trust acquired the land in 2001.
Erected 2017 by South Carolina Department of Archives and History; sponsored by Town of Bluffton and Eugene and Melanie Marks.
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1870.
Location. 32° 13.938′ N, 80° 52.056′ W. Marker is in Bluffton, South Carolina, in Beaufort County. It is on Wharf Street 0.1 miles south of Bridge Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 Bridge St, Bluffton SC 29910, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Lowcountry and on the Sea Islands. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, 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: First Zion Baptist Church (approx. 0.2
Photographed by Glen Umberger, May 18, 2022
2. Cyrus Garvin House side of the marker
Another marker is no longer nearby. Bluffton, S.C. (was approx. half a mile away but has been confirmed missing).
Photographed by Glen Umberger, December 2, 2022
3. Cyrus Garvin House
Credits. This page was last revised on May 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 23, 2023, by Glen Umberger of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,996 times since then and 338 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 23, 2023, by Glen Umberger of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
