Rosemary Inn Bed & Breakfast

Introduction

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This elegant historic home was erected by the founding father of North Augusta, James U. Jackson, who named it Rosemary Hall. It is now a popular bed and breakfast inn. The house is a striking example of Greek Revival architecture, featuring a two-story wraparound porch with twelve fluted Corinthian columns, floor length windows on the first floor, and Italian colored glass in the windows of the main entrance. Jackson was the president of the North Augusta Land Company, which developed the city. He also led the effort to build the original bridge that connected the city to Augusta, Georgia. Additionally, he built a trolley line that connected Augusta to Aiken, South Carolina, and built a luxury hotel called the Hampton Terrace Hotel. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

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Now a bed and breakfast inn, Rosemary Hall was built by the city's founder, James Jackson, in 1898.

Backstory and Context

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Jackson founded the North August Land Company in 1890 with his brother, Walter, who was the manager and built the home across the street that is now Lookaway Inn. In the coming years, they laid out the city and sold lots, and, as noted above, Jackson built the hotel in 1903. The community grew quickly and became a popular winter resort. Many famous people stayed at the hotel including President William Howard Taft and John D. Rockefeller.

Jackson spared no expense in building the home. Thirty train cars delivered the lumber to build it and his craftsmen selected only the best, throwing out any wood with knots. Each of the columns are single, hand-carved tree logs. The interior features rosemary pine, which is rare and expensive, and Jackson hand-selected each piece (he named the house after the rosemary wood). He moved his family from Augusta when the house was completed. The family hosted lavish parties for prominent politicians and industrialists. President Taft spent Christmas Day at the house in 1908 on his inaugural tour. Jackson's daughters held their weddings at the house well.

After Jackson died in 1925, the house remained in the family. His wife Edith and three of their five children (and their families) lived in the house for many years. The house was converted into apartments to accommodate them. The last family member to live at the house was Edith Barrington Jackson Alexander, who died in 1982. The owners in the 1990s converted it into an inn. However, when the current owners bought Rosemary Hall in 2009, it was in a state of disrepair. They restored it and eventually opened the inn.

Sources

"History of Rosemary Hall." Rosemary Inn Bed & Breakfast. Accessed May 24, 2021. https://rosemaryinnbb.com/about.

Moss, Hunter V. "Rosemary Hall." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. April 28, 1975. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/b91b3545-6f3a-4121-9e84-a154c7c0c91b.

Wiersema, Libby. "Get Pampered at the Rosemary Inn." Discover South Carolina. Accessed May 24, 2021. https://discoversouthcarolina.com/articles/get-pampered-at-the-rosemary-inn.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Bill Fitzpatrick, via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rosemary_Hall.jpg

Additional Information