Bluffton restores historic Garvin House, built by freed slave in 1870
The Garvin House in Bluffton is the oldest home built by a freed slave on the May River.
The home's rich history will now live on, after the town completed efforts to restore the crumbling structure.
The house was built in 1870 by Cyrus Garvin, a newly freed slave. He used scrap wood and nails left over after Union troops burned down Bluffton during the Civil War.
The Garvin family lived in the home for almost a century. Then, it was purchased by the Beaufort County Open Land Trust.
The home, though, began to deteriorate.
Eight years ago, the Garvin House was temporarily stabilized, but it wasn't until this year that a major restoration project began.
Now, Bluffton visitors and residents can tour the home and learn about its history.
"It’s to hopefully bring people to Bluffton to see this and experience what a freed man's house was like during that time period," said Melanie Marks, Project Historian.
The project was funded largely by grants. The town hopes it will help share Garvin's legacy and teach visitors about the Reconstruction era.