The interior decor of an old plantation home is seen here in a color photo that was taken shortly after it was renovated in the early 1950s.
Its original antique carpet style and old wallpaper pattern had been faithfully reproduced to help restore the glory of the original hallway, with its gracefully divided and united staircase.
A doorway to the outside was framed by the steps, and showed the back garden’s verdant view down terraces and across pools to a distant tidewater inlet.
Both of these photos were taken in the first-floor hallway, looking north to the staircases. The curtains on the landing level, shown at the top of the color image, were the perfect green color to match this same view from the upper window.
This elegant staircase was seen here inside the old plantation home of William Seabrook, who built it in 1810 on Edisto Island, about 30 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina.
The Library of Congress’ Historic American Buildings Survey specifically called attention to this unique double staircase, and provided the black and white photo above, likely taken in the 1940s, before the carpet was replaced.
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The wallpaper was a pale blue, and was repeatedly embossed with a circular medallion pattern held within a rectangle.
The stairs, railings and top of the dado rail-height banister on the outer sides were all of a dark wood. Below the dado was traditional English-style wainscoting in a cream color that matched the crown molding and archways.
